Tomas Riklius

“At first I thought it would be boring”. Critical Thinking in Classical Studies

“At first I thought it would be boring”. Critical Thinking in Classical Studies Classroom

Tomas Riklius

Vilnius University, Lithuania

Abstract

This paper presents a classroom experiment that evaluates how students’ critical thinking can be promoted in a seminar, as well as a method of teaching critical thinking during the seminars of the “Classical Art and Culture: Rome” course.

The purpose of the classroom experiment was to determine several study objectives of the aforementioned course, which aims to develop critical thinking through reading excerpts from ancient Roman literary sources in Lithuanian translation, dedicated to a specific seminar topic. The premise of the experiment was also based on a remark made by a student in 2023 during a reflection at the end of the course: “At first I thought it would be boring, but then I was hooked”.

The experiment was carried out with two target groups using different approaches. One seminar group received three excerpts from ancient Roman literary sources in Lithuanian translation and had 20 minutes to read and write two to three sentences about what they understood. The second group received the same extracts, but had a time limit to read and write their answers. Both groups then had a regular seminar after which they again had a limited time to read the same extracts again and again write two to three sentences about what they understood.

The results of the experiment showed that 80 per cent of the seminar group demonstrated an increased understanding of ancient sources and improved critical thinking skills. Furthermore, at the end of the seminar, at least 35 per cent of the class indicated intermediate or advanced progress in understanding the seminar topic and in critical thinking when reading and interpreting various ancient sources. Therefore, this qualitative experiment illustrates how close reading of such literary sources can be productive in developing the critical thinking skills of university students.

Keywords: critical thinking, Classical studies, close reading, ancient sources, teaching approach

References

Bramley, C. & Morrison, K. (2023). Student Engagement, Higher Education, and Social Justice. Beyond Neoliberalism and the Market. Routledge.

Cottrell, S. (2023). Critical Thinking Skills. Bloomsbury.

Jahn, D. & Cursio, M. (2023). Critical Thinking. An Introduction To The Didactics Of Thinking Training. Springer.

Lowe, T. (2023). Advancing Student Engagement in Higher Education. Reflection, Critique and Challenge. Routledge.

Reschly, A. L. & Christenson, S. L. (2022). Handbook of Research on Student Engagement. Springer.

Rosenqvist, A. & Ekecrantz, S. (2023). Source Criticism on the Schedule. Teaching Critical Thinking. Springer.

Biodata

Tomas Riklius, PhD. Assistant Professor at Vilnius University, Institute of English, Romance and Classical Studies, Department of Classical Studies. His research interests include the aesthetic theory of Classical Antiquity and the Early modern period, with particular interest in the aesthetic evaluation categories and their formation in the Classical and Renaissance/Baroque periods. He teaches Art Theories of Antiquity, Urban Culture in Antiquity, as well as Greek and Roman Art and Culture. Recently published: Tomas Riklius, "Innovation and fusion: Sarbiewski's theory of Baroque literary style", Baroque Latinity. Studies in the Neo-Latin Literature of the European Baroque, Jacqueline Glomski, Gesine Manuwald, Andrew Taylor, edd, London: Bloombsury, pp. 69-84. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/baroque-latinity-9781350323438/.