The Proto-Racist Voice in Caesar and Pliny the ElderPublished by: The University of Florida
Abstract: Many scholars posit that ancient authors did not have a racist bias because they did not discriminate based solely on race or skin color. This paper examines two prominent Roman authors, Caesar and Pliny the Elder, using Isaac’s definition of protoracism: basing discrimination and discriminatory language in geography and climate, rather than skin color. The paper utilizes history that predates these authors’ works to provide a comprehensive understanding of Caesar’s and Pliny the Elder’s work including Greek Art, Greek philosophical treatises, and ancient African history. This paper also compares ancient world proto-racism to examples of contemporary racism to demonstrate the differences between the two. The paper concludes that there are both overt and subtle examples of language that demonstrate proto-racist worldviews. |
Free Voluntary Reading and Comprehensible InputPublished by: Cambridge University Press
Journal: The Journal of Classics Teaching Abstract: Three and a half years into my journey of using Comprehensible Input and leaving the textbook behind, I started doing research on Free Voluntary Reading. As a child, I had greatly enjoyed reading and it was something my students had a hard time grasping. Similarly, my own brother nearly stopped reading all together when his school adopted the Accelerated Reader program, which assigns points for reading and testing on books. His love for reading was later reignited when, as a family, we started reading the Harry Potter series. I want my own students to have a similar experience and enjoy reading. |
