Building Latin Socio-Cultural Competence in Linguistics Majors: Experience and Perspectives

Abstract

The article focuses on the development of Latin socio-cultural competence in Linguistics majors. The research under consideration outlines the techniques applied in the process of teaching Latin and contributes to building a number of professional competencies. The material of practical classes and the authors’ observations define the types of tasks that help to master the discipline, facilitate students’ interest in the Latin language and contribute to their comprehensive development. Multimedia tools combined with the arsenal of methods and creative activities developed by the teacher promote qualitative, thorough, and effective training. It has been found out that interactive methods in combination with the linguistic and cultural approach contribute to the active interaction of participants in the educational process and are an effective means of building the cultural competence in students. In particular, Latin dialogues and greeting formulas encourage live communication; the medieval texts, carefully selected based on the students major, encourage heuristic conversation and enhance awareness of certain historical events. The paper reveals an important role of metatexts in the teaching process; on the one hand, the texts are an entertaining element, and on the other – a material for the analysis of lexical and grammatical phenomena. Additionally, the classical poetry as the classroom material was analyzed. The classical poetry appeared an effective model to follow and a stimulus for individual translations not only into students’ native language, but also into the target foreign language. The paper also reveals a significant role of creative contests and presentations in the enhancement of students’ teamwork skills and their creative potential. The article concludes that the Latin language is a subject that develops the intellectual and artistic abilities of future professionals, encourages teamwork, and inspires creativity.