Modern Language & Classics

Modern Language

The Modern Languages Department offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish — from Level I to Advanced Placement courses. The curriculum is written using the “backward design” approach, accentuating the ACTFL Guidelines and National Standards for the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Language instruction focuses on emphasizing Brunswick’s three C’s: Communication (with an emphasis on speaking), cultures (with an emphasis on the contemporary world), and curiosity (striving to make of our students lifelong learners).

Classes are conducted in the target language; use of English is kept to a minimum. The goal is to lead students to a level of proficiency enabling them to interact with linguistic and cultural accuracy with native speakers. Along with acquisition of vocabulary and the fundamentals of grammar, emphasis is placed on development of cultural awareness, tolerance, sensitivity, and appreciation for other civilizations. The Modern Languages Department understands the need in today’s world to educate Brunswick students as global citizens.

Audio-visual materials are used frequently in the classroom and at home to strengthen students’ language skills, to provide immersion experiences, and to present culturally authentic material. Technology is incorporated in the classroom as a means of enhancing acquisition of foreign languages and fostering collaborative work.

The Study of Latin and Greek — The Classics Scholar

and the Classics Diploma

The Classics program offers Latin studies from Level I through an Advanced Latin Seminar for seniors. Students typically take the AP Latin course as juniors. Latinists acquire the ability to read major Latin authors (including Caesar, Cicero, Sallust, Ovid, Virgil, and Livy) with competence and appreciation. The Classics program also offers three years of Classical Greek. The first year focuses on the acquisition of grammar basics, and the translation of simple passages from Herodotus and Xenophon. The second year continues with the acquisition of grammar fundamentals, and then moves into the translation of passages from Xenophon’s Hieron or on Tyranny, Plato’s Crito, and the first book of the Republic. The final year surveys Homer’s epic poems. Classics courses strengthen students’ understanding of the social and political history of ancient Rome and Greece. Related topics in Graeco-Roman mythology, religion, literature, and culture are also explored. Classes promote the additional benefits gained from the study of Latin and Greek, such as sharper insight into the grammar of other modern languages; the acquisition of English vocabulary; and a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical roots of Western civilization.

Classics scholars who complete at least two years of Greek and take the AP Latin Course are awarded Brunswick’s prestigious “Classics Diploma” upon graduation.

A highlight of the Classics program is the Latin Carol Service, which gives students the opportunity to read Latin in a public setting. This service, which includes classical choral compositions, takes place each December.