Coordinator, Alexander Loney
The Certificate in Latin for Classical Christian Education provides students with a specialized education in the texts, methods, and theory for teaching Latin in a classical Christian environment. The program is rigorous and integrative. It proceeds from the belief that the best preparation to be a teacher of Latin in a Christian school is the intensive reading and analyzing of the monumental works of Latin literature with an eye to how they communicate the great ideas of the past to us today. One unique feature of Wheaton’s program is that it seeks to integrate Christian faith and classical learning, to ask whether and how Christ and the Christian virtues might be found in the (pre-Christian) classical world. This model of education has existed in one form or another for thousands of years: great medieval thinkers like Thomas Aquinas believed the best education was found in a synthesis of classical learning and Christianity. This certificate prepares students to continue in that tradition. Upon completing this program, students will have a broad training to prepare them to be teachers of Latin and the classical tradition in primary and secondary schools.
The Certificate in Latin for Classical Christian Education is an interdisciplinary program housed in the Classical Languages section of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, with courses also offered through other academic departments, including History, Biblical and Theological Studies, Philosophy, English, Art History, Christian Formation and Ministry, and Education. This certificate does not lead to teaching licensure.
Students majoring in Classical Languages or in Education are particularly encouraged to consider the 24-hour certificate, but students in all majors are eligible. The program includes 2 courses (8 hours) of upper-division Latin, 4 hours in theory and practice, 4 hours in contexts of the classical world, and 8 further hours of electives in additional classical language courses, context courses, or theory courses.
Requirements for the Certificate in Latin for Classical Christian Education are 24 credit hours distributed as follows:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate Requirements | ||
| Group 1: | ||
| 8 credits in Latin (advanced) literature courses | 8 | |
| Group 2: | ||
| LATN 492 | Independent Study in the Theory and Practice of Latin Pedagogy for Classical Schools | 4 |
| Group 3: | ||
| 4 credits in History, Literature, Philosophy, Rhetoric, Art, or Theology of the Classical World | 4 | |
Any course above 300 in Archaeology (ARCH) | ||
| Medieval & Byzantine Art | ||
| Rhetorical Theory | ||
| The New Testament in the Holy Lands | ||
or BITH 318 | Christian Theology in the Holy Lands | |
| Early Christianity: From Rome to Byzantium | ||
| Classical and Early British Literature | ||
| Logic | ||
| History of Philosophy - Ancient and Medieval | ||
| Classical and Medieval Political Thought | ||
| Group 4: | ||
| 8 hours of Electives | 8 | |
Any course above 300 in Latin (in addition to the 8 above), Greek or Hebrew above HEBR 402 | ||
Any additional course from Group 3 above | ||
| School & Society | ||
| Philosophical Foundations of Education | ||
Any course above 300 in Christian Formation and Ministry (CFM) | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |