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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
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Course Calendar 2016–2017
CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
LATIN
GRADES 9 TO 12
Latin is not a dead language. Students find that studying Latin helps them develop skills that can be
transferred to other areas of study: English, history, the arts, drama, philosophy, law, medicine and the
sciences. Studying this ancient language encourages the mental processes of alertness, attention to
detail, memory, logic and critical reasoning. It also helps students develop a college-level vocabulary,
since 65% of all English words come from Latin, 90% if one counts words of more than two syllables. As
well, Latin fulfills the foreign language requirement at almost all universities and provides an excellent
point of departure for the study of other foreign languages.
One cannot exaggerate the cultural richness of Latin. Its study will open the door to new cultures as
varied as Republican Rome of the third Century BCE and early modern 17
th
Century France, and much
in between. As the lingua franca of the Ancient Roman Empire, Latin united diverse peoples from
all corners of the ancient world: Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia Minor. As the living
language of medieval Europe and the language of learning in Early Modern Europe, Latin continued
to unite peoples of diverse languages and cultures. Today the Latin classroom is a port, with Latin its
lingua franca, uniting students from all over the world in common study and allowing them to enter
directly into conversations left by ancient, medieval and modern authors. It is this direct contact with
a language so foreign in structure, culture, place and time that allows Latin students to transcend the
barriers of place, time and culture while growing, expanding and adapting intellectually in ways unique
to this discipline.
LVLBD
– Classical Languages, Level 1 Latin, Academic
1 CREDIT
This course introduces students to the enduring achievements of the classical world through the study
of Latin. Students will learn vocabulary and grammatical concepts essential for reading and translating
adapted classical texts. Although English is the language of instruction, students will develop language
skills that will enable them to read and interpret the classical language with fluency and confidence.
Through a variety of enrichment activities, students will explore aspects of life in the ancient world
including trade, commerce, education, entertainment, and social customs. In addition, students will
enhance their literacy skills and improve their interpersonal skills through effective communication skills,
and will make connections across the curriculum between the classical world and the world around them.
Prerequisite: None