The Classics Department at UMass Boston Presents:

Conventiculum Bostoniense 2009
Latin By The Sea

The Conventiculum is a full-immersion residential experience for teachers of Latin at all levels, offered by the Classics Department at UMass Boston. Days are filled with instructional activities, opportunities for social interaction (particularly at meals and in the dormitories) and local excursions. After the first evening’s arrival and orientation session, participants will speak Latin exclusively with one another and the faculty through August 9th. Two different graduate level courses are offered during the Conventiculum, one for first time attendees and one for returning participants as described below. Activities for all participants will include sessions focused on guided discussion or prose composition, communal meals, and excursions to the beach, local museums and attractions in New Bedford and a local vineyard or brewery.

Courses

Latin 570 - Active Learning Methodologies for Teachers of Latin
Designed as the first-year experience for attendees at the Conventiculum Bostoniense, this course introduces teachers of Latin to theories of second language acquisition, through which they may assess the effectiveness of various methods used in the Latin classroom, and engages them intensively with two major active methodologies for language learning: oral/aural communication and written composition. With the exception of nine hours of instruction in second language acquisition theory, students are required to communicate 24-7 in Latin. The course requirements include: preparation of certain course materials in advance of the Conventiculum; full participation in all instructional activities; strict adherence to the requirement to speak only in Latin; the submission of a portfolio, consisting of article and textbook assessments, a journal and all written work from the composition portion of the course; and the completion and presentation of a final paper approximately eight weeks after the summer instructional sessions conclude.
Latin 575 - Living Text: Virgil’s Eclogues
Designed for repeat attendees of the Conventiculum Bostoniense, this course engages students in intensive study of Virgil’s Eclogues, incorporating both traditional pedagogical approaches (grammar-translation method, study of relevant scholarship) and active learning methodologies (especially those that build competence in oral and written production of Latin, such as oral paraphrase, contextual discussion, Socratic questioning, written response and rephrasing). For a significant portion of class time, students work in small groups to compose and perform a play whose content accurately reflects the style, themes, and literary, historical, and cultural contexts of the text studied in the course. Each student also completes an individual final paper, due eight weeks after the last course session. Students are required to communicate 24-7 in Latin.
Prerequisites: Latin 570 or permission of the instructors.
Non-credit Option
Designed for college faculty or school teachers who are senior citizens (60 and older), who would like to attend the Conventiculum and participate fully in the activities and sessions offered, but who do not need to obtain graduate credit for their participation. This option is also avialable to repeat attendees who have already taken both Latin 570 and Latin 575. Students will be expected to adhere strictly to the requirement to speak only Latin. See to the right for adjusted fee.

Location

The Conventiculum will be held in the facilities of UMass Dartmouth, which is located near the south coast of Massachusetts. Sessions will meet at the conference center on campus, and students will be housed in apartments adjacent to the center.

Housing

Housing for the Conventiculum consists of 2 or 4 bedroom apartments, each with its own full kitchen and common living area; all bedrooms are single occupancy with double beds and shared bathrooms (2 per apartment). Linens will be provided, but kitchens are not equipped.

Faculty

  • Jacqueline Carlon, Assistant Professor, Classics, UMass Boston
  • Emily McDermott, Professor, Classics, UMass Boston
  • Milena Minkova, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Kentucky
  • Terence Tunberg, Professor of Classics, University of Kentucky