As classics enrollment in secondary education declines, educators are grappling with the same questions: how can we show our students that Classics is for everyone, not just an elite group who look and sound a certain way? How do we teach the problematic and uncomfortable truths of antiquity in a way that is sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of the students sitting in front of us? What can we do to build Classics classrooms where every student feels seen and heard?
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Latin Classroom:
a toolkit for teachers from Cambridge University Press
We communicated that in the meantime, we would be supporting the Latin community through free professional development support to address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Our Journey
Six months later, in December 2020, we launched the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion in the Latin Classroom series. For a week in December, for three years, we published a program of fully-subsidized professional development for this series.
We were lucky enough to work with incredible Latin educators committed to integrating DEI practice in education. Together, with the goal of expanding the access to this work and supporting these very important aims, we published these and more: Case studies Lesson plans Videos Written blogs
The engagement and feedback from you, the North American Latin community, is what enabled us to run this series again in 2021 and 2022. It has been a privilege to bring this support to the community over the years. As we release the new edition of the Cambridge Latin Course, the series is succeeded by the improvements and support embedded within the course. All prior content will remain accessible, and you can now navigate the program thematically to easily find what you need.
Your Support
In the summer of 2020, we released our Commitment to Change, where we recognized that there was a real need – and a real opportunity – to reflect and to make changes to the Cambridge Latin Course.
This project was designed to bring the Latin classroom together to support diversity, equity and inclusion work in Classics classrooms around the country.
The student books present marginalized groups more prominently, in a range of societal positions and contexts, so you can be sure the Latin classroom is inclusive and welcoming, yet historically accurate.
The new sixth edition of the Cambridge Latin Course offers robust guidance around handling challenging topics – both in general, and specific to individual stages – ensuring you have the tools required to cultivate classrooms where every student feels comfortable and can learn effectively.
New Edition
As we celebrate the publication, and close out the Diversity and Inclusion in the Latin Classroom series, some of our contributors share their reflections in the pieces below.
Reflections
FAQs
Further Learning
Contributors
Materials
Home
Read Blog
The evolution of the North American Cambridge Latin Course
Caroline Bristow
Changing curriculum, changing practice, changing thinking
Katy Reddick
A deep dive into DEI
Maureen Lamb
Verto, vertere, verti, versus: Turning and changing in the Latin classroom
Diana Pai
The importance and potential of intentional DEI instructional design
Maureen Lamb and Samantha Radovich
The challenge of writing about DEIB work in the Latin classroom
Benjamin Joffe
Combatting ableism in the Latin classroom
Jennifer Jarnagin
Accessibility and empowerment
Classroom culture and challenging conversations
Community leaders
Equity in assessment
Inclusive language and images
Lesson plans with Social Justice Standards
Reflective practice
Representation
Trauma-informed teaching
Understanding race
Uplifting student voice and empowering student choice in the Latin classroom
Watch Now
Case Study: When you Support Neurodiverse Students Everyone Benefits
Inside the Latin classroom: Kenwood Academy, Chicago
Dawn Strauss
What strategies can I use to increase accessibility and empower all of my Latin learners?
Social-Emotional Learning Activities in the Latin Classroom
Dawn Strauss and Samantha Radovich
Overcoming roadblocks in implementing D&I practices
Rachel Ash and John Bracey
Uses of stealth Latin
Arum Park and Annie Huynh
Building equitable relationships, part III of III
John Bracey
Building equitable relationships, part I of III
Building equitable relationships, part II of III
What are the best strategies to create a positive classroom culture that builds community and facilitates having difficult conversations?
“I loved the perspective of a Classicist who fully understands the challenges facing some of our students.” Teacher feedback
Case Study: Incorporating Circles to Build Classroom Community
Read Listicle
Preparing Our Classroom Communities for Difficult Conversations (key takeaways)
Runako Taylor
Preparing Our Classroom Communities for Difficult Conversations
5 Ways to Build Community in a Middle School Latin Classroom
Jenn Jarnagin
Case Study: Mental Health in the Classroom
Rachel Ash
DEI Conversation Starters for the Introductory Classical Language Classroom
Arum Park
Talking about hard things in the Latin classroom
Case Study: An Original Framework to Foster Critical Analysis in the Classics Classroom
What inspires Classicists working in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space?
Read Q&A
6 questions with Christopher Waldo, Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus President
Christopher Waldo
6 questions with Skye Shirley, founder of Lupercal
Skye Shirley
4 questions with Caroline Musgrove of CSCP
Caroline Musgrove
6 Questions with Pharos
Curtis Dozier
6 Questions with CripAntiquity
Clara Bosak-Schroeder
6 questions with William Lee, Chair of the ACL Diversity and Inclusion Task Force
William Lee
How can I make my Latin assessments more equitable?
Equity in assessment: grading and feedback in the inclusive Latin classroom
Assessment in the Latin Classroom, Part I of III: When to Assess
Jenn Jarnagin and John Bracey
Assessment in the Latin Classroom, Part II of III: When to Assess
Assessment in the Latin Classroom, Part III of III: When to Assess
How can inclusive language and images be incorporated into the Latin classroom and materials?
Latin is for everyone: 7 ways to incorporate inclusive images in your classroom
Images and the power of reflection
Jennifer Jarnagin and Rachel Ash
Pronouns and Other Gendered Words in our Latin Classrooms
Maureen Lamb and Jenn Jarnagin
"I really liked that two different school demographics were represented, and that both teachers had examples of how diversity and inclusion had impacted their students in each." Teacher feedback
“I found the list of further reading and resources very, very helpful. I also appreciated the concise explanation about why using non-gendered language can be so important in our teaching.” Teacher feedback
Download
Gender-inclusive Swaps for Common Latin Nouns and Adjectives
How can I utilize the Learning for Justice's Social Justice Standards within my lesson planning?
Lesson Plan Rationale
“The food lesson Katy created was accessible and SUPER helpful. And I liked the modern connection to chocolate!”
Constructing Identities Through Foundation Stories
Diana Pa
Roman Foods and Modern Slavery: Connecting to Human Rights Today
Kandake Amanirenas: Queen of Nubia and Enemy of Augustus
Emma Vanderpool
The Story of Xenia and Hospitium
Memorialization, Justice, and Diversity
Abbi Holt
“The Prince Who Never Saw Women”: Recognizing Bias in Literature and Society
Kristin Masters
What are some additional ways to reflect, improve and implement change to my Latin teaching practice?
10 ways to make your Latin class more equitable tomorrow
4 ways to question your Latin textbook
Benjamin Joffe and Jennifer Jarnagin
Enriching Storytelling in the Latin Classroom: Historically Responsive Literacy, Part 1
Enriching Storytelling in the Latin Classroom: Historically Responsive Literacy, Part 2
A conversation: teacher vulnerability and the power of apology
Rachel Ash and Benjamin Joffe
“Magnificent! Appreciate the topic (and the author – Gholdy Muhammed) which are both an emphasis at my school. Appreciate the excellent lesson plan and the links to the resources for the lesson.”
How can I broaden representation in Latin class material?
Uplifting Voices of the Past through Latin Novellas
Case Study: Using the Myth of the Argo in High School Latin Curricula to Explore Greco-Roman Perceptions of Gender, Sexuality, and Inclusivity
Teaching Outside the Canon: Cornelius Nepos' Hannibal
Teaching Outside the Canon: Latin Speakers Outside of Rome
Power in representation: teaching Classical women
Latin Writing by Women (Teaching Herstory Through Latin, Part I of III)
Teaching Outside the Canon: Perpetua
“Excellent presentation! Thank you for sharing the many Hannibal resources which can be used in the classroom.”
“The Argo Myth Video was superb! The Lesson Plans were well researched and nicely formulated/presented so that they can be used in the classroom.” Teacher feedback
Latin Writing on Famous Women (Teaching Herstory Through Latin, Part II of III)
Everyday Lives of Women (Teaching Herstory Through Latin, Part III of III)
How can I teach Latin with trauma-informed practices?
Breaking Silence: confronting sexual violence in Classical myths and stories
Case Study: Writing Juno: Incorporating Trauma into the Curriculum
“This was a really powerful presentation—both from the honesty of Ms. Bristow and the framework that she provides for having these difficult conversations.” Teacher feedback
How can I reframe students’ understanding of race in the ancient world?
Where Was Race in the Ancient World?
The Case for Representation, Part 1: The Basics of Race
The Case for Representation, Part 2: Assigning Racial Categories
The Case for Representation, Part 3: The Impact of Imagery
Thank you to all of our educators who have worked with us to contribute valuable materials to the toolkit.
Caroline Bristow has been the Cambridge School Classics Project (CSCP) director since 2018. In addition to her extensive teaching experience and work with the UK Department of Education, she has also held pastorally-focused roles throughout her teaching career, working with victims of violence and abuse. She is a Non-Executive Director for Education of Innovating Minds, a company offering clinically-informed mental health support for schools and workplaces.
Key Contributors
Jenn Jarnagin teaches US Latin at Greenhill in Addison, TX. She is passionate about making Latin fun and inclusive, and believes that every student deserves to see themselves reflected in her classes. Jenn utilizes research-based practices that help all students find success. In addition to her work in the classroom, Jenn also serves on the Finance Committee of ACL. She was named the 2012 Texas Foreign Language Association Latin Teacher of the Year, and she holds a B.A. from the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University, and an M.A. from Indiana University. Connect with Jenn at magistraj.blogspot.com
John Bracey has been a Latin teacher in Massachusetts since 2010. He has a B.A. in Classics from UMass Amherst and an M.A. from Boston College. He has taught Latin exclusively using Comprehensible Input for the past few years. He leads workshops around the country for language teachers of all kinds. He is also the 2016 Massachusetts Latin teacher of the year. Connect with John on Twitter @MagisterBracey
Maureen Lamb is the Latin Teacher and Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy at the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. She also works as a Google Certified Trainer and education consultant, and she teaches graduate courses in Language and Latin pedagogy and instructional technology for Idioma Education and Consulting. She has been recognized for her work as the CT Language Teacher of the Year, NECTFL Mead Fellow, CANE Weincke Award, and the ACL Elizabeth Watkins Award. She is dedicated to creating an inclusive classroom environment, to using technology to enhance the student experience, and to making Classics comprehensible. Connect with Maureen @latintechtools
Runako Taylor teaches Latin at The Brearley School in New York City. He began teaching in England 16 years ago and has since worked in a variety of schools. He has led student trips abroad to Italy and Sicily. Runako holds a B.A and M.A from Hunter College in the City University of New York and is licensed to teach in New York and holds Qualified Teacher Status in the United Kingdom.
Rachel Ash has taught Latin for 18 years in Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia. She has always believed that all students can learn and deserve to know they can learn, and that is the driving force behind most, if not all, of her approaches to teaching Latin. She holds a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M. A. from the University of Florida. Connect with Rachel on Twitter @rachelcinis
Benjamin Joffe has been teaching Latin for more than fifteen years now, including twelve at the Hewitt School in New York City, and now at the nearby Browning School, where he teaches ninth grade Latin and advises the Jewish Culture Club. He is also currently working with the team at the Cambridge School Classics Project (CSCP) on the new UK version of the Cambridge Latin Course. He is a graduate of Yeshiva University and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Connect with Benjamin at bjoffe@browning.edu
has taught at the university, middle, and secondary school level and currently works as a Latin teacher at Springfield Honors Academy in Massachusetts. She earned her B.A. in Classics, Latin, and History from Monmouth College and her M.A.T. in Latin and Classical Humanities from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned the Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate Students. She has published ten Latin novellas, including those in the new Explore Latin and Encounter Latin series of Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers.
Arum Park is currently an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Arizona. She has published articles and book chapters on Archaic and Classical Greek poetry, the Greek Novel, and Augustan poetry, as well as public-facing pieces on #metoo in Greco-Roman literature, race and diversity in Classics, and Classical reception. Her interests include gender, truth, pastoralism, intertextuality, and race and ethnicity in Greek and Roman literature, and she regularly teaches courses in Greek language, literature, and mythology. The daughter of Korean immigrants, she currently co-chairs the Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus.
Diana Pai has taught Latin and Classical studies at St. Clement’s School in Toronto, Canada since 2004. She earned her Honours B.A. from the University of Toronto and is a recipient of the Grace Irwin Award for teaching Classics. Diana is passionate about encouraging students to explore the myriad ways in which Latin and Classics connect to the modern world. She believes that Classical studies in all their facets – wondrous, inspirational, philosophical and, at times, problematic – offer us an opportunity to ground ourselves in the lessons of the past and connect them to our shared humanity.
Kristin Masters earned her BA in Classics from Dickinson College and her MA in Latin from Bryn Mawr College. She has taught as an adjunct Professor at Rowan University for over ten years, and has enjoyed being a High School Latin teacher for over seventeen years. She is the author Troy on Trial: An Intermediate Latin Reader, and contributor of Dickinson College Commentary’s Eutropius: Breviarium Ab Urbe Condita [forthcoming] . Her educational blog, LGBT Meets SPQR, provides age-and level-appropriate Greek and Latin primary sources on topics of gender and sexuality in the Greco-Roman world for High School Latin classrooms.
Katy Ganino Reddick teaches Latin in Connecticut. She holds a BA in Art History and Classics from Williams College, an MAT in Latin and Classical Humanities from Boston University, and an MS in TESOL from Southern Connecticut State University. Currently she serves as the recent president of the Classical Association of Connecticut and the program chair for Excellence Through Classics, a part of the American Classical League. A lifelong learner, she nourishes her passion for language, culture, and pedagogy through museum visits, professional reading, and professional organizations.
Abbi Holt has studied Romans at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Boston University and Umass Boston. Along the way she has managed to acquire a BA in History and Anthropology and a MAT in Latin and Classical Studies. She now teaches some awesome humans at Ottoson Middle School, near Boston. She believes what makes the Roman world interesting is the glimpses of unique individual people that inhabited it, and is always trying to find ways to draw those voices out – showing her students that everyone’s story, including their own, is worth hearing.
Dawn Strauss earned her B.A. in Latin at Monmouth College and her M.A. in curriculum and instruction at Concordia University. Since 2004 she has been teaching Latin at Kenwood Academy High School, the only public neighborhood high school in Chicago with a Latin program. With her encouragement and commitment, the number of Latin students has grown from 35 to 140, and she offers five levels of Latin. As a neurodivergent individual and a first-generation graduate, she is passionate about making her Latin classroom a safe haven for equity and access. During her tenure, Dawn has been awarded the Farrand Baker Illinois Teacher of the Year Award by the Illinois Classical Conference, the Kraft Award for Excellence in Secondary School Teaching by the Classical Association of the Middle West and South and the Illinois Senior Classical League Teacher of the Year. Connect with Dawn at dstrauss@cps.edu.
Teacher spotlight
Clara Bosak-Schroeder is a writer, curator, Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the founder of CripAntiquity. Her scholarship addresses ancient Mediterranean reception studies and the environmental humanities. Connect with Clara on Twitter @thaumatic and theburningboy.com; cripantiquity.com
Christopher Waldo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is also the President of the Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus. He is committed to making the field of Classics more equitable and diverse at all levels. He holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Curtis Dozier teaches Greek and Roman Studies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He is the Director of Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics where he documents appropriations of Greco-Roman Antiquity by hate groups. He is also the producer and host of The Mirror of Antiquity podcast, which features interviews with Classical scholars about how their research shapes their understanding of the contemporary world and their own lives. Connect with Curtis on Twitter @curtisdozier @pharosclassics @mirrorantiquity
Annie Huynh is currently a high school Latin and English Teacher in San Francisco. After completing her MA in Classics at San Francisco State University, she fell into teaching by accident and has loved it ever since. Her interests include ancient sexuality, feminist theory in Greek and Roman literature, culturally responsive teaching, and teaching social justice in the classroom. Her family is ethnically Chinese but her parents were born and raised in Vietnam before immigrating to the United States. She serves as the Secondary Education Liaison for the Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus.
Annie Huynh
As a linguistic activist, Skye has created change in her field by addressing long-lasting gender gaps in spoken Latin through her nonprofit organization Lupercal, and by fostering spaces for women to have a voice in the ancient language. She has a Master's in Latin Pedagogy from UMass Boston and is now a PhD student at University College London, where her research explores women's Neo-Latin writing of the early modern period.
Caroline Musgrove is the Events, Outreach and Partnerships Coordinator at the Cambridge School Classics Project in the U.K. She completed her PhD in Classics at the University of Cambridge in 2017. An historian by training, Caroline’s interests range from ancient medicine, gender and early Christianity, to approaching difficult issues like slavery and decolonization in the Classics classroom. Caroline is passionate about improving access to Classics, having not had the opportunity to encounter the subject herself before college.
William is starting his 21st year of teaching Latin and has taught for the last 18 years at Tom C. Clark High School in San Antonio, TX. He is very involved in JCL and ACL and has served in various leadership roles in the past. He enjoys reading, watching movies, watching college sports, cooking, and working with kids. He was previously the chair of the American Classical League's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Classics Community Leaders
I was so inspired and energized by the articles and videos shared; they have moved me not only to continue actively decolonizing the Latin and Classics curricula, but also to search for ways to make Latin a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive experience for all students. Teacher feedback on the series
Books
Websites
Organizations
Not All Dead White Men
by Donna Zuckerberg
Women and Power
by Mary Beard
Grading for Equity
by Joe Feldman
Circe
by Madeleine Miller
Helen of Troy
by Bettany Hughes
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
by Zaretta Hammond
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies
by Django Paris and H. Samy Alim
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom
by Bettina Love
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education
by Christopher Emdin
Art of the Classical World in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Greece, Cyprus, Etruria, Rome
by Carlos A. Picón, Seán Hemingway, Christopher Lightfoot, Joan R. Mertens, and Elizabeth J. Milleker
So You Want to Talk About Race
by Ijeoma Oluo
The Myth of the Spoiled Child
by Alfie Kohn
The Homework Myth
Black Folk Here and There
by St. Clair Drake
On Famous Women
by Giovanni Boccaccio
educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
learningforjustice.org
cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-classics-teaching
kqed.org/mindshift
latinnovelladatabase.blogspot.com
latinteachertoolbox.com/mille-noctes-texts.html
dcc.dickinson.edu
lapis.practomime.com/index.php/operation-caesar-reading-list
indwellinglanguage.com
todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com
magisterp.com
matermonstrorum.com
johnpiazza.net
latinbestpracticescir.wordpress.com
comprehensibleclassroom.com
pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com
understood.org
Cambridge University Press & Assessment is not responsible for the content of external sites
Extend your learning
Our contributors share their go-to books, recommended websites, and organizations to follow.
Teach About Women
North American Cambridge Classics Project
Latin Teacher Idea Exchange
American Classical League
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
Center for Justice Research @cjresearchtsu
Lupercal @LupercalLegit
Center for Racial Justice in Education
@RaceJusticeEd
Trans in Classics @transinclassics
CripAntiquity @cripantiquity
Frequently asked questions
Are these materials just for Cambridge Latin Course teachers?
The content is free and always will be. No registration is required to access the materials.
Is the content free to access and is registration required?
No, the content is curriculum-agnostic and we hope it will be useful for all Latin classrooms.
To learn more about the Cambridge Latin Course and the support and resources we offer, please visit this link.
Where can I go to find out more about the Cambridge Latin Course?
Yes, feel free to share these resources with anyone who you think might be interested, or link out to the series on your own website or social channels—the more teachers we can reach with this project, the greater the impact. Thank you for helping us to spread the word!
Can I share or link out to this material?
"How can I reframe students’ understanding of race in the ancient world?"
cambridge.org/cambridgelatincourse
How do we think about Latin and race when ancient Rome was "pre-racial"? In this piece, John helps us recognize three common misconceptions we might have if we look at the ancient world through the lens of how race functions today
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