First session of 2012: Wednesday 8th February

Happy New Year Latin scholars!

Hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas period! Apologies for the recent silence (…I’m not sure anyone even noticed….!). The next session of SLG will take place on WEDNESDAY 8th FEBRUARY in the UNIVERSITY ARMS at 2PM. I look forward to seeing you all soon!

To any potential new members: welcome to our blog, and we look forward to meeting you! If you would like the text we will be translating, please email me: christine.davison@sheffield.ac.uk. There is, of course, no pressure to do any preparation, although it does help!

Next Session: 30 November

Hello,

This is my first post on this blog, and I shan’t be put off by the fact that I shall be more or less screaming into the void (except for Pulchrior, who is a real stalwart). The next SLG session will take place on Wednesday, 30 November at 2 p.m. in The University Arms. The text under the microscope will be a mid-16thC poem by the humanist reformer Walter Haddon, written from the perspective of a (shrewish) wife to her (dogmatic and dowdy) husband. It shall be rolliking good fun as always.

Edward (Naamkouth)

Next Session… 16 November

Hi All!

Sorry for the absence of any blogposts in recent weeks, which is largely because I’ve been away on research and slightly because I generally seem to be blogging to myself! Speaking of which, could any existing SLG members who aren’t already registered to post please send me a username and password so that I can register you?!

Any interested students who would like to join SLG are warmly invited to do so; the next session is on Wednesday, 16 November, at 2pm in the University Arms. If you’d like to be forwarded the text in advance of the session, send us an email to let us know – but otherwise feel free to just turn up! Recent sessions of SLG have included a C12 text about small children who turned green from eating too many peas, and a C6 poem about a bishop with a catapult in the grounds of his estate. The next session will feature C16 poetry. As you can see, SLG aims to incorporate the diverse research interests of all of its members, with no theme, period, or genre of Latin text ruled out! Further details regarding content for the next session will be circulated by email closer to the time.

nothing to say

The mere fact that I have nothing to say has, as those who know me may agree, never stopped me. hence this post which, as well as keeping Chrissie’s posts company also proves I can, at last, use the blog.

Pete

(in sunny manchester).

Semester 1 is looming…

Hi All!

With the new semester fast approaching (where has the summer gone?!), plans are being laid for SLG sessions during semester time.

First and foremost, the next SLG session will take place on FRIDAY, 23 September, at the University Arms at 12pm.

After this session, the next one will be after the semester has started, so SLG will move to a new slot on WEDNESDAY afternoons at 2pm. The first Wednesday session will be on 5 October, and the venue will remain the University Arms. The decision to move to a Wednesday afternoon was taken to enable as many people as possible to attend, including those with teaching commitments, since Wednesday afternoon is generally set aside for sport.

The next session will look at the subjunctive (material already circulated a while ago, but email me if you don’t have it) and a member’s choice of text, which is yet to be confirmed. Those of you on the mailing list can expect an email in due course with details regarding this. If you aren’t on the list but would like to be added, my email address can be found in one of the earlier posts.

 See you soon!

A downside of summer holidays and research trips….

….is that they interfere with the organisation of SLG!

As a result of the summer break and people (myself included) going off on holiday, on research trips, or otherwise being occasionally unavailable for SLG sessions, things have become a little ‘ad hoc’ at the moment. Sessions are continuing as and when enough members are around to make them viable, and I’ll continue to send out emails to those on the mailing list when a new session has been scheduled, providing as much notice as possible. If you’re not on the mailing list but are interested in joining us before the start of the new academic year, please feel free to email me (christine.davison@shef.ac.uk). For existing members, please bear with SLG - sessions will take place fortnightly in a regular slot once the new semester begins and a suitable day and time can be identified!

Session on 12th August

The next meeting of S.L.G.  will take place on 12th August at 10am in City View Cafe, which is located within the Students’ Union building. Please take note of this earlier-than-usual start time! In this session we will spend some time looking at uses and construction of the subjunctive, before returning to the troublesome poem by Venantius Fortunatus that I was guilty of putting forward for the last session. If you haven’t received the texts or have any other queries, post on here and hopefully someone will get back to you! 

I look forward to seeing you at the next session, and beseech you not to laugh at my sunburn/freckles/very ginger hair (I will have just got back from my holiday…)!

Salve!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to SLG’s blog, which probably won’t be the most exciting blog you will ever read, but will hopefully be useful in keeping us all organised and involved!

To explain a bit more about what SLG is, for anyone interested in joining us:

We are an entirely student-led and student-organised reading and discussion group, aimed at students who wish to develop, expand, and consolidate their existing knowledge of Latin. Group members are encouraged to suggest texts for the group to work with, and in particular to put forward texts that are important for their own research. As such, S.L.G. provides a supportive environment in which students can discuss their texts and receive encouragement and assistance in the translation of difficult passages. Members’ research interests are very diverse both thematically and chronologically, ranging from the late antique to early modern periods.

Although we aim to be as inclusive as possible, the group is aimed at students who have already received some formal Latin tuition; broadly speaking, based on the complexity of the texts and grammatical points covered in S.L.G. sessions, a minimum of two hours of tuition per week for one academic year is recommended. It should be emphasised that the group exists to complement, and not replace, formal Latin training, and does not have a tutor. Instead, the group is informal and friendly, and is based on the collaborative efforts of student members who, through discussion and debate of Latin texts and grammar, learn from one another and from practice and experience.