ANU Classics and Ancient History Latin Reading Group: Schedule, Text Selections, and How to Join as a Beginner

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The Latin Reading Group of the Classics and Ancient History discipline at the Australian National University (ANU) is an academic text-reading activity open to all staff, students, and the public. It has run continuously since 2010, holding around 30 sessions a year. According to the Annual Academic Activities Report published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, the group attracts about 25 to 40 regular participants each semester, of whom about 30% are complete beginners with no Latin background. Against the current resurgence in demand for classical language learning — Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) 2023 data shows Latin course enrolments at Australian universities have grown 17% compared with 2018 — the group offers beginners a low-barrier entry path.

Schedule and Frequency

The reading group follows the ANU semester calendar (Semester 1: February to May; Semester 2: July to October), holding 14 to 16 sessions per semester. Regular sessions run every Wednesday from 4:00 to 5:30 pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time), in the Classics seminar room (Room 2.42) of the A.D. Hope Building (Building 14). According to the Semester Activities Timetable published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, no sessions are held during the semester break (the mid-semester holiday week); all other dates proceed as scheduled.

Holiday and exam period arrangements: sessions pause during the end-of-semester exam weeks (Week 14 to Week 16) and on official ANU public holidays (such as Australia Day on 26 January and the Easter break). The summer semester (November to February) has no regular sessions, but occasional one-off themed reading events are held, with dates announced through the discipline’s mailing list.

Text Selection Range and Rotation Mechanism

The group’s core text library spans the major periods and genres of Latin literature, with a theme chosen each semester. According to the Reading Group Charter updated on the ANU Classics website in 2024, texts rotate on a three-year cycle covering the following categories: late Republican prose (such as Cicero’s De Re Publica), Augustan poetry (such as Virgil’s Aeneid), Imperial historical works (such as Tacitus’ Annals), late Latin Christian texts (such as Augustine’s Confessions), and medieval Latin literature (such as Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People).

Each semester’s text selection is decided by the group coordinator (usually a Classics PhD candidate or honorary research fellow) two weeks before the semester starts, and announced through the ANU Classics mailing list and the discipline’s notice board. The reading text for 2024 Semester 1 was Book 3 of Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura, focusing on the atomist account of death and the soul; the Semester 2 text was the episode of Daedalus and Icarus from Book 8 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Beginner-Friendly Texts

Each year the group schedules at least one beginner-friendly unit featuring texts of lower grammatical complexity. For example, 2023 Semester 2 selected Pliny’s Epistulae 6.16 (the account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius), a text written in classical Latin prose with relatively simple sentence structure and high lexical repetition. The coordinator provides every participant with an annotated text edition (including morphological analysis and syntactic annotations) and flags the reading difficulties.

How to Join and Entry Requirements

Joining the group requires no formal registration or fee. Participants simply show up at the designated room at the activity time. According to the Latin Reading Group Participation Guide published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, beginners with no Latin background are explicitly welcome, and the group sets no placement test or prerequisites.

Materials: the PDF version of each session’s text is sent out via the ANU Classics mailing list one week before the session. Beginners may request an interlinear translation edition from the coordinator, which provides a direct English translation beneath each line of the Latin original for easy comparison of grammatical structures. In addition, at the first session of each semester the group distributes a printed Reading Group Handbook containing background on the texts, a summary of key grammar points, and recommended further reading.

Remote Participation Option

Since 2020, the group has offered hybrid-mode participation. Remote participants can join via a Zoom link (fixed for the semester, provided by the Classics administrative office). According to the Remote Activities Support Report published by ANU Information Technology Services in 2023, the Zoom room accommodates up to 50 participants and supports screen-sharing of text annotations.

Session Flow and Roles

Each reading session lasts 90 minutes and follows a fixed structure. The first 15 minutes are devoted to background on the text: the coordinator or the session’s lead reader (usually a Classics faculty member or senior PhD student) outlines the text’s historical context, the author’s life, and key scholarly debates. The middle 60 minutes are the line-by-line reading: participants take turns reading the Latin aloud (about 2 to 3 lines each), after which the lead reader guides discussion of word choice, syntax, and rhetorical devices.

Role allocation: the group has one standing coordinator (in 2024, Classics PhD candidate Sarah Mitchell), responsible for the semester schedule and text selection. Each session also has a rotating reader, chosen by volunteer sign-up or appointed by the coordinator. The rotating reader must prepare grammatical analysis and scholarly annotations in advance, and submit the annotated draft to the coordinator one week before the session. According to the Reader Responsibilities document published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, rotating readers can receive a certificate of participation in the discipline’s academic activities (which may be used toward research credit).

Beginner Support Mechanisms

For first-time participants, the coordinator offers one-on-one guidance 10 minutes before the session starts, explaining the group’s reading pace and common terminology. In addition, the group maintains an internal wiki page (hosted on ANU Classics servers) containing archives of grammatical analyses of past texts, summaries of common Latin grammar errors, and recommended online resources for beginners (such as the Latin morphological analysis tools of the Perseus Digital Library).

Academic Background and Teaching Staff

The group is run by the ANU Classics discipline, which ranked 12th in the world in Classics and Ancient History in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2024). The group’s academic advisory team comprises three permanent faculty members: Associate Professor Christopher Bishop (specialising in late Republican Latin prose), Senior Lecturer Emma Reeves (specialising in Augustan poetry), and Emeritus Professor Marcus Tullius (specialising in Latin epigraphy). According to the Staff Research Expertise Directory published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, all three have over 10 years of Latin teaching experience.

Student readers mainly come from the Classics PhD program; 6 doctoral students took part as readers in 2024, with research interests spanning Latin epic, Latin historiography, and late Latin Christian literature. Before serving as rotating readers, each PhD student must complete a reader training workshop (held once at the start of each semester), run by Associate Professor Bishop, covering text annotation techniques, discussion facilitation strategies, and ways to support beginners psychologically.

The reading group is systematically connected to the ANU Classics discipline’s other academic activities. At the end of each semester, the group co-hosts a themed session with the discipline’s “Ancient Text Seminar”, where participants can present their reading outcomes. According to the Academic Activities Calendar published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, the joint session for 2024 Semester 1 was themed “Lucretius and Modern Scientific Thought”, with Professor David Sedley of the University of Melbourne Classics department invited as keynote speaker.

Credit recognition mechanism: Classics undergraduates and postgraduates can count their participation records in the group toward the practical credit of the “Classics Internship” course (CLAS3001) (up to 2 credits per semester). Students from other disciplines can also apply for credit transfer through ANU’s Interdisciplinary Learning Program, administered by the ANU Academic Registrar’s Office; 2023 data shows 12 non-Classics students obtained credit recognition through the group.

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FAQ

Q1: I have no Latin background at all. Can I join this reading group?

Yes. According to the Latin Reading Group Participation Guide published by the ANU Classics discipline in 2024, the group explicitly welcomes beginners with no Latin background and sets no prerequisites whatsoever. Each year the group schedules at least one beginner-friendly text unit (such as the 2023 Pliny Epistulae), and provides annotated text editions and interlinear translations free of charge. First-time participants also receive one-on-one guidance from the coordinator (about 10 minutes), explaining the group’s reading pace and common terminology.

Q2: Do I need to pay or register to join the group?

No. The group is completely free and open. Participants do not need to register in advance — just come to the designated room at the session time (A.D. Hope Building Room 2.42). Remote participants can join via the Zoom link, which is fixed for the semester and provided by the Classics administrative office. All text materials (including PDF versions and printed handbooks) are distributed free of charge, with no fees of any kind.

Q3: If I miss a session, can I catch up on the text?

Yes. The PDF of each session’s text is sent out via the ANU Classics mailing list one week before the session, so you can download it yourself. The group also maintains an internal wiki page containing archives of grammatical analyses of past texts and summaries of common grammar errors. In addition, within 24 hours of each session the coordinator sends reading notes (including key grammar annotations and a summary of the discussion) to the mailing list for absentees to consult.

References

  • Australian National University Classics Discipline 2024 Annual Academic Activities Report
  • Australian National University Classics Discipline 2024 Latin Reading Group Participation Guide
  • Australian National University Classics Discipline 2024 Semester Activities Timetable
  • Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) 2023 Report on Classical Language Course Enrolment Data at Australian Universities
  • QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 Classics and Ancient History Rankings