Khalsa  Learning  Initiative  for  Ancient  Greek  &  Latin  Classics

Who We Serve

Khalsa Classics is open and free to:

• all secondary school students enrolled in grade 8 to grade 12

• all religious faiths as well as those who are non-religious

• all ethnic, racial, cultural, socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds

Our program is designed within its capacity to be inclusive and accessible.       

Student Learning Outcomes 

• Traditional Classical Education 
  Students will improve their language and literacy skills through the study of epic, lyric and dramatic written works of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and with instructor emphasis on grammar, dialect, and rhetoric, which are three of the seven domains of the traditional classical education model.
  

• Grammar 
  Students will develop and improve in the domain of grammar through reading and reciting of texts, pronunciation drills, sentence analysis, examination and diagramming of stanzas (line groupings or verses) within texts, and writing responses to prompts which are assessed by the instructor with feedback provided to help resolve problems with mechanics and structure of language.

• Dialect
  Students will develop and improve in the domain of dialect through close-readings, analysis of contexts and themes within the texts, character analysis, vocabulary development and recognition, and writing responses to prompts which are assessed by the instructor with feedback provided to support continual growth in comprehension, logic and objective reasoning. 

• Rhetoric
  Students will develop and improve in the domain of rhetoric through the recitation and examination of scenes or narratives within the texts which feature agones (debates between two opposing parties), detailed analysis of specific monologues and dialogues within texts, and oral presentations which are assessed by the instructor with feedback provided to support the development of effective speech, oral communication and argumentation.

• Appreciation
  Students will develop a genuine appreciation for ancient Greek and Latin epic, lyric and dramatic literature through the reading and reciting of Homer, Euripides, Sophocles, Virgil and other poets and playwrights, through classroom learning activities which consider universal themes and human experiences presented in the texts, and with thoughtful assessment of each individual student to help sustain continued engagement and investment in the subject matter –this is regardless of the individual student’s personal, academic, cultural, ethnic, linguistic or socioeconomic background.
  

• Personal & Intellectual Growth
  Students will build self-confidence and leadership capabilities, which are mutually reinforcing, through pronunciation and speech exercises, recitation and analysis of texts, study and presentation of oral arguments, and responding verbally to questions —actually challenging questions requiring considerations of evidence, cause and effect, relationships, and chronology —which, over a period of time, support intellectual development and students’ ability to think contextually.

About Us 

The Khalsa Classics program was founded by Joypreet Kaur, a Sikh woman who earns a living as an educator in humanities art history and visual arts, but who also volunteers part-time as a youth teacher, in accordance with the Sikh values of seva  (ਸੇਵਾ)  or “selfless service” to others.   

The program founder Joypreet Kaur has taught as faculty in the University of Florida and Florida State College systems (2012-2015),  University of California and California Community College systems (2006-2008, 2015-2024), and as guest faculty at Cornell University (2011) and Temple University (2011).   She has presented her work and research at many of these same institutions, as well as at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho (2010), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, Italy (2011), the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization in Rome,  Italy (2012), the University of Milan-Biccoca, Milan, Italy (2012), the Cultural Association of Pero, Milan, Italy (2012), and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California (2014), and Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California (2018, 2019).  She has dedicated much of her professional career to Humanities and Art History education.  As a volunteer, she has taught English & Language Arts, Italian & Language Arts, and Theatre & Drama.   Joypreet most recently presented her work and research at the Department of Classics of the University of Saint Andrews, in Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom (2025), during the annual Classical Association Conference.

Over the years, Joypreet observed the consistent educational emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics among Punjabi Sikhs in her social and religious communities, as well as among the general populations in and originating from the Indian Subcontinent, including first- and second- generation Pakistani Americans and Indian Americans.  She noted the frequent relegation of language arts and literature within these general populations.  

Joypreet’s inquiries into the matter repeatedly led to the same answer: the students’ educational focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics is due to the job security associated with professions in those academic disciplines.   It results in many students inadvertently unable to realize their full potential in language arts and literature.   It also results in many of these same students being unaware of the various lucrative career opportunities available to those who study literature and/or ancient Greek and Latin Classics.   While this phenomenon is not exclusive to the student populations in and originating from the Indian Subcontinent, it is the one which personally motivated Joypreet Kaur to create the Khalsa Classics program.   As a volunteer teacher, many of her young Sikh students asked for help with specific aspects of writing and reading, and they demonstrably struggled with argumentation, communication, pronunciation and public-speaking.  

The needs of the students informed how Joypreet developed the program with attention to grammar, dialect and rhetoric.  Classroom group lessons were determined to be the most viable for the program instruction.  The decision to focus on ancient Greek and Latin literature was made because Joypreet recognized the lack of opportunities for students to study such valuable cultural traditions in their local public school systems.   

Joypreet understood that the lack of opportunities to study ancient Greek and Latin literature affected children and adolescents of all backgrounds, especially those of low-income families who could not afford private tutoring.  This is why Khalsa Classics was further developed to expand beyond the Punjabi Sikh communities and reach secondary school students of all religious faiths, as well as those identifying as non-religious.   As the program founder, Joypreet prioritized the goal of serving students of all ethnic, racial, cultural, socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds.    

Our Values

• Serving with Purpose – developing students’ skills in grammar, dialect and rhetoric, founded upon the traditional classical education model which many young students and their parents recognize as important, but cannot obtain through their local public school systems

• Teaching through Literature – supporting students’ intellectual development through the study of epic, lyric and dramatic literature of ancient Greece and Rome, which simultaneously encourages students’ personal growth 

• Learning by Practice – improving students’ written and oral communication, reading and recitation of texts, and pronunciation and speech, all through classroom group lessons devoted to practice with the same strict discipline and repetition as athletic sports programs 

Texts Used in Our Program

Students participating in the Khalsa Classics program will read English-language translations of the original ancient texts which are selected from the following literary works:

• Homer The Iliad  ca. 8th - 7th Century B.C.E. 

• Homer The Odyssey  ca. 8th - 7th Century B.C.E.

• Aeschylus Agamemnon (Part I of the Oresteia) mid- to early- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Aeschylus The Choephori  (Part II of the Oresteia) mid- to early- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Aeschylus The Eumenides (Part III of the Oresteia) mid- to early- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Aeschylus Prometheus Bound mid- to early- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Aeschylus The Suppliants mid- to early- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Aeschylus Seven Against Thebes mid- to early- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Sophocles King Oedipus  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Sophocles Antigone mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Euripides Hecabe  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E. 

• Euripides Medea  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E. 

• Euripides The Trojan Women  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Euripides Electra  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E. 

• Euripides Herakles  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E. 

• Euripides Andromache  mid- to late- 5th Century B.C.E.

• Virgil Aeneid  mid- to late- 1st Century B.C.E.

• Ovid Metamorphoses  early 1st Century C.E.

• Ovid Fasti  early 1st Century C.E.

• Statius The Achilleid  late- 1st Century C.E.

• Statius The Thebaid   late- 1st Century C.E.

The works in this list by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were all written as dramatic plays to be performed by actors on stage to a live audience;  the rich traditions of theatre originating in ancient Greece are integral to our program goals of improving students’ oral communication, reading, recitation, pronunciation and speech.  

How to Support the Khalsa Classics

The Khalsa Classics program is free for all students and is taught entirely by volunteers.   A small team of individuals manage the program’s operations including:  website creation and maintenance; program promotion and marketing; and, public relations and communications.   Individuals with educational backgrounds in the subject discipline and a willingness to serve are welcome to join our team as volunteer teachers.   Support in the form of monetary donations, sponsorships and/or partnerships helps to cover the costs of these operations and enables the Khalsa Classics program to continue and reach more students.   

• Donations: Receipts will be issued from Dandies Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

• Volunteer Service

• Sponsorship

• Partnership

Legal Status

Khalsa Learning Initiative for Ancient Greek & Latin Classics (“Khalsa Classics”) is operated by Dandies Foundation, a registered nonprofit organization based in Mountain View, California.  All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Dandies Foundation is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.