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Res Difficiles: A Conference On Challenges and Pathways for Addressing Inequity In the Ancient Greek and Roman World

Organizers: Hannah Çulik-Baird (Boston University) and Joseph Romero (University of Mary Washington)

Date: May 15, 2020

Place: Campus of the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, Virginia), HCC 136

(COVID UPDATE): THIS CONFERENCE WILL NOW TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Those interested in participating can register here: https://forms.gle/LjaegkPxL34bM4499.

One of the great benefits of the shift from a pedagogue-centered to a student-aware or student-centered classroom is that we listen more attentively to how our students experience the content of what we read. A decided strength of Classical Studies is the simultaneous proximity and distance—temporally, geographically, ideologically—of the ancient Greek and Roman world. That distance is felt more keenly when potentially difficult subjects (res difficiles) in our readings—domination, inequity, violence both sexual and otherwise—present themselves for inspection. Often the underlying source of the dissonance or disconnect is the distance in our perceptions of social justice.

In a conference held on the campus of the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, Virginia), we examine the challenges presented by this curriculum with students who are increasingly more diverse in gender identity, race, ethnicity, income, family structure, and more. And while the society of our conference will examine pedagogical issues, we hope also to dilate outward to broader issues in education and society from (a) the current and future roles of Classics and the humanities in K-12 and higher education to (b) the ultimate goals of education.

Our keynote speaker will be Dani Bostick who teaches Latin in Winchester, VA, and who has garnered a national reputation as a writer, teacher, and advocate for victims of sexual violence. Learn more at danibostick.net.

We hope the conference will be attended by as many as possible in person, but a number (limited only by our subscription capacity) will be able to attend electronically.

Abstracts of 350 words should be sent electronically to Joseph Romero (jromero@umw.edu) by February 28, 2020. Papers will be 20-25 minutes long with coordinated discussion at the end of each session. Any questions regarding abstract submission may be addressed to Professor Romero or Professor Çulik-Baird (culik@bu.edu). For more information see the conference website (http://cas.umw.edu/clpr/resdifficilesconference/).

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(Photo: "Handwritten" by A. Birkan, licensed under CC BY 2.0)