About
The Paideia Institute for Humanistic Study, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the study and appreciation of the classical humanities, with a focus on Latin and Ancient Greek languages and literature.
The Institute was founded in 2010 by former students of the Vatican Latinist Fr. Reginald Foster, who taught generations of Latin students to love the Latin language and the city of Rome. Paideia’s goal at its foundation was to continue the tradition of Fr. Foster’s beloved course.
Living Latin in Rome, Paideia’s flagship program, continues to provide the magical experience of learning to speak Latin amidst Rome’s ruins to today’s students of Classics.
Since its foundation, Paideia has added several other independent programs including a Living Latin in Rome program for high school students, Living Greek in Greece, Living Latin in Paris and Caesar in Gaul, and a fellowship for a year of postgraduate study in Rome. Paideia also works with high schools and universities to enhance their offerings in classics in the U.S. and to help them develop study-abroad experiences in Greece, Italy and elsewhere in Western Europe.
In addition to programming abroad, the Paideia Institute operates online classes through TelePaideia, holds domestic events and conferences for students and teachers of Latin and Greek, and runs outreach initiatives and publications that increase access to and engagement with the classical humanities outside of academia. For more info about the Paideia institute or to join our mailing list, contact us!
Mission
The Paideia Institute promotes the study of the classical humanities through academic programming abroad, US-based outreach, publications, and digital initiatives.
Paideia’s programs and initiatives reach individuals of all ages and academic levels and are unified by three goals: to provide opportunities for rigorous and intensive study of Latin and Greek from all historical periods, to inspire students to form close personal relationships with the classics through extraordinary learning experiences, and to increase access to and engagement with the classical humanities across all sectors of society.
Living Latin and Ancient Greek
The Paideia Institute’s programs in Latin and ancient Greek have two main goals: to provide intensive and rigorous training in Latin and Greek vocabulary, grammar, and literary history, and to help participants form strong personal and emotional connections with the ancient world and its literature and language. For both of these reasons, Paideia favors the active use of Latin and Greek as living languages. Students who become fluent speakers of Latin and Greek gain a stronger and more intuitive grasp of the languages’ nuances, making them better readers and more confident translators. But even more importantly, learning to express oneself in these long-dead languages fosters a unique personal connection with the ancient world that is powerful and enduring. This relationship is further enriched when ancient literature is read, heard, and spoken amidst the beautiful backdrop of the monuments of Greek and Roman culture in Greece and Italy. As we read and discuss Cicero in the Forum, Seneca in the Colosseum, or Homer on the shore of the Ionian Sea, in their own languages, our experience of these authors and their world changes forever. They become a part of us and we are much the better for it.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Paideia Institute’s mission is to inspire everyone to love the ancient world. We strive to create learning environments where all students can feel welcome and comfortable, regardless of their sex, age, race, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual orientation or identity, gender expression, political affiliation, ability/disability or any other aspect of their identity. We welcome diverse perspectives on the ancient world and reject and condemn approaches to the study of Greece and Rome based on racist or narrowly conceived notions of western civilization.
In 2019 the Paideia Institute was publicly criticized by a group of staff and alumni for failing to provide a safe and inclusive environment, particularly for women, LBGTQ students, and students of color. Providing such an environment has always been our goal, and we regret that we failed to do so for these valued members of our community. We have done our best to listen to criticism and respond by improving our policies and procedures and taking other actions to foster a more welcoming and inclusive environment in our programs and offices. In November 2020, Jason Pedicone, the Institute’s co-founder and president, issued a statement and apology outlining the Institute’s ongoing efforts to improve in these areas.
The Paideia Institute believes that the study of the ancient world is most enlightening and rewarding when practiced by a community of learners who approach the classics from diverse perspectives. We are committed to building a learning community that comprises a diverse array of perspectives and identities, from our board and executive leadership to our teachers and students.
The Institute also runs several programs and curricular initiatives designed to expand access to the study of Latin and Greek. For more information about our work in this area, please visit our web pages devoted to the Aequora program and the Paideia Institute Greece and Rome Prizes.
People
Officers
Jason Pedicone, President
Marco Romani, Treasurer
Gabriela D’Addario, Secretary
Advisory Board
Andrew Apter
Geoff Bartakovics
Gilles Bransbourg
Mark Brennan
Chris Cacciopoli
Lauren Caldwell
Leonard Cassuto
Claire Catenaccio
Christopher Celenza
Thomas Clay
Tina Courpas
Harry Diakoff
John Dvor
Ellen Eagan
Michael Fontaine
Daniel Gallagher
Nick Germanacos
Charles Gibson
Richard Gilder
Anthony Grafton
Neil Hannan
Damon Horowitz
Joy Hurd
Robert Jaeger
Wade Johnson
Matthew Levine
Beverly McCaskill
Matthew McGowan
Nicholas Naquin
Matthew Oresky
Ann Patty
Mahsa Pelosky
Michael Putnam
Hunter Rawlings
Emily Rose
Jack Ryder
Stephen Schmalhoffer
Dr. Thomas Sculco
Alan Shapiro
Avi Sharon
Eric Simpson
Miklos Szebeni
John VanSickle
Ari Weinberg
Leah Whittington
Lily Li
William Torchia
Susan Hamilton
Board of Directors
Susan Baumann
Daniel G. Cohen
Joshua Davis (Human Resources Committee Chair)
Kathleen De Riesthal (Board Chair)
James Hankins
Ben Marrow (Finance Committee Chair)
S. Georgia Nugent
Jonathan Sabo
Jim Albrecht
Aparna Seethepali
Scott Clemons
Paul Mumma
Annie Nugent
Parisa Jaffer
Beverley McCaskill