Classical Language Program

Rome the head of the world

Rome the eternal city

All roads lead to Rome

*Have you ever wondered why we still say that after 2,000 years?

*Would you like to learn more about it?

For centuries Rome was the leader of the Western world, in military skills, engineering, medicine as well as philosophy art and literature. We are the products of them to many extents. Our language bears the Latin imprint today not only in medicine or law. This Latin course is organized with an hour of language learning and 30 minutes of history and art lecture from the very foundation of Rome (April 21st 753 B.C ) and you will see how a conglomerates of shepherds huts became the largest empire of the West.

 

Beginners Latin

This course is intended for beginners who are interested in the basics of the Latin language and Roman History. The main purpose of Beginners’ Latin is to impart fundamental notions of the Latin language following the text Ecce Romani I. Fundamentals of grammar and syntax will be the focus of study and emphasis will be given to Latin as a source of linguistic performance in other languages, particularly English and Italian.

The text tells the story of a Roman Senator’s family and their life in the outskirts of Rome. The narrative introduces students to Latin language while teaching the use of the declensions and conjugations. Initial concepts are easily approachable and complexity increases gradually so as to permit a layer-by-layer development of knowledge.

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Intermediate Latin

Intermediate Latin will cover fourth and fifth declension nouns, second class adjectives, and 3rd and 4th active voice conjugations for the indicative mood. It also includes personal and demonstrative pronouns as well as cardinal and nominal numerals (Ecce Romani I).

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Advanced Latin

Advanced Latin will deal with passive voice alongside first, second, third and fourth conjugations’ of verbs in the indicative mood (Ecce Romani II). It will cover the subjunctive, infinitive, imperative, and participial moods for all 4 conjugations and interrogative pronouns. The course will introduce the reading of Classical texts, particularly Caesar’s De Bello Gallico.

Material: Ecce Romani volumes I, II, and III. You can buy it used on Amazon.com or at the ICS used if available ($20).

Cost: $330 – adults/teens 15 hr. course (with a minimum of 5 students); ICS members: $315; Seniors save $5.

You can Register by clicking the products below.

The instructor:
Prof. Luigi De Luca, recently awarded by the Italian Government for preserving Italy’s prestige abroad, has been teaching Latin courses for many years at middle schools and universities in the area. He holds a Ph.D. in Greek and Latin from Catholic University, an M.A. in Latin from the University of Maryland, and an M.A. in Greek from Catholic University of America.

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Intermediate Latin for Italian Teens

Call us for details!
Office phone: 301-215-7885

Ancient Greek Language 

10 week course for Teens/Adults (in English)

Learn the basics of the ancient Greek language within the context of ancient Greek culture. Fundamentals of grammar and syntax will be studied. Emphasis will be given to ancient Greek as a source of linguistic performance in other languages, including its influence on the English language.

Wed. 12:15-1:45pm (Bethesda/online)

Sat. 3:45-5:15pm (Bethesda/online)

Instructor: LAURA GRANATA

Material: Athenaze, Book 1, An Introduction to Ancient Greek (Coursebook) / Athenaze, Workbook I: An Introduction to Ancient Greek by Maurice Balme (2016-02-18) (Workbook)

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Instructors

President Emeritus

Dr. Luigi De Luca
Chair of the Board, Executive Committee

Dr. Annelise Brody Morani

Dr. Valentina Asciutti

Laura Granata

President Emeritus

Dr. Luigi De Luca

Luigi De Luca is a former president of the ICS. He was involved in the building up of the Italian Language Program with Maria Wilmeth and Cesarina Horing. Since 2006, Luigi has taught at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, and before 2006 he was running a laboratory at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda. The Italian government has bestowed on Luigi the titles of Commendatore and Grand’ufficiale in recognition of his research work, his support of the ILP and the Awards Program of the ICS as well as his interest and scholarship in the classical languages. He recently obtained a MA and PHD in Classics at Catholic University.

Chair of the Board, Executive Committee

Dr. Annelise Brody Morani

Annelise received her laurea in comparative literature at the university of Bologna with a thesis on Dante and the Rossetti family. She received also her MA and Ph.D in Italian literature from the JHU with a thesis on Virginity in Early Italian literature. She then went on teaching as a faculty member at various college institutions joining Washington University in Saint Louis in 2005 where she taught Italian language, literature and cinema at all levels. She also served as language coordinator until 2018. She developed and taught online language courses as a winner of a grant in language and technology research at her institution (2014) She became proficient in using both Blackboard and Canvas platforms.

Her main research interest is in Medieval Italian literature and in particular in literature and ethics. She published papers on Petrarch and Boccaccio, presented at numerous conferences.

Annelise is also a passionate yoga practitioner and a certified yoga instructor in Hatha yoga and ELDOA 1&2. She has been teaching yoga to dancers, children as well as seniors. Her focus is on improving mobility and spinal health.

Dr. Valentina Asciutti

Valentina Asciutti was born in Pescara, the city of flamboyant Italian poet and writer Gabriele D’Annunzio, a lovely town on the Adriatic Coast, in the Abruzzo region. 

Valentina’s background is in Classics. She attended Liceo Classico in her hometown and proceeded to receive a BA in Classics at Università di Chieti. In 2003 she moved to the United Kingdom where she completed a Master of Arts in Classics at Durham University and then moved to London where she was awarded a PhD in Classics at King’s College London. After completing her PhD she embraced the new and cutting edge Digital Humanities field, learning how to best apply modern technologies, software tools and digital methods to the study of Humanities, in particular Latin, Classical Literature, History and Archaeology. She was a Research Associate at the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London for five years before moving to the US in 2015. 

She joined the Italian Cultural Society when she moved to Bethesda. She has  been contributing with the editing, writing and translating articles for the monthly newsletter Poche Parole and has been part of the instructors team for several years. Valentina has been tutoring children and adults in Latin and Ancient Greek since she was a high-school student herself and is very passionate about teaching and communicating with her students. At the ICS she has been teaching Italian grammar at different levels as well as special courses such as “Discover Abruzzo”. 

She loves traveling, reading, baking and street art among many other things.

Laura Granata

Laura was born and raised in Milan, where she graduated in classics from Università degli Studi di Milano. She started working as a high school and middle school teacher in Lagos, Nigeria at an Italian International School (E.Mattei).

After four years in Nigeria, she lived in different countries, following her husband: The Netherlands, Mozambique, United States, Brazil, Italy and India. She left India in June 2021 and since then has been living in the Washington area.

During these years, she always taught Italian courses in different schools and institutions to Italian children living overseas and to foreigners who wanted to study Italian. She also attended specialized courses for teaching Italian to foreigners at the Università Ca’ Foscari in Venice.

She really likes traveling and “to live overseas and encounter so many cultures, traditions and languages has been for me and my family an incredible experience that had a very big impact in my life”.