So you really want to learn Latin (in Florence)?
Did you know that 94% of students in the UK are educated at state schools, and yet only 2.7% of state schools offer Latin at KS3 level?
The inequity of access to Latin at secondary school level (and the knock-on impact of this) has received a fair amount of attention in recent years, as evidenced by the recent government pledge to invest £4 million to introduce Latin to 40 new state schools.
But what form of Latin is being introduced to schools? Whilst we’re on percentages: 0% of writers on the current GCSE Latin curriculum are women. Secondly, how many students from the state sector have the opportunity to visit classical sources and learn Latin in Italy? — a formative experience for generations of Classicists.
At Forte Academy, we’re on a mission to innovate and expand who, how and what we teach through our Latin courses. Our philosophy is to ‘Challenge the Canon’ and train independent thinkers for the future.
For absolute beginners, we offer an annual Latin starter-course GCSE Latin for Beginners (5 weeks), which is taught online and divided into three levels. Next running: October 2022 (Join the Waitlist).
For intermediate-advanced Latinists, this year we’re offering a pioneering new course Women Latinists in Florence (17– 31 July 2022) in collaboration with language activist Skye Shirley and Florence Forte, exploring over 1,500 years of women’s writing in Latin from antiquity onwards (Watch our Information Session about the course here!).
Here’s a closer look at what we’ll be getting up to & key dates to remember if you’d like to join us:
1. Salon-Style Lessons
We’ll be taking Latin out of the classroom and into beautiful spaces and places where women learnt and wrote Latin. Morning sessions will be divided into translation time and thematic discussion after break.
2. Learning in Context
Each author we study is linked to a special space or activity in Florence, whether that means creative writing on the Arno or immersing ourselves in convent life!
3. Hands-On Experiences
At Forte Academy, we believe that it is just as important to learn through our hands, as it is through our minds. You’ll take part in at least two workshops in Florence whilst you’re with us, to connect with the experiences of women latinists throughout history.
4. Critical Engagement with Scholarship
Students will gain a robust introduction to the little-known history of canon formation in the field of Latin, engaging critically with age-old and recent scholarship. Our goal is to empower Latin students to go forward with ‘fresh eyes’ at whatever level they are in their education or teaching career.
This course is now over! Interested in joining us in Florence next time?
Next course: Monday 3 - Thursday 13 April 2023 (10 days).
Find out more about Women Latinists & register your interest here: https://www.forte-academy.co.uk/women-latinists
Follow Skye Shirley’s Youtube Channel to watch Women’s Latin read by Women Latinists
in context.
Read our conversation with Skye on Latin & the Canon from our #ChallengetheCanon series in June, 2021.