The Via Media
John Byron Kuhner Discusses Bridging the Gap Between Grammar/Translation and Active Latin
[This lecture was given at Living Latin in New York City in February 2018.]
Abstract: “The Via Media: Is there a Middle Ground Between Grammar/ Translation and Active Latin?” In the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of Latin teachers eschewing the grammar/translation method of teaching Latin in favor of a host of other techniques which I will call by the general name of “active Latin.” In fact, to judge from occasionally intemperate rhetoric, we are in danger of dividing into two camps. But can there be a middle ground? Is it possible to add active techniques while preserving the disciplinary peculiarities of Classics? What would this synthesis look like, and how can we go about creating such a via-media approach which incorporates wisdom from both traditions? In this talk I will present several general principles for teachers looking to have the best of both worlds.
[The annual Living Latin in New York City event, the largest annual spoken-Latin gathering in the world, features opportunities to read works from over 2,000 years of Latin literature and to hear lectures by some of the field’s most dynamic teachers. To register, visit the webpage here. Links to other lectures can be found below.]
John Byron Kuhner is the former president of SALVI and editor of In Medias Res.
