Image: Wikicommons
Can a discipline perceived as elitist and arcane be revived in our schools?
* by Olivia Whyte
In England, a recently-announced and widely applauded government scheme plans to introduce ‘excellence programs’ in Latin at 40 state schools. The project aims to counter the subject’s reputation as elitist, and increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are able to engage in the personal, intellectual and academic benefits the language can provide. This decision is part of a broader movement to try to reverse some of the changes to the teaching of classics that took place in the 20th century. In many countries, the classics were replaced in the curriculum with subjects perceived as more useful or practical, often becoming inaccessible to almost all students, apart from those attending independent schools.
This change is a saddening one. The languages, politics, literature and philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome make up a part of the shared cultural history of Western societies, and undeniably influence the lives of those who live in one today. Despite this, the vast majority of people have little exposure to the subject, and the real and perceived elitism within the classics can push students away. However, this doesn’t need to be the case. In Germany, Latin is the third most popular second language (after English and French). In Italy, both Latin and Ancient Greek are compulsory subjects for students in particular streams in school. Students in both countries report that these subjects are highly engaging, mentally stimulating and interesting to study. Yet many educational policy-makers still discourage their study, or in the case of many states in Australia, completely remove them from the high school curriculum.
However, there are some positive trends in the promotion of the classics. In Australia and the United Kingdom, many organisations exist that support the teaching of the classics in school and university, and emphasise their value to society - not least Humanities 21! As well as this, there is a growing body of academic literature investigating the success of approaches to classics in various educational contexts. In the United States, conferences, such as “Whose Classics?” held at UNC Chapel Hill, continue the important conversation about reducing the perceptions and real effects of inaccessibility in the classics. Hopefully this will lead to a reinvigoration that enables many more people to participate in and learn about a hugely influential and personally enriching intellectual tradition.
You may also be interested to read:
Teaching Classical Languages Journal (https://tcl.camws.org/)
Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Steven Hunt, Mai Musié, Forward with Classics: Classical Languages in Schools and Communities. London; New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.
* Olivia Whyte is undertaking a Bachelor of Art majoring in politics and linguistics at the University of Melbourne, and one of the new generation of interns with Humanities 21.