[Usyd_Classics_Events] CAH Seminar 4th May Nguyen

[Tamara Neal]

Dear Friends of Classics and Ancient History,

We are delighted to invite you to the next lecture in our Semester 1, 2026 Classics and Ancient History research seminar series.


Monday 4th May 2026 12.15pm

V. Gordon Childe Boardroom, Madsen Building Level 2.

Zoom link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/89574510422

Chair Assoc. Prof. Bob Cowan & Tamara Neal

Jamie Nguyen (University of Sydney / The Scotch College)
Who Speaks for Antiquity? Rethinking Relevance as Latin’s Defence through Classical Reception in Australian Schools.

Abstract:

This paper responds to the ongoing crisis of Latin uptake in secondary schools by arguing that the problem is not only methodological but epistemological. The study of Latin continues to be justified through frameworks that do not resonate with contemporary learners.

Drawing on the Australian context, I argue that its decline is the result of successive and intersecting historical, cultural and pedagogical forces. Once central to a moral and intellectual education shaped by colonial classicism, Latin has lost authority within an educational and political culture that prioritises utility and market outcomes. This has produced a paradox: Latin is marginalised for its perceived lack of utility yet persists as a form of elite cultural capital.

The paper determines that traditional defences of the subject have remained static and increasingly unconvincing. Even recent pedagogical innovations, while promising, often fail to address the deeper issue of relevance. A historiographical analysis of Latin textbooks as a part of my thesis reinforces this claim. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, textbooks have negotiated the tension between grammatical rigour and engagement yet consistently positions students as recipients rather than producers of meaning. Changes in pedagogical methodologies have not led to a fundamental shift in the learner’s role.

In response, this paper proposes Classical Reception, grounded in Reader-Response Theory and Self-Determination Theory, as a way forward. I argue that we must reconceptualise the textbook as an active mediator of meaning. Ultimately, there must be a reception-driven model that integrates language, culture and interpretation through thematic and contemporary inquiry. It is by positioning students as participants in an ongoing dialogue with the past that the issue of Latin's relevance has the potential to be resolved.


Biography:
Jamie is a Latin teacher at The Scotch College in Melbourne. A passionate advocate for Classics, Jamie’s research focuses on reception strategies.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Tamara



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DR TAMARA NEAL FHEA | Senior Lecturer in Ancient Greek (Education Focused) | FASS Academic Advisor | Accredited University-wide Peer Reviewer of Teaching<https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/16284/pages/12-dot-1-peer-review-of-teaching-module-overview>
President Classical Association of NSW<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/gDF4CBNqjlCMJ9vQ3Czf4T2L9vD?domain=classics.org.au>
Classics & Ancient History | School of Humanities│Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
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