Salvete omnes!
I'm Magister Gallagher, and I'll be responsible for convincing you that you can speak Latin! I know, it sounds scary, but I promise it isn't nearly as bad as you think. You already know Latin. I just have to help you learn to start speaking it. The Romans used Latin to communicate in their daily lives; Latin wasn't just for elaborate speeches and epics. It's easy to forget that. We spend so much time reading Ovid, Virgil, and friends that we sometimes forget that your plebs were having conversations about things like what to buy in the forum in Latin too! I've titled my class Latina Loquenda. In English, that's Latin Must Be Spoken! My class will be preparing you for all sorts of full and partial immersion activities. I don't want to tip my hand too early with what all I have planned, but I promise that you'll have fun with what is in store. My goal is to make Latin be more than just words on a page to you. I want you to feel like Latin is alive. You'll be doing things with Latin instead of just reading. I assume that you have absolutely no experience speaking Latin. We'll start from square one and work our way up slowly. The goal is to communicate. That doesn't mean your grammar needs to be perfect. It doesn't mean you have to be eloquent. You just have to get the job done. Many people are intimidated by the idea of speaking Latin, but if you come in with an open mind and you give it your best effort, I promise you'll succeed. -Magister Gallagher
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How do we know about the past? How reliable is the evidence we use to construct knowledge of history? How does your perspective affect your interpretation of the past? These are the questions we will be investigating in my class this summer. IB students, can you tell I’m a TOK teacher? :)
To attempt to answer these questions, we will be researching Agrippina the Younger, one of the most notorious women in Roman history. As a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, she was the sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius, and mother of Nero. Our primary sources tell us that she was intelligent, manipulative, murderous, and power-hungry. But how much of that can we believe? Did the historians portray her negatively because she challenged the gender roles of the time? Or are we in our postmodern society biased to view her as a strong woman in power? By reading selections of Tacitus and Suetonius in Latin and Cassius Dio in translation, you will construct your interpretation of who Agrippina was and the role she played in the events of the time. If you have not studied the Julio-Claudians in school, I would recommend doing some reading about them before Academy begins. They are a very complicated and fascinating family! I will include a brief overview, but you may feel more comfortable if you come in with some base knowledge. I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks! -Magistra Carroll χαίρετε, ὦ μαθηταί! Hello, students!!
We may call ourselves the Gubernatoris LATINA Academia, but Latin won't be the only language you see in Ashland. Get ready to dive in to Ancient Greek! Practically all of Latin literature has its roots in Ancient Greek, so it will be the focus of our class together. What a Roman thing it is to learn Greek! The alphabet will be our first step to master: it may seem like a daunting hurdle, but I assure you that after our first class you’ll be reading Greek words like a pro - and you *might* have a new alphabet song stuck in your head. Okay, you definitely will. :) From there on out, we'll be focusing on stories from Athenian tragedy - the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. We'll look at Iphigenia and the fallout from her death - and a (surprisingly) happy alternate ending to her tale. We'll visit Hecuba and see the Greeks through a "Trojan" eye. We'll watch Oedipus as he learns the truly *unique* situation of his family. And we couldn't miss Medea as she looks to take revenge on her husband Jason. Through these stories - you might call them "dramas" or even "myths" - we will learn the fundamentals of the Ancient Greek language. We'll master pronouncing Greek names like Ἰφιγένεια and Ἀγαμέμνων or Οἰδίπους and Μήδεια. We'll practice talking in Ancient Greek (how cool!) about ourselves and about pictures of our tragic friends. We'll read their stories and retell them together - and learn a bit about Athenian drama along the way! Nervous about not knowing any Greek yet? Is the only Greek you know part of a formula in math class?Never fear! Most students have not read Ancient Greek before coming to Academy, and it is by no means an expectation. (If you do know some Greek, you'll have fun anyway!) So we'll be learning Greek together, starting at square one! Διδάσκαλος ᾽Ιέπφερσον / Mr. Jefferson Salvete omnes!
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We don't mean to imply that you need to dress a certain way, be gender-conforming, or like a certain style (or be a fashion model). Your Latin t-shirts are more than welcome in class. We're simply trying to give you ideas about business casual. If you still aren't sure about something, please email and we will be happy to help. |
What is Business Casual Not?
So, if you are wearing anything similar to the pictures directly above to classes or a lecture,
you will be asked to return to the dorm and change.
Not because there is anything intrinsically wrong with these clothes or with someone wearing them,
but because they do not fit the environment we are striving for.
you will be asked to return to the dorm and change.
Not because there is anything intrinsically wrong with these clothes or with someone wearing them,
but because they do not fit the environment we are striving for.
We will get messy in other activities- clay, paint, plaster, and glue are regular features. So, bring some things you can get dirty. We will go to the gym, so bring gym clothes. The gym has a pool- bring a swimsuit. We will even have a party, so bring at least one party outfit.
In the long run, the dress code helps set the tone of the academy; you are the academy. We want you to be comfortable, express yourselves, feel safe, and be valued as member of the GLA community.
You are welcome. You are enough. You matter.
You are welcome. You are enough. You matter.
Salvete Omnes!
The staff of the MMXIX Governor's Latin Academy held our annual staff meeting and we are so excited about the classes, films, speakers, field trips, workshops, immersion activities, and even some new surprises that are in store for this session of GLA. There is a great deal of paperwork in your immediate future, but please be as thoughtful as you can when filling out the participant survey. It helps us when planning everything from groupings to projects. Also, please adhere to the deadline of May 25 and let me know if you have any questions or will be late.
Please use this website as a resource for how to prepare for academy. The side tab of this blog has a lot of links to help you make your packing lists and to construct your Roman garb. Also, the rest of the staff will be posting prior to academy. We hope this allows you to begin to get to know us even before you arrive.
Princeps
The staff of the MMXIX Governor's Latin Academy held our annual staff meeting and we are so excited about the classes, films, speakers, field trips, workshops, immersion activities, and even some new surprises that are in store for this session of GLA. There is a great deal of paperwork in your immediate future, but please be as thoughtful as you can when filling out the participant survey. It helps us when planning everything from groupings to projects. Also, please adhere to the deadline of May 25 and let me know if you have any questions or will be late.
Please use this website as a resource for how to prepare for academy. The side tab of this blog has a lot of links to help you make your packing lists and to construct your Roman garb. Also, the rest of the staff will be posting prior to academy. We hope this allows you to begin to get to know us even before you arrive.
Princeps
Salvete
This blog will document the MMXIX session of the Virginia Governor's Latin Academy. After elections are held, the aediles will be responsible for its upkeep.
Contact Us
Email: valatinacademy@gmail.comOffice Phone: (804) 496-1589
Mailing Address:
(student's name)
c/o Governor's Latin Academy
Randolph-Macon College
P.O. Box 5005
Ashland, VA 23005
Email: valatinacademy@gmail.comOffice Phone: (804) 496-1589
Mailing Address:
(student's name)
c/o Governor's Latin Academy
Randolph-Macon College
P.O. Box 5005
Ashland, VA 23005