AP Latin Literature Cancelled -- Please Add Your Name

[Andrew Reinhard]

Salve,

As many of you know, AP Latin Literature is being cancelled, although AP Vergil will remain in place for the immediate future. Please read the letter from the AP in the news section on the right and the letter from Ronnie Ancona in the Blog, and if you feel strongly about keeping the AP Latin Literature program alive and active in the United States, please add a comment to this post with your name and school affiliation attached. I will collect these in preparation for what is sure to be a counter-offensive by some of the leading lights in US Classics education. Thanks for adding your names to the list.

Andrew Reinhard
Director of eLearning
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers

[Srsti]

I was lucky enough to have taken both AP Latin courses in high school and both courses were wonderful. There should be the opportinity for future students to take both as well.

-Srsti Purcell
Bronx High School of Science 2000

[Julian]

This is a travesty. Latin is life, and my entire high school Latin career was so I could read the Pro Caelio and the poems of Catullus in AP class senior year. Of course, they decided to get rid of that AP as well. Now they want to get rid of it altogether? Do they want to kill Latin? Already there have been commentaries about the lack of Latin learned in the US today, most notably an article in the NY Times about how sad it was that this is the first presidential election in US history that none of the candidates have any background in Latin- even Bush studied Latin! I am appalled.

Servate lenguam optimam- latinam!

Julian Quintanilla
University of Chicago, Class of 2011, Double Major: Classical Studies and Economics
The Pingry School, Class of 2007, AP Latin Literature: Catullus/Horace
Summit, NJ

[parvulissula]

I find the sudden announcement extremely disheartening. I would not be a Classics major were it not for Ovid and Catullus. Latin programs across the nation are already suffering cuts, and cannot afford this severe loss.

Joanna Monhollen

[Akira Yatsuhashi]

Please reconsider your decision. It's a shame that you're cutting any of your exams.

Akira Yatsuhashi
Graduate Instructor
Duke University
Dept. of Classical Studies

[Servius Valerius Corvinus]

You know, something has been niggling at the back of my mind, and I finally realized what it was. The College Board, in their response to our objections, has made a big noise about only offering one exam per subject, and that Latin has been a special case, and they are just bringing it in line with other AP subjects.

Oh really?

Calculus AB & Calculus BC
English Language & English Literature
Physics B & Physics C
Spanish Language & Spanish Literature

Fine, one can make an argument that English is more central to the educational experience (in this country, obviously) than Latin (or French). But Calculus? Physics? And... Spanish? They're clearly playing a game of CYA and hoping that we're dumb enough to fall for it. Sed sapientissimi sunt discipuli linguae Latinae!

And as if they were hoping to make me lose even more respect for them, the AP link on the site map for their main page... takes you to the PSAT. Wow. Just wow.

[Kristen]

This course is an incentive for students thinking about going into the field of Classics. By getting rid of it, American students will see even less reason to learn to read any literature in the original languages. Once in a Classics program, learning the languages will consume their time rather than being able to progress to a more theoretical level of understanding. It is a great disappointment that for whatever reason, financial perhaps, the College Board does not recognize their potential in developing educational rigor in American schools.

[Helen Lovatt]

Joining the fight back
Helen Lovatt
Associate Professor of Classics
University of Nottingham, UK

[Chris Geggie]

It is a sad commentary on the state of American education when students' options are narrowed all the more by the loss of a chance for AP credit iin Latin. The values of studying Latin are manifest (the statistics are all available) and I cannot imagine what convoluted reasons are driving the AP people to drop such a fundmental language from the AP curriculum.

John Fischer
Emeritus Professor of Classics
Wabash College

[Steve Perkins]

The Indianapolis Star just published its article about what is going on. You can check it out here.

[Howard W. Chang]

It is a shame to reduce the Latin AP offerings. Students benefit from the additional offering of a Latin literature curriculum, and having the ability to rotate the two courses allows older, second-year AP Latin students to mentor students who are taking the AP for the first time. Weakening our high school programs will only have a deleterious effect on Classical education at all levels.

[Erin]

Please do what you can to stop this from happening. All we need is for the college board to limit our students' opportunities. Plus this move is confirming to all non-believers that Latin is a waste of time! It makes me sick that they might put me out of a job...

[ashten]

As someone who has done both Vergil and Latin Literature, I can truly say that this is not a good move. Students should be able to have access to learning as much Latin as they would like. Catullus/Horace/Ovid are just as important as Vergil.

Damn the man!

Ashten Mays
Student at Florida State University School