Calder Classics invites students planning to take the Latin AP exam to apply for this upper-level preparatory course. Students not taking the exam are also welcome to apply and will assuredly enjoy the primary and secondary readings and discussions. All of our courses are designed for students committed to actively participating in our atmosphere of intellectual freedom and interdisciplinary exchange.

In this Latin AP Prep course, students review Latin grammar while reading the most famous texts of Caesar and Vergil. They explore the historical and cultural contexts of these great works in preparation for the AP exam or, most importantly, for advancing their comprehension and analytical skills. At least one year of reading original (or slightly adapted) Latin texts is required.

Faculty

Dr. Eric Casey earned his BA from Haverford College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a Professor of Classics at Sweet Briar College for 15 years where he was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award twice and had a teaching and research focus on Greek cultural history and Latin literature and poetics. He has published on strategies of commemoration in ancient Greek funerary inscriptions and the threshold between the living and the dead, as well as on the Great Library at Alexandria, connections between ancient Greek mystery cults and the Freemasons, among other fascinating topics. Dr. Casey is also the recipient of the American Philological Association’s award for Excellence in Teaching at the College Level, and the Classical Association of Virginia’s Teacher of the Year Award. He served as one of the official graders for the AP Latin Exam for over 10 years. Dr. Casey currently teaches Latin and Greek at The Trinity School in New York City.

2024 Dates and Fees

August 12 - 23, Monday-Friday 11 am - 1 pm (EDT)

“Latin AP Prep Course: Caesar & Vergil” is offered for only one session this summer. The class will meet for 2 hours each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks. This is an online, synchronous course, so students will be expected to join on time, participate in discussions, and keep their cameras on for the duration of the class.

Taught by Dr. Eric Casey.

Course Fee: $1200.

The available session listed above is subject to a minimum of 3 students enrolled. The fee includes instruction and course materials (certain additional books may need to be purchased).

Testimonials from Students of Calder Classics Online Programs

Such a great experience! I got to be more confident and comfortable in translating and got to broaden my interest by having a wonderful teacher and learning awesome things!

Customizable pace, a welcoming and safe environment to ask questions, and fun and enthusiastic teacher!

The content! This class was exactly what I needed for AP prep. Also the time commitment was perfect for balancing school and latin.

Reading Latin: Vergil, Caesar, and Livy + AP Prep provided me with much needed grammar review in a clear and exciting way. I learned so much more than I could have ever imagined in such a short period of time, and I wouldn't trade my calder time for anything. Even though we were online, we were still able to make friends from all over the world through a love of classics and learning.

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.