Greek by inclusion (within the Latin curriculum) sounds like a simple solution for the restoration of Greek, but this simplicity often is undercut by the novelty of such a project or a dearth of proved models: Most of us who teach Latin learned Latin in a Latin class; when we studied Greek, it is was taught in a distinct and different slot in the curriculum. We lack models for “Greek by inclusion”, and as teachers we tend to think along lines familiar in our own educational experience and according to patterns that we see working effectively around us. To assist a move beyond the limitations of the familiarly secure ways of teaching Latin in America, we now have a growing cyber-classics arena where websites such as Greek, Too, Latinteach, Perseus, Professor Gil Lawall’s homepage and other resources can help. Further, we will have as a model Nina Barclay’s soon-to-be-published Eucleides’ World, (available from CANE), a programmatic Greek sub-curriculum developed to accompany the Ecce Romani series.
To initiate a recovery of a fuller classical curriculum with Greek included, Latin teachers are not required to argue with administrators or curriculum committees about expansion of turf or new curricular models. In order to add Greek as enrichment to their present courses, they need only to have a re-vision of their own subject matter and pedagogical aims and then to form their courses as not just Latin, but Classics. Pragmatically, how can a Latin teacher start a systematic Greek- by- inclusion section within a Latin course? First, the Latin teacher can brush up that unused Greek. (One can refer to Greek, Too here for some on-line help.) She can think about specific linguistic and literary relations between Greek and Latin. (Palmer’s The Latin Language is a good resource.) Tene Graecum, explicationes sequentur. Next, he can look for appropriate places, in whatever level course, to bring to light the linguistic and ideational connections between Greek and Latin. These connections might be as simple as mythological or geographical names or more complicated morphological comparisons. What about some etymology with an original Greek word and its Latin derivative: Derivatives do not come only from Latin into English. Many opportunities await the enthusiastic Latinist to reveal the connections of the Greek language and Literature to its Latin counterpart.
Personally, I have found that an extra-credit Greek day, every other Friday, has been a user-friendly way to engage even less committed students. Starting with the alphabet and moving on to simple Greek words and phrases in a Latin 1 class, I have moved on to declension comparison and short selections from authentic Greek texts in Latin 2. (Of course, this approach can be well planned as a sub-curriculum integrated into your current Latin program, as Nina Barclay’s Eucleides’ World demonstrates.)
