What people in the United States are doing with Latin in the 21st century.
The language of the Ancient Romans. Memorizing conjugations, declensions, lists of vocabulary, translating. A dead language.
For most of the last century, this has been the reputation of the ancestor of the Italian language in the United States.
But since the 1980s, things have changed. A dedicated group of Latin students, teachers, and scholars has started revitalizing the never-quite-extinct and centuries-long use of the language, speaking Latin like we would any other in the classroom.
Come join us for a brief talk on the history of the "Active Latin" movement in the United States, its origins, the state of "Active Latin" today, and the ways we've moved beyond viewing Latin as not just an ancient Roman language but one used in many times and places, and one that today should be accessible to anyone.
Then, join Michael "Magister Meletus" Sweet for a short sample Latin lesson without all the tedium of chanting "Amo, Amas, Amat." The session will include a Q&A segment and snacks. No experience with Latin is required; the instructor will provide all materials.
The event will take place at the Traffic Zone Building, 250 Third Ave N.,
6th floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Michael "Magister Meletus" Sweet earned his B.A. in Philosophy at Hiram College, a Master of Arts in Philosophy and a Master of Arts in Latin Literature at Kent State University and has studied and used active/spoken Latin for more than a decade with SALVI: The North American Institute for Living Latin (http://latin.org), Polis: The Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities (https://www.polisjerusalem.org/), and The Paideia Institute (https://www.paideiainstitute.org/) in New York City, Paris, and Rome. He currently works as an instructor using Latin as an active language with Latinitas Animi Causa (LAC) 's online (https://habesnelac.com) language program and as an independent tutor and teacher on his website https://magistermeletus.com. In addition, Michael teaches as an adjunct professor of Classics online at Kent State University, teaching history and culture courses related to the ancient Greek and Roman world. In the summer, he also teaches for various Greek and Latin language programs in the United States, both online and in person. His previous teaching experience also includes 2 years as an elementary school teacher of Latin in Cincinnati, OH. He currently resides in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he spends his free time working on his Italian, hosts regular TTRPG (Dungeons and Dragons, etc.) games at Tower Games in Minneapolis, and lives with his partner Annica Ahlstrom, a fellow Latin speaker and teacher he met in Rome at a Latin speaking trip who works with K-5 students at Seven Hills Preparatory School in Bloomington.
