Your Summer Preparation for Christendom

Classical and Early Christian Studies Course Offerings

Salvete, omnes! Welcome to Classical & Early Christian Studies (CECS)! To all students who have ever studied Latin, for any amount of time, some advice: TAKE THE LATIN PLACEMENT TEST . . . TAKE THE LATIN PLACEMENT TEST . . . TAKE THE LATIN PLACEMENT TEST!!! And if you are thinking some thought such as the following: "Well, yes, I have studied Latin, but I think I should go easy my freshman year and just start again at the beginning"—banish that thought! It is unworthy of you. Don't be among the wretched lot of freshmen who end up saying later on, "Oh, I wish I had taken the Latin placement test!"

All right, well how do you take the Latin placement test? Just send me an email: abeer@christendom.edu. Still waiting to send it? Stop and send it!

All right, now, upon your completion of the Latin placement test, I will recommend that you pursue one of the following paths (each is described in the course descriptions below):
(1) LATN 102: Elementary Latin II. Successful completion of LATN 102 leads to LATN 203: Intermediate Latin in the fall of sophomore year. Students following this path complete the Latin core curriculum in two semesters.

(2) LATN 311: Cicero: Moral Philosopher and Rhetor. This course will focus on two works by Cicero with a particular question in mind. The works are De Officiis and De Oratore. The question is: Is the study of moral philosophy (and the cultivation of prudence) an essential component of the art of speaking? Can a person be a good speaker without being a good person? There will be occasion to look both backwards (towards Plato and Aristotle) and forwards (to Quintilian and St. Augustine) as we pursue this question.

Finally, perhaps you would like to take Greek instead of Latin. If you have studied Greek previously, please write to me at abeer@christendom.edu or call me at (540) 551-9162. If you have not studied Greek previously, then I congratulate you on an excellent choice. You should know that, apart from the sublime delight of learning Greek, the Greek core curriculum satisfies the language requirement for the philosophy major and the theology major, although Latin is preferred in theology.

Any questions? Write me an email or give me a call. I look forward to meeting you very soon.

Sincerely, in Domino,

Dr. Andrew Beer

Professor, Department of Classical & Early Christian Studies

GET-TO-KNOW Dr. Andrew Beer

• Born and raised in Fort Wayne, IN; Go Hoosiers!
• Studied at Hillsdale College, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Virginia
• Lifelong fan of the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs
• Coaches youth baseball and basketball in his spare time

Student Life Job Opportunities

There are 2 openings for the same position in the Department of Student Life for the academic year 2026-2027. Both positions are slated for 9 hours per week.

 Student Life Assistant - The Student Life Assistant will serve in a general administrative capacity with a bifurcated purpose: to provide support and assistance to the project coordinators and Office Manager, and to learn the basics of the various positions with the goal of promotion to a project coordinator position in the following academic year.  Candidates must have a strong ability to be self-motivated and work independently, a cheerful demeanor and a desire to serve peers, the ability to multitask, proficiency in Word and Excel, and experience with Outlook.

If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to Mrs. Pam Plasberg via email before/by the end of the day on July 24th to studentlife@christendom.edu. 

Important Dates

• Later this Month:
  • Final Welcome Weekend schedule will be shared.
  • Information on accessing online course registration will sent via the Christendom Beginnings email.
  • Updated booklist for Fall semester courses will be available online.
• July 31: Deadline to submit academic accommodation requests (if needed, please contact Mrs. Summers).
• August 10: Fall 2026 payments are due.
• Two Weeks Prior to the Start of the Semester: Roommate and residence hall assignments will be emailed to you.
• August 22: Move-In Day and Welcome Weekend begins.

Important Links

In Case You Missed It:

Video of the Week:

Tradition on Campus - St. Joseph's Day Procession

studentlife@christendom.edu
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