Rosina Catalan

Rosina Eileen Catalan earned her BA in Classics from The Ohio State University in 1998 before earning her MA from John Carroll University in 2003. During her program of study she was also able to study and research at the American University in Cairo as well. In 2006 she was hired to revive a Latin program at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis, Indiana and has taught there ever since.

Whenever possible, Magistra Catalan focuses on the edges and provinces of the Roman Empire and the transitions out of Hellenism. She received a Fulbright Scholarship for her study of the Architecture of the Turkokratia in Greece in 2008 under the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. In 2010 she studied the fascination of all things Egyptian in Italy called “Egittomania” at the American Academy in Rome.

While the traditional Classical canon is robust – it lacks representation of Africa. It is her goal to create more connections to the cultures of Ancient Africa by finding authentic textual references in Latin and Greek. She hopes to learn about Pre-Colonial Africa and create more opportunities for her students to learn about leaders like Juba II or the Meroe. She also wants to find more African authors of Latin and Greek texts that can be used in place of the traditional canon.

Ancient Africa in the Latin Classroom, a unit for IV-V Latin