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Multiple proponents of Spoken Latin in the classroom - Edward Zarrow, Tom Morris, and Jason Pedicone - were recently featured on the "America the Bilingual" podcast.
"How has a presumably dead language become such a disruptor? Because Latin certainly seems to be just that. It’s one of the most frequently taught languages in American schools."
You can listen to the podcast in-browser here: http://www.americathebilingual.com/in-case-you-thought-latin-was-dead/
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(Photo: "Audio Bokeh" by Alan Levine, licensed under CC BY 2.0)
This is a reminder for upcoming deadlines for SCS Awards and Prizes. Follow the linked URLs for more information on the nomination materials and the prizes themselves.
Excellence in the Teaching of Classics at the College Level: June 1, 2018
SCS Outreach Prize: September 14, 2018
Excellence in Teaching at the Precollegiate Level: October 2, 2018
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(Photo: "library" by Viva Vivanista, licensed under CC BY 2.0)
The Homer Multitext (HMT) has something in common with the poetry it documents: They are both monumental and impressive works whose gradual evolution over many years by many hands has left traces of its past; it exists in several forms that present the same information in slightly different ways, and its development through changing technologies has left occasional redundancies. Like the Iliad, it lives up to its title, but perhaps not in the way one expects. And like its poetic source text, it richly rewards those who plumb its depths.
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South recently put out a call for action concerning the proposed discontinuation of the Classics program at the University of Montana.
I am a professional hairdresser with a BA degree in Drama. My only other significant job experience was a brief career in Academic Computer Database Administration in the 1980s, managing the Dartmouth Dante Project. I have no formal training in Archaeology or Classics, except for my dismal performance in high school Latin — but somehow this didn’t prevent me from becoming the authority on technical recreation of ancient Roman hairstyles.
I am a textbook case of doing things backwards: my topic found me. A chance encounter with a statue of Julia Domna at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore where I live, set me on the path of scholarship. The Walters had set this portrait out in the middle of the room where I could see the back of her head. At first I saw just a pretty updo I could sell to brides. But I failed completely when I tried to recreate it using modern, U-shaped wire hairpins. As I searched for information about how these styles were constructed, I found my professional hairdressing expertise at odds with canonical explanations of ancient Roman hairstyles—they all agreed that they were impossible without wigs and false hair.
The deadline for members to volunteer for SCS committees and leadership positions is today, May 2nd.
These positions include many current SCS committees including the curriculum and preparation for a variety of teaching, research, and other careers. Descriptions of various positions and offices can be found here.
To volunteer, you can fill out the form linked on the Members Only page of our website. You must log in to the site to access this page. Appointed committee members will begin their terms in 2019. Most elected offices will begin in 2020.
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Ἀρχή and origo: The Power of Origins
(Newcastle University, 2-4 May, 2019)
Origins have a particular power. Arguments referring back to the first beginnings and relating them to the present tend to be especially attractive. When we’re in a new place or confronted with new phenomena, we have a natural urge to learn about their origins. Stories of this kind – the so-called aitia – can convey a sense of education, of venerable antiquity, of continuity, of religious awe, or they can just be entertaining. In any case, they are as prominent nowadays as they were in antiquity.
In this interdisciplinary conference we want to shed light on the fascination with origins from different perspectives: how is the power of origins employed in historiography, in literature ancient and modern, in art, in religious contexts, in philosophy, or in political debate? We are interested in exploring a wide range of case studies, in order to reflect on our overarching question: what is it that holds the different forms of aitia together? How can we understand this phenomenon in general terms? What is it that makes the origin such a fascinating and powerful form of discourse?
The Classics Graduate Forum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is seeking papers for a graduate colloquium entitled “Constructing Identity in the Ancient World.” The colloquium will take place on October 26-27, 2018 and will feature a keynote address by Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer (University of Chicago). Submissions from all disciplines and approaches are encouraged, and we invite you to pass the attached Call for Papers along to all graduate students and departments that may be interested.
Abstract submissions are due June 1, 2018 and should be submitted to uwclassics.colloquium@gmail.
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How can digital humanities projects within the field of Classics preserve and allow public access to endangered materials? The Wisconsin Palmyrene Aramaic Inscription Project (WPAIP) is already addressing theses question head-on. WPAIP is a digital humanities project housed at the Digital Collections of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and established by Jeremy M. Hutton. Similar to the Palmyra Portrait Project of Aarhus University in Denmark, which works to collate and digitize Palmyrene portraiture, the primary goal of WPAIP is to collate and digitize Palmyrene Aramaic inscriptions. This allows researchers to then analyze the language of Palmyrene Aramaic, the development and variations of its script, and other features.
Though these inscriptions are usually from the ancient city of Palmyra, they can also be found throughout the ancient Roman world, including Roman Britain and in the city of Rome itself. In fact, some feature bilingual and trilingual inscriptions with Latin and Greek texts that range from funerary inscriptions to dedicatory altars.
“Constructing Identity in the Ancient World”
Madison, WI: October 26-27, 2018
8th Annual Graduate Colloquium
Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Keynote presentation by
Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer
Helen A. Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Classics and the Program in Gender Studies
