Learning the classical languages: Elitism and inclusion

This contribution takes the debates about the curriculum reform in Princeton’s Department of Classics as the starting point for interrogating dynamics of inclusion and elitism in the teaching of the ancient languages in the school and university systems of the US, the UK and (partially) Italy. It advocates a more flexible approach to language teaching, with multiple entry point to cater for a variety of student backgrounds, and for abandoning the notion that students arriving at university with intermediate Latin and Greek learnt in high school are the golden standard (or even, simply, the standard).