Dr. Wadden recently returned from a week-long seminar on the Histories of Herodotus, sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and hosted by the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC. “It was a wonderful experience to be a student again and to read and discuss this great work of Greek history with colleagues from other liberal arts colleges. As historians, literary scholars, political scientists and philosophers, each of the participants brought a unique perspective to the text. Through our collaboration and the guidance of the program directors, we discovered a new appreciation for the work of a man known as the ‘father of history’. It was an intense week, but enriching both intellectually and because of the new friendships we made. I hope to introduce Abbey students to the ancient Greek world, to the Persian wars, and especially to Herodotus’ intriguing work in a history course in the near future.”
CIC and the Center for Hellenic Studies selected 18 faculty members to participate in the seminar, which took place July 25–31, 2016, at Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies campus in Washington, DC. Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and professor of comparative literature at Harvard University, and Kenneth Scott Morrell, associate professor of Greek and Roman studies at Rhodes College, will lead the seminar. The program is generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
“Strengthening the teaching of the classics at colleges and universities is of critical importance. This seminar series addresses the challenge of keeping alive in undergraduate education classical texts that a generation ago were read and understood by every college graduate,” said CIC President Richard Ekman.
Designed for non-specialists, the seminar focused on the Histories of Herodotus, the so-called father of history. The discussions explored his description of the interactions between Greek-speaking peoples and other societies as a way to articulate a more precise understanding of what it meant to be a Hellene at a time of intensified cross-cultural interaction in the Mediterranean.
For more than ten years, CIC has collaborated with the Center for Hellenic Studies to provide seminars on teaching the classics for small and mid-sized independent colleges that have a limited number of faculty members or courses in the classics. The seminar is ideal for faculty members who have been trained in other disciplines and who seek opportunities to explore major classical texts and learn new ways to teach these texts to undergraduates.
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Participants in 2016 CIC-Center for Hellenic Studies Seminar
Debra Beilke, Professor and Chair, English and Modern Languages, Concordia University, St. Paul (MN)
Matthew Bloom, Assistant Professor of History, Concordia University Texas
Mera Flaumenhaft, Tutor in English, St. John’s College (MD)
Teresa Gilliams, Associate Professor of English, Albright College (PA)
Jonathan Good, Associate Professor of History, Reinhardt University (GA)
Bethany Hicok, Professor of English, Westminster College (PA)
Charles Hotle, Professor of History, Culver-Stockton College (MO)
Matthew Klemm, Associate Professor of History, Ithaca College (NY)
Jonathan Loopstra, Associate Professor of History, Capital University (OH)
Jodie Mader, Associate Professor of History, International Studies, and Political Science, Thomas More College (KY)
John Mazis, Professor of History, Hamline University (MN)
Christine McCann, Professor of History and Political Science, Norwich University (VT)
Stephen Mead, Professor of English, Saint Martin’s University (WA)
Georgene Montgomery, Associate Professor and Interim Chair of English, Clark Atlanta University (GA)
Andrew Thomas, Associate Professor of History, Salem College (NC)
Arthur Vanden Houten, Associate Professor of Political Science, Flagler College (FL)
Patrick Wadden, Assistant Professor of History, Belmont Abbey College (NC)
Lisa Wilkinson, Associate Professor of Religion/Philosophy, Nebraska Wesleyan University