Reading Latin & Discovering the Ancient History and Art History of Italy

Calder Classics invites students entering 9th through 12th grades to join us for this online program in which language, art, and scholarship merge fluently in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and interdisciplinary exchange. In this course, students review Latin grammar and read the great authors of Latin literature while also exploring the historical and cultural treasures of ancient and Renaissance Italy.

Our Approach

Each session, students and their instructors read, translate and discuss Latin literature in an interactive “salon” style environment. Given that participants join us from a variety of schools, we begin with a brief review of Latin grammar. We then analyze a selection of texts from both a grammatical and literary perspective, engaging in such topics as the significance of rhetorical devices, meter and intertextuality. At least one year of reading original (or slightly adapted) Latin texts is required. In additional sessions, students engage with art, literature, and ancient history that relate to the themes of the Latin passages we read. Guided by our scholars who are highly trained in ancient studies, mythology and art history, we take virtual tours of the treasures of Italy, a myriad of museums, monuments, palazzos and piazzas, and hear about the great works of ancient, Renaissance, and modern masters. These presentations and group discussions focus on the historical context and broader themes of classical culture, and will be integrated with the Latin curriculum.

“Latin AP Prep: Reading Caesar and Vergil”

This two-week upper-level Latin reading program is an intensive preparation for the Latin AP in which students will read excerpts from Caesar’s Gallic War and Vergil’s Aeneid. Given that both Caesar and Vergil present stylized characters and events that reflect Roman preoccupations and values, we will also talk and read about Roman notions of the self and identity and ways that Romans would perform and reaffirm their social identity and status through their habits, dress, gestures, and more. Brief excerpts from Quintilian, Plutarch, Seneca, and Tacitus will highlight the ways in which a carefully cultivated public self led to training in visual and verbal styles that were then presented as 'natural' qualities. We will also look at Roman art as another way that individuals could craft and shape their public image.

June 20 - July 1, “Latin AP Prep”. Upper Level. Monday-Friday 10:30am to 1:30pm (EDT). Course Fee: $1200. Apply.

“Constructing Memory”

Exegi monumentum aere perennius; “I have finished a monument more lasting than bronze”, Horace writes in Ode 3.30. He suggests that his oeuvre is a greater accomplishment than a victory in war. How do art and literature shape our understanding of history? What role do artists (authors, poets, painters, sculptors) play in constructing memory? What aspects of their subjects do they include? What do they leave out? In this course we will explore the idea of memory as we delve into Latin readings by Horace, Ovid, Vergil, Catullus, Lucretius, and Augustus, and learn about art of the Italian Renaissance. We will focus on how art (written and visual) can be used to commemorate and immortalize people and events and how the artists play a role in creating memory. In our exploration of Italian Renaissance art, which was greatly impacted by the distant memory of Ancient Rome, we will focus on the city of Florence and discuss important patrons of the arts such as the Medici family, and famous artists such as Donatello, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael.

July 18-29, “Constructing Memory”. Upper Level. Monday - Friday. Two sessions per day: 10:30am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm (EDT). Course Fee: $1200. Apply.

“Journeys to the Underworld: Aeneid 6 and Odyssey 11”

This course is designed for dedicated intermediate to advanced students in either Greek or Latin (rising high school juniors and seniors, recent grads/gap year students). Following the model of our amazing residential program in Tuscany (not offered this year), we read ancient texts that explore underworld narratives and prophecies: Latin students read Aeneid 6 — Aeneas’ famous landing in Italy, his meeting with the Sybil of Cumae, and his journey to the underworld; Greek students read Odyssey 11, which tells of Odysseus’ νέκυια to hear the prophecy of Tiresias. Additional related texts are read in each group. The primary goal of this course is to advance students’ reading speed and comprehension of Latin or Greek vocabulary and syntax as well as to engage in discussions of the parallel texts. We will investigate how Vergil appropriates Homer’s underworld, and how we understand Homer’s underworld mediated through Vergil’s text. To increase understanding and facilitate discussion, students of each text read the other text in English and participate in virtual guided tours of Medieval and Renaissance representations of the afterlife led by our Florence-based art historian Caitlin Petty. She leads students on a “journey” through Italian cities such as Siena, Padua, Florence, Orvieto, and Rome, we feast our eyes on carvings of the Sybil in Siena, interpretations of the Last Judgment by Giotto and Michelangelo in Padua and Rome, and Botticelli’s illustrated manuscript in Dante’s Inferno. In a special lesson with Zoe Fox we explore the historical and archaeological context of the “Parade of Heroes” scene in Vergil’s underworld, comparing Augustus’ “summī virī” statues with the Aeneid text. Throughout the week students enjoy the opportunity to fuse their readings with vibrant visual representations as they analyze the influence of antiquity on later representations of underworld narratives.

July 5-15, “Journeys to the Underworld: Aeneid 6 and Odyssey 11”. Upper Level. [Click on this title for a link to the website]. Monday-Friday. 10:30am to 1pm (EDT). Course Fee: $1200. Apply.

Available Sessions listed above are subject to a minimum of 5 students enrolled per session.

The tuition includes instruction and course materials (certain additional books may need to be purchased).

Faculty

 Testimonials - Calder Classics Online

I cannot thank Calder Classics enough for a splendid month this summer. I took two Reading Latin courses: Constructing Memory and Raise a Toast to Wining and Dining. They each offered something different but were equally fascinating. Even reading some of the same authors (Vergil, Catullus, Horace, Ovid) and looking at the same artists (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Vasari) brought new insights the second time around, since the theme of each class was well defined yet broad. The online format worked well, I thought--obviously, we’d all rather be in Florence, but in some ways meeting remotely increased the possibilities of what we could read and see. Actually, my art history teacher really was in Florence, and made a tremendous effort to immerse us in the culture, knowledge, and landscape around her. All of the teachers were more than willing to stay late or come early to class to make sure we, the students, felt fully confident about our translations and interpretations of the material at hand. I’ve been given a wonderful toolkit of terminology, literary, artistic, and historical; directions for dissecting relevant words, images, and ideas; and pure enthusiasm for reaching into corners of my mind and of the world I never knew existed. From these courses, I have learned how to critically engage with nonverbal as well as verbal information, and to try and find each within the other. So, I think I finally have an answer to the age-old question as to which is superior, art or literature: both!

My Calder Classics experience was amazing, my teacher was super nice and very helpful! I learned a lot about Augustan Rome and read many interesting authors. Although I wish we had been able to actually go to Rome, I really enjoyed my experience!

Calder Classics Rome in Absentia provided an informative and fun virtual experience where I was able to study Latin and pretend to travel to Rome right from my bedroom.

Absolutely wonderful. Calder makes the best poets from the Latin Golden Age incredibly accessible. Here you mingle with them and glimpses through their eyes.

I liked the diversity. Usually classics courses focus on one author, one work-- focusing on one theme is a great change of flavor.

I really enjoyed the Art History portion of the course which I have never taken before. It was really valuable to have a teacher who is actually in Florence and could (virtually) take us to certain places. It made not being in Italy slightly better. Despite all the pandemic obstacles in the way, Calder Classics was able to adapt and deliver an incredible online program that taught me so much!

This class was a great way to help me feel confident when reading and translating Latin.

Classes are very interactive and fun, great way to enjoy the summer with some people while learning at the same time!

I think that Calder Classics is a great program for over the summer. I was clearly learning and improving my Latin, but I had so much fun both with the reading materials and the art history classes we paired with our reading, that it never really felt like a class, it was just a fun way to learn more about the Latin language and surrounding culture!

Throughout my weeks with Calder Classics, I was able to experience a wide variety of classics related topics in an engaging and interesting way. The teachers and materials were amazing and definitely furthered my knowledge and interest in the classics moving forward.