A Classic Method

In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, students learned Latin so that they would be able to do all of their other studies in that language. Their first introduction to the language was not Caesar or Cicero, but the forms of the language required to ask questions in class, to study grammar, and to listen to lectures on the liberal arts. Accordingly, dialogues were constructed that helped students master the important aspects of the language while at the same time drilling them in material they were expected to master.

Entire books of these dialogues survive. In addition to being pedagogically useful, they are also delightful. In this course, we will work through some of these dialogues, performing them as dialogues, in order to explore the riches and usefulness of this venerable teaching method.

This course is included in the Latin Package.

Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm CT
February 11 - March 11, 2025

$200 / student
or included in the Latin package

  • Dr. Johnson’s personal, innovative, and engaging instruction has helped me, even as a longtime Latin teacher, to think about Latin in new and surprising ways, which has infused my teaching. I have been humbled and yet inspired anew to value the process more than the result and to share that vital perspective with my students.