Doors open at 10:30 am for coffee and conversation.
Sunday Gathering begins at 11 a.m.
Childcare is provided. Everyone is welcome!
Program ends at 12:30 p.m.

Featured Speaker: Stacy Davidson “Your Classical Heritage”
Community Moment: Shala Drake
Musical Guest: Fire Dog

Join Stacy Davidson as she highlights the importance of promoting classical language instruction in the modern world. As English speakers, you transmit Latin and Greek knowledge every day – whether you are aware of it or not; an estimated 60 percent of English words are derived from Latin and Greek, and that estimate approaches 90 percent for scientific and technical words. Knowledge of classical languages and culture is integrally tied to the study of history, art, music, literature, etc. Moreover, students of inflected languages like Latin and Greek enhance their critical thinking skills as they simultaneously improve their own knowledge of English grammar. Languages, ancient or modern, are the keys to global culture; travel, diplomacy, and cross-cultural exchanges require not only the knowledge of foreign languages themselves but also the cultural baggage that each language carries throughout the ages. Lastly, the ability to study texts as originally written reveals that translators are “second authors.” At the least, meaning is inherently lost through translation; worst-case scenario, there is intentional censorship or manipulation of meaning. In this presentation, you will learn some fun facts about English, Latin, and Greek and how important language learning has been to Ms. Davidson’s studies. Her goal is for you to leave this presentation with a curiosity about your own relationship with language and the desire to delve deeper.

About the Speaker
Stacy Davidson is the only Egyptologist in the Kansas City metro area. She holds a graduate degree in Near Eastern Studies/Egyptology from the University of Michigan and has done archaeological fieldwork in Egypt as well as worked in several museums. Her vocation is preserving and transmitting the language, literature and culture of the ancient Egyptians by making this information accessible to interested students of all ages – particularly nontraditional adult learners. She hopes to create a center for Egyptological learning in Kansas City through teaching courses for youth and adults and speaking at community groups and schools. A full listing of current and upcoming courses can be found at her blog: http://blogs.jccc.edu/sdavid22/. Ms. Davidson recently co-led an international study trip through JCCC that focused on Egyptian and Near Eastern objects, collections and monuments in London, Oxford and Berlin. In August 2014, she was profiled in the cover story, Read Like an Egyptian, in the KC Star Magazine. This is her second talk at Oasis, having previously presented on the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, which was followed by a tour in conjunction with the temporary special exhibit at Union Station. She considers herself to be a tireless champion for the study of ancient languages (including Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Hebrew, Latin and Greek) and is seeking to network with other like-minded people.

*By participating in this event, you agree to abide by the Oasis Code of Conduct (https://www.kcoasis.org/about-oasis/code-of-conduct/)