Recipient Profile

E-mail: eadams6@nd.edu

Language: Ancient Greek

Location of Study: Mankato

Program of Study: University College Cork Greek & Latin Summer School

Sponsors: Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, the College of Arts and Letters.

Blog URL: http://sites.nd.edu/sla2019/author/eadams6/

Pre-departure

A brief personal bio:

My name is Lainey Adams and I’m a rising junior studying Classics and Anthropology. I’m from Mankato, Minnesota and reside in Badin Hall here at Notre Dame. I’m going to Ireland to take part in the Greek & Latin Summer School at the University College Cork and start my journey into the Greek language and history.

Why this summer language abroad opportunity is important to me:

My first opportunity to study the classics was in my University Seminar, The Mythology of Troy, which inspired me to try Latin and join the Classics major. After the study afforded by the SLA Grant, I will be able to read Homer in his original Greek, and ready to begin an Intermediate Greek course next fall. Latin is my concentration within the Classics major, so Ancient Greek is the complement to my language studies insofar. This program in particular offers the opportunity to study from a more international, mature, and diverse perspective. The community of classicists is a small and closely-knit one, which brings together all those who share a love for the Classical period and collaborate to bring these joys to those around them and maintain those influences present to this day. A Rome without Greece is inconceivable, as is a Classics department without both Latinists and Hellenists. Horace once said, “Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artes intulit agresti Latio,” which translates to, “Captive Greece took her savage victor captive and brought the arts into rustic Latium.” This is an expressive attempt to encapsulate the influence that Greece’s history, culture, philosophy, and art held over Rome.

What I hope to achieve as a result of this summer study abroad experience:

This program is the equivalent to 8 credits in Beginning Greek and when I return in the fall, I will enter an Intermediate Greek course. I have no prior experience with the Greek language, so I’m looking forward to gaining proficiency, but I’m most looking forward to learning outside of the classroom. As a part of an international program, I hope to grow as a global citizen and increase my cognizance and return to Notre Dame with a broader global perspective. This program is more independent in terms of living conditions and learning the subject material than my educational career has been insofar. I anticipate growing as a student and a more self-sufficient young adult. I want to use this opportunity to enjoy an entirely new learning experience that will teach me about the classical past, the present, and my future.

My specific learning goals for language and intercultural learning this summer:

1. Over the course of the summer, I will complete two semester’s worth of study and enter the Intermediate level of Greek courses at Notre Dame.

2. At the end of the summer, I will know the grammar and vocabulary to read my first original texts in Ancient Greek.

3. Throughout the summer, I will adjust to an accelerated course of study, different culture and school system, and learning with a varied group of peers.

4. At the end of the summer, I will have grown in my passion for and knowledge of Ancient Greece and Ireland.