Living Latin in Paris is an intensive Latin experience focusing on Medieval Latin and set in Paris. Participants read important Latin texts from the Medieval to the Renaissance period that relate to the city of Paris, the intellectual capital of Medieval Europe. Daily readings are paired with visits to important historical and literary sites in Paris and its environs. Both on site and in the classroom, participants are encouraged to communicate with instructors and each other in Latin. The program's goal is to provide an intensive period of Medieval Latin study while helping participants form strong connections with Medieval Latin literature and culture.
Prerequisites
Participants must be over the age of 18 by the time the program starts and should know the basics of Latin grammar. This usually means the equivalent of one year of college or two years of high-school Latin. No experience speaking Latin is required, but experienced Latin speakers are also encouraged to apply. Nexus members are particularly encouraged to apply.
Classrooms
Living Latin in Paris is based in Paris’ Quartier Latin, “Latin Quarter” that takes its name from the Medieval students at the Sorbonne, who continued to speak Latin long after the rest of the city had begun speaking French. Classrooms are rented from one of Paris’ last functioning monasteries in Paris located in the 5th arrondissement, the heart of Paris’ student district.
Housing
Participants are free to arrange their own housing in Paris. The Paideia Institute has negotiated discounted group rates with a trusted housing provider in a hotel. Approximate rates for each type of lodging for the duration of the program are listed below. Contact information for housing providers and group discount codes will be provided upon acceptance.
Triple room shared with other program participants: $380
Double room shared with another program participant: $460
Tina Chronopoulos is a British-infused Greco-German transplant whose teaching and research interests range all over the Mediterranean and span more than a millennium, from Greco-Roman antiquity to the medieval period and beyond. Trained by old-school philologists (at Durham University in the north of England and at King's College, London), she enjoys deep dives into libraries and archives, as well as close readings of texts, contexts, and medieval manuscripts. In the classroom, she gets excited about speaking in Latin as much as possible and encouraging her students to read both the past and the present contextually whilst wearing the lenses of race, class, and gender.
After a decade of service to Benedict XVI and Francis as a papal Latinist, Daniel Gallagher was named the Ralph and Jeanne Kanders Professor of the Practice in Latin at Cornell University in 2017. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, the Catholic University of America, and the Pontifical Gregorian University and has published extensively in medieval philosophy, especially in the areas of metaphysics and aesthetics. He is dedicated to handing on the Latin language based on the principles and methodology of his long-time mentor, Reginald Foster.
Roberto Salazar is a Ph.D. student in Comparative Literature at the University of Versailles. A former fellow of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris, he holds a double B.A. in Classics and Philosophy, and an M.A. in Classics and Comparative Literature (Paris-Sorbonne). He is interested in the reception of classical works in the Arab World, Modern Greece and Latin America (Borges in particular), and has done research on European Classical Reception and Neo-Latin. Over the years he has developed a keen interest in learning and teaching languages, both ancient and modern. He has taught Latin and Greek in Bogota, Paris and Berlin. He currently leads the Spoken Latin workshop at the ENS and is writing a second M.A. thesis on Homeric Classical Scholarship.
The tuition for Living Latin in Paris is $1600. This payment covers program instruction, transportation to and from site visits, museum and site admissions, and two group meals.
Scholarships
The Paideia Institute is able to offer a number of full and partial scholarships to participants with financial need. Please visit our scholarships page to learn more.
COVID-19 Contingency Plan
If this program is canceled due to COVID-19, an online alternative will be offered for the price of the deposit. If you feel more comfortable doing Living Latin from home in 2021, consider our online offerings through Telepaideia.
