Reading Latin & Exploring Art History

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 artistic representations of ancient stories through the ages.

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. Please see our specific program descriptions below:

“Roman Identity and the Founding Myths of Rome”

Possis nihil urbe Roma visere maius, “May you never be able to behold anything greater than the city of Rome,” Horace writes in his Carmen Saeculare. Throughout the ages, Romans--and Italians more generally--have commemorated the origins of their capital city and incorporated both the legendary and historical aspects of Ancient Rome into their modern narratives. Who are the Romans? Where did they come from? How did the eternal city get its name? Calder Classics invites high school students to join us as we delve into the Latin texts of Livy, Vergil, and Horace and explore the founding myths of Rome and how this influenced Roman identity throughout the centuries. In this five-day course we will virtually journey to Rome and explore the founding stories that make up Roman identity. Additionally, we will delve into works of art from the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, considering how Roman mythology and history have been received and reinterpreted throughout time by artists, patrons, and politicians. What can we discover from the multiple narratives of Roman ancestry?

Faculty

Dates and Fees

Fee: $1200 for this 24-hour session

Dates: March 22 - 26, 2021

Days: Monday-Friday, 10 am - 12:30 pm; 2 - 4 :15 pm.

Sessions: morning sessions dedicated to Latin readings; afternoon sessions dedicated to related topics in Art History.

Total Class Time: 24 hours.

Minimum Class Size: 5 students.

Where do our High School students come from? Check out this list of schools

Where do our alums go on to college? Check out this list of colleges

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.

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