Introduction to Latin is the equivalent of a semester-long high school course. It is intended for students who want to improve their English vocabulary, prepare to study a modern Romance language such as French or Spanish, develop good language study skills, and generally become more literate. Of course, students also will get a solid grounding for a successful entry into a First-Year Latin course by learning the basic morphology, syntax, and grammar of Classical Latin. They will simultaneously improve their fluency in English by developing their Latin vocabulary with specific attention paid to Latin roots. Students will learn to understand Latin as a once-living language through interactive listening and speaking activities. Throughout the course, students will also be introduced to the historical and literary cultures of ancient Rome and the development of the Latin language into its modern descendants, including Spanish, Italian, and French.

First-Year Latin, the equivalent of a full year of high school Latin (one semester of college Latin), will prepare students to enter a rigorous second-year high school Latin course, and will therefore have a heavy focus on language proficiency. There will be a strong requirement to think critically and dynamically, and build certain cognition skills that are essential to a growing mind. This course will provide students with a unique opportunity to understand the breakdown of how a language works, including the English language. While exploring Latin forms, grammar, and syntax, students will learn to relate them to English usage. Students will learn to understand Latin as a once-living language through interactive listening and speaking activities. Because language and culture are so closely tied, students will also learn about the historical and literary cultures of ancient Rome and the development of the Latin language into its modern descendants, including Spanish, Italian, and French.

This course is based on a fun, playful, and effective approach to learning Japanese. This method is a synthesis of many innovative teaching techniques developed to help accelerate students’ language learning. The two major components of this course are: (1) acquisition of basic communication skills of elementary Japanese and (2) learning hiragana and katakana syllabaries as well as some kanji characters. The language is taught multimodally: lots of physical movement, use of pictures and graphics, conversation practices, story telling, and some story creating. Students also learn about modern Japanese life. This course is equivalent to one year of high school Japanese.

Using a multi-modal approach, the class will begin where First-Year Japanese left off. The course will include a comprehensive review of katakana and kanji that students have already learned, and the introduction of much more kanji. Emphasis will be placed on consolidation of listening and speaking skills; the additional grammar and constructions will advance students’ understanding even further. In addition to our focus on learning the language, students will learn about culture and customs in contemporary Japanese life. This course covers the full content of second-year high school Japanese.

In addition to furthering the development of listening and speaking skills, this course will also review grammar for advanced reading and writing. Students will add to their vocabulary of kanji and will study literary works. Cultural presentations will provide additional opportunities to learn about Japanese life and to practice language skills and conversation. This course covers the full content of third-year high school Japanese.

Fourth-Year Japanese will continue to build and develop language skills in conversation and writing. Speaking activities will explore the formal, informal, humble, and honorific forms. Literacy and vocabulary will focus on further mastery and acquisition of new kanji. As in preceding courses in the sequence, activities will revolve around lectures, discussions, skits, and literature. Students will also learn more about Japanese culture through films, games, and history. Class will be conducted primarily in Japanese. This course covers the full content of fourth-year high school Japanese.