Why Latin?
Latin and Philosophy are required courses of study at St. Catherine.
In its Classical context, Latin is the language of Cicero, Vergil, Seneca, Caesar, Ovid, Catullus, and a host of other superb authors. Some of the greatest literature produced by humanity was written in Latin. In fact, in the Middle Ages to be one of the illiterati meant that one did not know Latin! Latin is also the gateway to much of the rich history of the Catholic Church. It allows access to the liturgy and much of the history and theology of the Church. One can certainly deepen one’s understanding of the faith by knowing Latin. Finally, because of its inflected nature, Latin requires the development of keen critical thinking skills. To understand how a Latin sentence works, a student must make numerous logical deductions. This sort of thinking makes Latin a powerful tool in developing a critical, problem-solving approach to tasks one encounters in a variety of contexts.
Watch this short video to understand how the study of Latin and Philosophy improves both critical thought and critical analysis.
Construction of Knowledge –Students will analyze the Latin and English languages, their morphology, syntax, and grammar so that they can translate between the languages and gain a better understanding of both.
Disciplined Inquiry –Students are expected to display mastery of the Latin language through translation, grammatical analysis and composition.
Value Beyond School – Students will make meaningful connections between Latin and ancient history to today’s languages, history, and culture.
Course offerings at St. Catherine Academy
- Latin 1 (required)
- Latin 2 (required)
- Honors Latin 3 (elective)
- Honors Latin 4 (elective)
