Adventures in Applied Classics
A flash Fall 2020 speaker series “at” UW-Madison
How and to what ends does classical antiquity remain relevant today? How have racism, sexism, and Eurocentrism shaped its study and perceptions? And how can we more accurately understand the multicultural realities of the ancient world and more effectively communicate them to modern publics?
These are questions many classicists ask ourselves on a daily basis — questions I use to frame my “Western Culture: Arts and Literature” undergrad survey (ILS 203). This fall, to my delight, students didn’t shy away from the problems I raised in my introductory lecture. They overwhelmingly voted to put these hot-button issues front and center of our course.
So I texted a few friends, DMed some folks on Twitter, and voilà— “Adventures in Applied Classics” was born! The concept is simple: informal, interactive conversations with experts and innovators on these subjects, from all over the field. We at CANES and ILS are grateful to these guest-friends for “visiting” our campus to share their expertise, enlivening our lonely days in lockdown, and lighting the path toward a more inclusive, interesting, and of-the-minute study of Mediterranean antiquity.
So please — CANES undergrads, grad students, Classics Society, faculty, alumni and friends near and far — join us for these fun, friendly chats about classics in our modern world, with thinkers and doers guaranteed to inspire.
As this pandemic daily reminds us, we can’t always get what we want. But our borderless online world makes some things more possible than ever. Here’s to squeezing unexpected opportunities (or at least flash series) from life’s lemons, and to the endeavors and intellectual friendships that bring the world to Wisconsin and Wisconsin to the world!
All times listed are in Central Time and all sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes, though questions may run longer at the speaker’s discretion. Most sessions will begin with brief informal remarks from the guest followed by live Q&A with the audience, who are kindly asked to yield first to ILS 203 students. Email nandini.pandey@wisc.edu for inclusion in the mailing list with links.
Curtis Dozier — Monday, Sept 28, 11 am
- Teaches classics at Vassar College and runs the website Pharos
- Spoke to us about Pharos’ work to document hate groups’ appropriation of the classics and what we can do
- Just published this piece on the Proud Boys’ relationship with Greco-Roman masculinity (in response to a reference at the presidential debate)
Chontel Syfox — Monday, Oct 5, 11 am
- Just joined the UW CANES faculty with specialties in Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Jewish and Greek literature
- Speaking to us about ancient Judaism and its place in the multicultural ancient Mediterranean
- Focus on feminist interpretation; advocate for survivors of sexual violence
- ILS 203 students, see my email for some pre-reading
Separately from this ILS 203 series, Tom Hendrickson will kindly be speaking to my Medieval Latin class at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, October 8, about Renaissance Latin, libraries, and writing commentaries. Latinists, message me for pre-readings and a special link if you’d like to join!
Thursday Oct 8, 4 pm
- Teaches classics at Brandeis
- Runs Sententiae Antiquae
- Speaking to us about the therapeutic value of Homer in our modern age…
- Preview of his brand-new book!
- Check out his initiative “Reading Greek Tragedy Together While Sheltering Alone”
- Great opportunity for ILS 203 students to organize a movie night
Johanna Hanink — Thursday Oct 15, 4:30 pm
- Teaches classics at Brown and author of The Classical Debt: Greek Antiquity (available digitally at UW library, and worth points for ILS 203 students)
- Speaking to us about our idealized image of ancient Greece and its modern treatment on the world stage
- Conversation mediated by two UW Honors students, and sponsored by the Honors program!
Carly Sentieri — Monday Oct 19, 11 am
- Research Services Librarian for Special Collections at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Will be providing an introduction to and virtual examination of select materials from UW-Madison’s Special Collections, including Elzevier’s 1656 Homer in parallel Greek and Latin, the 1698 printing of Dryden’s Works of Virgil, and the Wisconsin Papyrus collection
- Speaking about the transmission of Classical works into the modern age, textual mutability and instability, and the relationship between colonialism, the construction of collections, and the construction of texts
Thursday Oct 22, 4 pm
- Teaches classics at Grand Valley State
- Wrote about staging Oedipus during the pandemic
- Speaking about Theater of War’s use of Greek tragedy to start conversations about social justice
- Suggested pre-watching: a performance by Theater of War! (be sure to preregister)
John Hopkins — Thursday Nov 12, 3:30 pm
- Teaches art history and Roman architecture at NYU
- Speaking to us about classical architecture, urbanism, and debates about cultural heritage
- Suggested pre-reading: https://slate.com/business/2020/02/trump-classical-architecture-executive-order.html
Thursday Nov 19, 4 pm
- Classicist, writer, and managing editor of Eidolon
- Speaking to us about pitching articles and publishing online
- In advance, please check out Eidolon and read at least one piece — e.g. this one on why writing for a larger public makes you a better scholar
Monday Nov 23, 11 am
- Journeyed from a chemistry degree at Harvard to classics professor at UNC and founder of the WCC/SCS COVID-19 Relief Award
- Speaking to us about her research on Greek underworld journeys as well as life and career paths more generally
- A chance to join forces and mingle our two classes this semester!
Monday Nov 30, 11 am
- PhD student at Brown writing on classics and Vietnamese culture
- Speaking to us about colonialist appropriations of the classics & how to resist them
- Check out her recent interview with Sarah Bond for the SCS blog
The CANES Graduate Forum is also sponsoring a talk by Yurie Hong of Gustavus Adolphus on Wednesday, December 2, at 7 pm Central! Check out the CANES Events Page for more information and link.
Nandini Pandey is grateful for support from ILS, CANES, and Honors in this endeavor and excited to welcome you all — speakers, students, and friends alike — to Madison! These conversations are among the highlights of her pandemic and she hopes they might brighten yours, too.
