An Interview with a Classics Lecturer

My friend James recently did a short interview for a website about being a Latin Lecturer; here are some of his answers:


What is it about your field that is fascinating to you?

Reading ancient Roman literature is so thrilling to me because it is a way of communicating with people from the past. It is exciting to hear those ancient voices, and important too, since they wrestled with many of the same political and philosophical problems that we still do today.


What is it about the classics that means people still take the subject?

If people are interested in ancient history, archaeology, the history of literature, or Christian theology, then a grounding in Latin and Greek is important. But I also teach a popular course in Boston called 'The World of Rome' for students who have no prior experience in studying the ancient world, on day-to-day life in ancient Rome. Most of my students will go on to major in science or engineering or economics, yet they also love being immersed for a time in a world so different from their own. How did Romans protect themselves from malaria? What kind of insurance did Romans have? What were Roman views on educating women? These are some of the questions my students had this semester, and they all raise fascinating issues.


Do you encounter many people who think classics is not a worthwhile pursuit? How do you respond to them?

Classics is important not simply because it helps you to understand the origins of our language and culture. It also challenges you to understand the ideas and values of people distant from yourself, whom you will never get a chance to meet face-to-face. That kind of empathy and imagination is truly valuable in the 21st century world.

Mandarin or Latin?

Mike Salter has drawn my attention to an article from the UK, related to my previous post. Here's a couple of interesting paragraphs:

Hard as it may be to believe, one of the things that gives privately-educated children the edge is their knowledge of Latin. I don’t just mean in the obvious senses – their grasp of basic grammar and syntax, their understanding of the ways in which our world is underpinned by the classical world, their ability to read Latin inscriptions. I mean there is actually a substantial body of evidence that children who study Latin outperform their peers when it comes to reading, reading comprehension and vocabulary, as well as higher order thinking such as computation, concepts and problem solving...

Interestingly, [one study] found that children from poor backgrounds particularly benefit from studying Latin. For a child with limited cultural reference points, becoming acquainted with Roman life and mythology opens up “new symbolic worlds”, enabling him or her “to grow as a personality, to live a richer life”. In addition, spoken Latin emphasises clear pronunciation, particularly of the endings of words, a useful corrective for many children born in inner cities. Finally, for children who have reading problems, Latin provides “experience in careful silent reading of the words that follow a consistent phonetic pattern”...

Unlike other languages, Latin isn’t just about conjugating verbs. It includes a crash course in ancient history and cosmology. “Latin is the maths of the Humanities,” says Llewelyn Morgan, “But Latin also has something that mathematics does not and that is the history and mythology of the ancient world. Latin is maths with goddesses, gladiators and flying horses, or flying children.”

The reference to 'a substantial body of evidence' is fleshed out a little in the actual article.

Reasons to Learn Latin; #3974

[The respective mayors of Sydney and London; Julius Caesar (left) and Boris Johnson]

A couple of articles for some light reading of the weekend. Firstly an entertaining and insightful piece by Boris Johnson (mayor of London) on the value of learning Latin. Here's a taste:

...there are times when a minister says something so maddening, so death-defyingly stupid, that I am glad not to be in the same room in case I should reach out, grab his tie, and end what is left of my political career with one almighty head-butt.

Such were my feelings on reading Mr Ed Balls on the subject of teaching Latin in schools...

(Thanks to Rogue Classicism for bringing this to my attention)

And closer to home Charles Purcell (of Chaser fame) imagines what Caesar would be like as benevolent dictator of Sydney.

If Julius Caesar was in charge of Sydney, we wouldn't still be arguing whether to build a cross circus maximus or integrated rail/ferry/chariot link. No longer would the scrolls and papyruses of the day have headlines like "Welcome to SnailRail", "Ferry system slow than horse-drawn buggies", "ancient Egyptians got to work quicker than Sydneysiders - study". Caesar would declare: "I came, I saw, I ordered the building of an integrated transport network." He would order construction immediately and no senator would dare object, lest he be sent to govern the barbarian provinces of Gaul (aka Mount Druitt).

The benign dictator would announce that Sydney's much-needed second airport would finally be built - in Mosman.

Don't miss the article's comments if you're a Terry Pratchett fan.

(Thanks to Lilian for bringing this to my attention)

Thinkers rather than droids

An eloquent article from a Latin student who has just completed his HSC, on the benefits of studying the Classics.

There's also a documentary on the vigiles on the ABC tonight at 8:35 which looks interesting, called the Guardians of Rome. You can watch a review of it here.

• Related post: Latin letters

Latin Letters

Latin's been on the letter pages of the paper over the last few days. Here they are if you missed them:

Liberal education at risk

Les MacDonald is quite right in suggesting that we all need a good liberal education as well as vocational training (Letters, May 25). It is very sad to see such school subjects as geography losing numbers to semi-mindless subjects such as business studies. It is also sad to see arts faculties in universities having to fight to keep subjects and courses alive. Subjects at risk include Latin and classical Greek, which should be alive and kicking at any good institution of liberal education. It is true, of course, that some arts academics have tried to dig their graves by having courses with a blatant Marxist or feminist bias, but that is no excuse for governments and universities to act like money-oriented Philistines.

David Morrison, Springwood


On your Marx

David Morrison (Letters, May 26-27) suggests that Latin and classical Greek are vital university subjects while berating "arts academics … with a blatant Marxist or feminist bias". With all respect, I would much prefer to receive the critical tools provided by means of engaging with Marxist or feminist theory. In an age of hegemonic acceptance of all things rational it would seem a critical mind is of more use than an ability to use a language used by a very few these days.

Stephen Owen, Carrington


Quid pro quo

Salve, Stephen Owen (Letters, May 28), allow me to point out it takes "a critical mind" in the first place to study Latin and ancient Greek. Furthermore, students of these languages develop broader capacities such as advanced logical, analytical and research faculty (to name but a few), and enhance their grasp of more modern tongues such as the Romance languages and even our own. Please don't fail to remember, either, that classicists are the custodians of one of the longest-standing disciplines in the university tradition.

Milton J. Micallef, Maroubra Junction