While the process of creating Seaver’s first-ever Latin course began only last spring, this fall, professor Jason Brooks introduces the first three-unit class of its kind.
Brooks spearheaded the Latin class introduction after he noticed an increase of student interest. Now, many of those same students are enrolled in the class.
“I also pushed to get this course offered because I firmly believe that a liberal arts college must have a Latin sequence,” Brooks said.
Introductory Latin, labeled under Special Topics, is the brainchild of Brooks’ academic and personal interest.
The plans began with Brooks preparing meetings with the former Humanities/Teacher Education and International Studies and Language division chairs, Maire Mullins and April Marshall, respectively. Mullins ultimately took the course to Dean Rick Marrs and fought for the course.
According to Brooks, Mullins played the largest role on the administrative side in getting the course established.
Both Brooks’ textbook and students describe the “dead” language class as intensive. Still, many say the rewards outweigh the challenges.
“I’m a history major and I’ve been asking for a Latin course since I started,” senior Jessica Oppliger said. “It’s a little bit fast-paced, but otherwise I love it.”
Brooks hopes to present Latin as a general education (GE) credit for language and bring class occupancy closer to 20 or 25 students, compared to the 14 enrolled this term. Currently, Latin is an elective course.
“I hope it can get legs and keep running,” Brooks said. “That’s my first challenge … But this is how things start — slow and steady wins the race.… I really couldn’t be happier to be teaching this subject again,” Brooks said.
Within the beginning weeks of the new class, Brooks remains confident in his students while undertaking the job of proving to the rest of the school that Latin is worth studying.
Before coming to Pepperdine, Brooks taught the language for high school and while at Pennsylvania State.
“After I got deeper into Greek language and literature, I realized that I needed to study Latin for the Classics side of my research,” Brooks said.
From there, Brooks said, he fell in love with the classical languages and continued studying them in graduate school.
“Although my main research interests are in Greek and Russian poetry, I frequently consult Roman sources in my research and because I teach Great Books,” Brooks said.
“Even if I weren’t teaching this Latin course, I’d say that Latin occupies a decent part of my life in any given week. It’s just so important to so many aspects of my discipline.”
Brooks rebuts the notion of studying Latin for its own sake, believing more in its linguistic usefulness, notably English and modern Romance languages.
“I would also point out that Latin is, like, legit fun,” Brooks said. “So Latina vivit.”
