Belfast Summer School Staff
Stephen has been teaching Latin at the Belfast Summer School since 2017, and he also teaches general interest courses and weekly Latin classes to groups and individuals for Belfast Classics. He is interested in Ancient Physics and Cosmology, Epicurus, and Lucretius. In his day job he works in Data Protection. He is a firm believer that learning an ancient language helps a person to improve their written and spoken English immeasurably, due to the focus on learning grammar in a structured way, which is something many people do not learn in school.
Stephen says, "One of the many things I like about the Summer School is that it has become a community. We haven't met in person since the pandemic, but I'm greatly looking forward to seeing familiar faces and catching up with people this year. Students and tutors return year after year and it is a wonderful experience. It has grown to include marvellous invited speakers and extra levels of language learning from Beginners to Advanced reading groups, and this year we have the introduction of Old English. The students and tutors span all ages and backgrounds, all drawn together with a love of some part of the ancient world."
What Stephen’s students say: “I took both the Greek and Latin beginners classes. Prior to these courses I attempted to self-study both languages and found that I hit a wall fairly quickly. Both of these courses have made everything so much clearer and the lessons became highlights of my week.”
“I really enjoyed everything about the course: the schedule, the length of time for each lesson, the course book, the pedagogical approach and especially the teacher, Stephen McCarthy. He’s an ideal Latin teacher, always keeping in mind the learner’s perspective and anticipating any potential difficulties; he’s affable and approachable and just a delight to have as a teacher. I would highly recommend him and his Latin courses to anyone interested.”
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