Last week, Tom Keeline, Professor of Classics, participated in the biennial Lutheranism and the Classics conference, hosted at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This year’s theme, Education, brought together scholars and educators to explore classical learning in Lutheran contexts.
Dr. Keeline contributed to a debate on Latin teaching methodologies alongside longtime colleague and friend of the department, Dr. Carl Springer. While Dr. Springer defended the traditional grammar-translation method, Dr. Keeline advocated for a communicative approach to Latin instruction, emphasizing active use of the language in the classroom.
In addition to the debate, Dr. Keeline delivered a plenary address titled “What Can a Communicative Approach to Teaching Latin Realistically Achieve?”, offering insights into the practical outcomes and pedagogical benefits of this method.
WashU has enjoyed a collaborative relationship with Concordia Seminary in St. Louis for over fifty years, enabling Concordia students to pursue an MA in Classics at WashU as part of their seminary training. This longstanding partnership was well represented at the conference, which featured at least six WashU MA alumni. Pictured below (left to right) are CJ Armstrong, Jason Soenksen, Tom Keeline, Josh Hayes, and John Nordling. Not pictured: Charles Schulz.
We look forward to continued collaboration with Concordia and to future opportunities for scholarly exchange.
