The course moves at a pace that makes it possible for all students to keep up and learn, and the amount of homework assigned is never unreasonable, but it is important that students do allocate sufficient time for these between-class exercises so that they are always completed by the class period on which they are due and turned in in a finished state.  All homework assignments will be graded and returned to students by the subsequent class period.  Assignments are turned in to the instructor, as well as the corrected versions returned to the student, through email.  Students take two tests and a number of unit quizzes each semester.  A class period or portion of a class period is set aside for each of these.  The completed tests are “handed in” to the instructor when this period has expired.

I strongly urge students both to not miss and to be on time for each class meeting, but if attending a particular class meeting is impossible, then please notify me in advance.  If a student should miss a class meeting, arrangements should be made with me to send the student a recorded version of the class meeting.  If a student is to successfully master the material, it is imperative that the student attend class religiously.  Irregular attendance can mean the difference between a rewarding and pleasant learning experience and a stressful and ineffective one.

Be sure ahead of time that your schedule does not conflict with the times and days on which the course meets.  Just because this course is online, that does not mean that it requires less dedication.  The academic expectations that I have of students in this online course are just as great as those in any serious college or high-school level class.

I will be somewhat understanding if a student misses class due to technical problems, but I urge students to do everything possible ahead of time to make sure that such problems do not occur.  Class attendance is extremely important for success in this course since classroom repetition and site translation are vital elements in Latin instruction.

Just like attendance, turning in homework assignments on time and completed is vital for the student’s success in this course.  In fact, work done outside of class is, in my opinion, more important than anything that goes on during the class meeting.  One can only learn Latin effectively through both written practice and oral repetition, and while the latter is normally reserved for the classroom, the majority of the former happens between class meetings.  A student will not master the Latin language unless the between-class assignments are taken seriously.  These assignments are each likely to take somewhere between one half hour and two hours depending on the length of the assignment and the preparedness and aptitude of the student.

My goal is to create an enjoyable, productive, and civil classroom environment.  To this end I ask that all participants in the course do their best to be polite and supportive toward the other students.  Harassment, sexual or otherwise, will of course not be tolerated.

If any disputes or hostilities should arise, students should notify me as soon as is possible so that I may help in settling them.  This course is meant to be a fun and productive experience for all involved, and I plan to do everything I can to make that happen.  I ask that students support and assist me in achieving that goal.

The class is geared toward the high school to adult age range, but I will certainly consider enrolling younger students as well.  My goal is to make this online classroom enriching and enjoyable for people of all ages and backgrounds.  Not very long ago it was common for children receiving the best education to begin their education in Latin in the seventh grade or earlier.  Latin was considered as vital a subject as science, higher math, or English literature, and I believe that this is still true.  But whatever the age or background, the most important thing is that the student be serious about and committed to the class.  This is a real Latin course, equivalent to a good university or high-school course, and so a student must be willing to do what is necessary to succeed in this setting (i.e., attend class and complete all homework assignments), but it is also a course that starts at the very beginning, at the basics of the Latin language, and so it is suitable for most motivated people of almost any age.  There is no need even for the student to start out with a good knowledge of language.  In fact that would be putting the cart before the horse, since one of the primary reasons one should take Latin, I believe, is for the far greater understanding of language it brings.

If you are considering enrolling a student who is younger than high-school age, please talk to me first so that we can discuss whether this course is appropriate. Link to Contact page.

This course is taught from the beginning Latin text A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin by John F. Collins.  I have chosen this text because it is better organized and far clearer (at least in my opinion) than other beginning Latin texts I have seen.  Learning a language is enough of a challenge without it being made more difficult by a confusing and ill-conceived course-book.  The fact that the text is geared toward a specific dialect of Latin, Ecclesiastical Latin (also called Medieval Latin)—the Latin that served as the common language of the educated in the Western world and is still used by the Catholic Church—should not be a barrier to those interested in learning Latin as a means for gaining access to texts from the Classical period.  The two dialects are (in regard to grammar at least, which is the main focus of the course) almost identical.  Plus, all grammatical rules necessary to a beginning education in Classical Latin are contained in this text anyway.  The Ecclesiastical/Medieval rule variations, and there really are very few, are taught as an addition to previously-taught Classical rules.  In short, whether the student plans to read and study Classical or Ecclesiastical/Medieval texts, this course-book will be an amply sufficient introduction; and since any serious student of the language must be well-versed in both, this broader coverage of the historical variations in the language is hardly a disadvantage.  An accomplished Latinist must be able to nimbly read his way through Virgil and Descartes, Horace and the Vulgate.  Latin is a language that has had many faces: ancient and modern, vulgar and literary, sacred and profane.  The point of the course is to provide students with the basic skills necessary so that they may in time be able to become acquainted with all of it.

To participate in this course, students will need:

1. The Text: A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin by John F. Collins. Click to buy the text.
2. Access to a computer with internet connection (broadband is recommended).
3. A speaker and microphone or combination headset for the student’s computer (those that connect to the computer by a USB port are recommended).

Various platforms will be fine for accessing the online classroom. Windows, Mac, and Linux are all acceptable.

Any internet connection will work in the online classroom, but a broadband connection is recommended for a better experience.

This particular course and the material in the format presented is the property of me, Andrew Kuhry-Haeuser.  Students enrolled in this course may not make recordings without my permission.  If I do grant a student permission to record a class session, the recording is only to be used by the individual student for personal educational purposes and is not to be copied or shared with others.

Any personal information concerning individual students will be kept strictly private. I will not share any student’s personal information with any third parties for any purpose.

Students in this course may not disseminate any information regarding other students enrolled in the course.  Any student by enrolling in this course automatically acknowledges that other students have a right to privacy and agrees to maintain the privacy of other students enrolled in the course.

That said, students should still be aware that any personal information divulged by a student in the web classroom will, just as in a physical classroom, be heard by others in the class and so could conceivably be shared with others outside the class.  If you wish to be part of the class and still remain relatively anonymous to others in the class, that is fine, but be aware that the web classroom is only a semi-private setting.

It is my policy and the policy of The Carmenta Online Latin Classroom to not discriminate against any person based on race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.