Classical Education

So we're on a theme here. Can you successfully pry the remains of a classical education out of the modern university's course offerings? Even my current course, which deals with an introduction to reading and writing about short stories, poems and dramas, has a healthy dose of modern prejudices--'we have almost fifty per cent women authors'. Why? How does this advance my understanding of the best of these forms of literature over the last five hundred years?

It doesn't. It isn't about the best, there being no current consensus that such a thing even exists. Rather, it's about what will make the students conversant with the academically respectable ideologies of the day. Yikes! Indoctrination as education.

More good stuff: "

The May issue of The New Criterion is concerned with education — mostly of the ‘higher’ variety. Contributors include Roger Kimball, Alan Charles Kors, Robert Paquette, Victor Davis Hanson, James Piereson, and Charles Murray.

"

(Via Southern Appeal.)

Speaking of Choices

I've often thought about adding Latin or Greek (or both) to my dream curriculum. I had four years of Latin in high school. The last year involved translating Virgil's Aeneid ten lines a time on my own, alternating with tutoring some of the other students. I can't remember much of it, but I did learn English grammar while learning Latin.

But I already have a dream plan which, with a lot of paring of courses, still has more than 150 credits worth of courses in it. And that just to get a lousy 120-credit Bachelor's degree. But if I could just squeeze twelve more credits--one year of each. And the Latin would just be a refresher, right?

From the Alpha to the Omega: "That many of us favor a liberal arts education should be clear to any browser of these pages. It therefore should not surprise that we would favor the study of Ancient Greek, even if we got to the study of it late, in my case in graduate school. I took an intensive Greek class one summer, worked like a dog on it--between reading Churchill, Lincoln, Shakespeare, and some basketball--but managed to flunk the final exam anyway (a translation of a page from Plato's Republic....got the trees right but failed to note the forest). The point is this: I knew the study of the thing is not useful (I also studied French, German, and other modern versions of logos), but thought it a good and beautiful thing anyway. I was right.

There has, for some four years now, been a push by the students at Ashland University to get the University to offer it again (as it did until thirty years ago). Yes, I said the students. These noble fellows, through their representative institution called the Student Senate, voted unanimously for at least three years running to request the faculty to re-institute the offering of Ancient Greek (and Latin). While the noble President and the Provost have argued in favor of the thing, the Spanish Department (I must say for reasons not so noble) has urged--and so far succeeded--and argued against it. The students have even conducted a 24 hour sit-in (the first here in decades), thinking that those faculty not being open to logos might be shamed into it. So far they are losing, but the polemos has not yet ended, so some are just learning the alphabet

on their own.

I'm now thinking that a more practical argument should have been used in favor of Ancient Greek. Just fifteen minutes ago I happened to see on CBS evening news--it was an accident that I watched it, never normally do--that the father (Stanley Johnson) of the recently elected Mayor of London (Boris Johnson) said that his son's election was due entirely to his son's classical education. After all, he said, 'If you can master Ancient Greek, you can master anything.' Thank you, Mr. Johnson. Kalos. (Link to this Entry. Comments. Add Your Comments.)"

(Via No Left Turns.)

Enquiring Minds Want to Know

Why is the title Ephemeris? First off, I spent four years in high school studying Latin. I learned more about English grammar there than in all of the English classes I took. Of course, I can't speak or read Latin any more. It's on my list of things to do: revive my Latin and read something interesting in that language.

Secondly, I'm a bit of a snob (you hadn't noticed, had you?) and Latin titles for blogs just seem more interesting. Ephemeris was the first choice in my dictionary for "journal". So that made that easy.

And, finally, the idea that any writing I would do here would be of passing interest, not great or meaningful was haunting me as I contemplated starting a blog. I didn't and don't consider that this is of lasting importance to anyone. So the association of Ephemeris with ephemeral was the clinching point. So, now you know...

Writing the blogibus: "

Scriptorium ponders the question that has kept many a Catholic blogger awake at night: 'What are the Latin words for the noun ‘blog’ and the verb ‘blogging’? Would blogis and blogere be appropriate?' Read the possible answers.

"

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)