Salvete omnes!
I'm Magister Gallagher, nerd-extraordinaire. I've been known to travel around the county to play Magic: The Gathering or present panels on anime. I'm a semi-professional gamer and I regularly stream on Twitch. I'm really passionate about my hobbies and interests, and I'm often found doing crazy things like taking a day trip down to Greensboro to play Japanese rhythm games or building websites dedicated to gaming. So...that's me. I'll have the pleasure of being your spoken Latin teacher this summer. By the end of my course, you'll be able to things you'd never imagined...in Latin! My course will be framed around games and activities that will prepare you to interact with your fellow academy members entirely in Latin! I know that sounds intimidating, but I promise it's not nearly as daunting as it seems. You see, you already know Latin! You just have to convince yourself that you actually *can* speak Latin. It's just my job to show you the way. I start my course assuming you can speak absolutely no Latin and help you build your skills from the ground up. If you can say anything in Latin, you're ahead of the curve! We'll be working on building up your skills and vocabulary for specific activities, but I don't want to go into too much detail about that yet... Spoilers are no fun, after all! I can promise you that the Spoken Latin activities we do will be some of the most meaningful and interesting events of academy...not even I know what will happen during some of them! It's going to be fun, and I'll be bringing my unique set of skills as a gamer to the table to make you actively enjoy speaking Latin. Try not to be too nervous, come in with an open mind, and get ready for one heck of a ride! -Magister Gallagher
0 Comments
salvete omnes!!
As the title indicates: it's never too early to think about what you're packing to academy! I know that personally, I've been eyeing my suitcase as of late. There are lots of things that you won't think twice about bringing (your clothes, your toothbrush, your big brains filled with Latin knowledge), but here are some things you might also want to consider (and that I highly recommend) bringing:
see you soon! -varvara troitski 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 also recommend watching Wild, Wild Country on Netflix, not only because it’s an amazing docuseries, but because I think there are some interesting parallels that I won’t be able to stop myself from talking about and I don’t want to spoil it for you! I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks! -Magistra Carroll Salvete amici,
DORM LIFE. It’s happening ab initio Academiae. Many of you have never had a roommate before, so here are some general tips for living with one, sharing a bathroom, and being away from home: · Respect your roommate’s belongings, while at the same time, don’t be possessive about your own · Communicate with them; everyone has to adjust to life at academy which doesn’t necessarily have to be done in camera · Have patience · Make your time in the bathroom minimal so that it’s available for all your suite-mates · Bring a note from home or something special that can help alleviate some of that homesickness (e.g. a blanket, pictures, or in my case Calvin and Hobbes books) · Pack some earplugs in case of snoring; that can save lives per se. · Ditch the snooze button; this is common sense. Alarms are annoying, but other people’s alarms continuously ringing is REALLY annoying · Bring something to do for fun with your roommates (bored games fortasse?) · Be aware of your own habits on a daily basis · Hang out with her/him, but not necessarily all the time · You already have similarities (Latin!), so just remember to celebrate your differences as well so that you can best get along Keep in mind that the RAs are here for you for anything you need 24/7 sine dubio! No rooming relationship will be perfect, but keep in mind the staff works incredibly hard to craft compatible pairings so that you can have the most seamless transition into dorm life and, therefore, into academy life. Lastly, I just want to point out the most essential of essentials—have an open mind. It is okay to feel nervous, homesick, and tired. Everyone does! But realize you are going to have one of the most amazing experiences of your life here, and it only starts when you are ready for it. ex animo, Sallie Blanks, RA χαίρετε, ὦ μαθηταί! Greetings, dear 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! Following the examples of great Romans such as Cicero, Vergil, Augustus, and Marcus Aurelius, we will learn to read and love the language of the Ancient Greeks! The alphabet will be our first step to master: it may seem like a daunting hurdle, but I assure you that after our first day 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. Our exploration will blossom into nouns, verbs, adjectives, and the like. We will aim to read short stories and some sentences - and even write in Greek ourselves! I have always found that the most rewarding part of learning ancient languages is getting to read authors in their original words - and the skills you pick up in Greek class will help you to do just that. We'll be looking at authors who talk about traveling and seeing new peoples and places - including Homer, Herodotus, Strabo, and Pausanias. By the way, have you ever seen maps based on the ancient geographers' descriptions of the world? Check out this one based on the geography of Strabo: As you may already know, we'll all be exploring provinces of the Roman Empire during Academy. You and your province-mates will have a chance to read some Strabo - in his original Greek words - and learn something special about your province.
This may all sound like a lot, but in the end you will find you have a greater familiarity with Ancient Greek. Soon you'll stop saying "it's all Greek to me" and start saying "τὰ πάντα μοι Ἑλληνικά." Get ready for our journey through Ancient Greek! - Magister Jefferson // Διδάσκαλος Ἰέπφερσον salvete omnes
Below is a course description for the class I will be teaching this summer followed by a somewhat more personal note. I will post again soon about music for the play (spoiler: if you're a musician, please bring an instrument). --- circumlitio This course compares the artistic practice of statue painting in classical antiquity with the reception of Greek and Roman sculpture since the Renaissance. The course begins with an introduction to ancient sculpture and painting before turning to the invention of the "white marble aesthetic" in Renaissance Italy, and continues with the consideration of how ideas about antiquity and artistic trends in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and even 21st centuries influenced contemporary conceptions of the coloration of classical sculpture. The title of the course comes from Book 35 of the Natural History, where Pliny the Elder records that the preeminent Greek sculptor Praxiteles preferred, of all his own marble statues, the ones that the famous artist Nicias had painted: so much Praxiteles valued Nicias' circumlitio. The meaning of circumlitio has been debated since the Renaissance, and our ultimate objective will be to determine how post-classical ideas about the original appearance of classical sculpture have influenced translations of the term. --- I realize that ancient art history may be entirely new to many of you and I will not assume that you have prior knowledge of any of these topics. Fortunately, Magistra Gosheh is teaching an excellent course that is also about ancient (specifically Hellenistic) art so you will have plenty of exposure to the visual and material culture of the ancient world from a variety of perspectives. Also, we will go to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts at the end of the first week, where, in addition to the many wonderful exhibits, we will have the opportunity to examine a Roman marble statue of the emperor Caligula that retains traces of its original paint layer. I am looking forward to getting to know and sharing this course with each of you over the three weeks of Latin Academy. valete Magister Cavedo We have already received several questions about the dress code of academy, so we are going to try and answer them in this post, so everyone has the same information. We are not going to repeat the dress code word for word here; DOE's policy is in the packet that you are currently reviewing. Please pay attention to the guidelines set forth therein. As with most rules, however, the question is not what they are, but how they will be enforced. Here is what we want the dress code to accomplish: 1. Distinguish academy from a camp 2. Create academic environment 3. Show respect to lecturers visiting from universities 4. Create a learning community that respects each other's boundaries without imposing them on each other To accomplish this, we began to move away from talking ab0ut what we don't want to see, and instead reframe it as a discussion about what we do want to see. The easiest way to describe this is by saying that business casual is the expectation for classes and lectures. What is business casual? Business casual is what you would wear to a summer internship in a laidback tech company- basic professionalism with comfort and your personal style in mind.
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. 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. Salvete Omnes!
The staff of the MMXVIII Governor's Latin Academy met over the weekend 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 20 and let me know if you have any questions or will be late. We have a saying at the Latin Academy, "Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable." This applies to paperwork. :) 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 MMXVIII 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 GLA Checklists
Download these and use them to help with packing: GLA Clothing Checklist GLA Essentials Checklist GLA School Supplies & Optional Checklist Suggested Texts-
NOT REQUIRED Again, these are not required and I would only get one from each category, if any. Latin Lexicons a. Conversational Latin for Oral Proficiency b. Cassell's Concise Latin-English, English-Latin Dictionary c. Collins Latin Concise Dictionary Greek Texts/Lexicons a. Athenaze, Book I b. From Alpha to Omega c. Alpha is for Anthropos d. Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary Translation Texts a. Iliad Daily Life Books a. Everyday Life in Ancient Rome b. Peoples of the Roman World c. A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome d. Daily Life in the Roman City Vestes Romanae
You will need Roman clothing for several of our activities. You might not always have much time between these events, so you might want to bring more than one outfit. Patterns An Overview I & II Simple Tunica, Stola, and Palla Patterns Legio XX's Civilian Clothing Another Simple Dress Pattern Greek Patterns Simple Tunic and Toga Patterns Peplos Pattern Legio XX's Military Clothing Officers of the Academy
Censors: Consuls: Praetor: Aedile: Tribune: Quaestor: |