





Everyday Talk Through Plautus’s Monster Story Mostella - Novice to Intermediate
Instructor: Jamie “Iacobus” Banks
Course Details
Description
It is by now a truism that Roman comedies are especially useful for us spoken Latinists in presenting more everyday talk, whether or not it's really how Romans talked. In this course we'll enrich our active Latin vocabulary for both our everyday lives and discussion of literature with the help of Plautus's accessible comedy, the Mostella. We will focus on dramatic and extensive reading rather than very close reading, honoring that the work we encounter as a written classroom text today was not experienced that way by its first audiences. Depending on participants' background and interest we will have more or less focus on the everyday versus the literary aspects and could use the work as one entry in the genre of ancient Roman comedy as a whole.
Quick Facts
Type: Speaking and Reading | Level: Novice to Intermediate
Language of instruction: Latin
Class size cap: 8 | Platform: Zoom
Dates: October 4, 2025 - November 22, 2025
Meets (EST*): Saturdays, 12:00 PM | 8 sessions (1 hour each)
Materials: The instructor will provide any required materials.
Sessions will be recorded and made available to enrolled participants for review or in case they missed a session.
Tech & Space
Zoom
Decent internet connection
Earphones
Microphone
Webcam (preferred but optional)
A quiet space for classes
*The course will observe US time and thus will change according to daylight saving time.
Major US federal holidays are observed. If a participant misses a session due to their observance of a religious holiday, they can arrange a separate session with the instructor.
Sliding-Scale Pricing Tiers (self-select)
Education should be accessible. Choose the tier that fits your situation — no proof required, no shame included.
Supported — USD 200 total ($25/hour)
for students, caretakers, or anyone stretched right now.Standard — USD 280 total ($35/hour)
full-value rate; covers the cost of small-group instruction.Sustainer — USD 360 total ($45/hour)
covers your seat & includes a contribution to our scholarship fund. Thank you!
Instructor: Jamie “Iacobus” Banks
Course Details
Description
It is by now a truism that Roman comedies are especially useful for us spoken Latinists in presenting more everyday talk, whether or not it's really how Romans talked. In this course we'll enrich our active Latin vocabulary for both our everyday lives and discussion of literature with the help of Plautus's accessible comedy, the Mostella. We will focus on dramatic and extensive reading rather than very close reading, honoring that the work we encounter as a written classroom text today was not experienced that way by its first audiences. Depending on participants' background and interest we will have more or less focus on the everyday versus the literary aspects and could use the work as one entry in the genre of ancient Roman comedy as a whole.
Quick Facts
Type: Speaking and Reading | Level: Novice to Intermediate
Language of instruction: Latin
Class size cap: 8 | Platform: Zoom
Dates: October 4, 2025 - November 22, 2025
Meets (EST*): Saturdays, 12:00 PM | 8 sessions (1 hour each)
Materials: The instructor will provide any required materials.
Sessions will be recorded and made available to enrolled participants for review or in case they missed a session.
Tech & Space
Zoom
Decent internet connection
Earphones
Microphone
Webcam (preferred but optional)
A quiet space for classes
*The course will observe US time and thus will change according to daylight saving time.
Major US federal holidays are observed. If a participant misses a session due to their observance of a religious holiday, they can arrange a separate session with the instructor.
Sliding-Scale Pricing Tiers (self-select)
Education should be accessible. Choose the tier that fits your situation — no proof required, no shame included.
Supported — USD 200 total ($25/hour)
for students, caretakers, or anyone stretched right now.Standard — USD 280 total ($35/hour)
full-value rate; covers the cost of small-group instruction.Sustainer — USD 360 total ($45/hour)
covers your seat & includes a contribution to our scholarship fund. Thank you!
NOTA BENE: Classes require a minimum number of participants to run although they may run with fewer participants, at the instructor’s discretion.
Refund policy:
More than a week before the start of the course: 100% refund or credit
Less than a week before the first class up until the second class: credit