Classics Department Does It Again

Alexander

and

Troy

may have bombed at the box office, but there was standing room only when they were subjects for the classics department's mini-symposia. That's because you never know about Hollywood, but you can always be sure classics will get it right. Its latest series of presentations bears the stamp of excellence that characterizes everything the internationally renowned department and its famous faculty attempt.

Each year in addition to an abundance of highly specialized symposia, colloquia, and conferences featuring top scholars from around the world, the department also offers approximately 40 public presentations. That's where the mini-symposia come in. The “brain child” of department head Brian Rose, these twice yearly public-service events are designed to last one hour and cost little because they're conducted by university faculty. Most important, they are intended to appeal to people from all walks of life. You don't have to be an expert in antiquity to attend one. You simply need an interest in topics attracting attention in the media.

The series was inaugurated just after the Afghanistan War began. Rose recalls, “There were major social and political changes occurring in the world, and I felt the university should be a leader in bringing discussion of these issues to the general community. It was important that a variety of viewpoints be represented, and the format had to be short enough for people to find time in their schedules to attend. It provided a means of demonstrating the relevance of the classical world to contemporary problems, as well as increasing interdepartmental interaction. There is also now a greater public interest in the classical world as a result of the recent crop of 'sword and sandal' films being produced in Hollywood (Gladiator, Alexander, Troy, Hannibal etc.), and we wanted to capitalize on that to explore a whole series of cultural issues.”

Colleagues have enthusiastically agreed to participate. The brief format usually includes three or four faculty presenters from disciplines as varied as architecture, history, Judaic studies, political science, and law, as well as classics. Time passes quickly as audiences composed of young and old, students, members of the university community, and the public discover the real truth about the Trojan horse or Alexander the Great's life style. In Rose's opinion, “Afghanistan through the Ages” and “Iraq in Historical Perspective” have been the most popular, but others might say that “Designing Monuments to War and Tragedy,” “The Trojan War,” and “Marriage, Gay and Otherwise, in Historical Perspective” were equally well received.

Future subjects under consideration are “Slavery through the Ages,” a mini- symposium to highlight the new Museum of the Underground Railroad and possibly a presentation dealing with floods/ tsunamis and their connection to religion, from ancient Mesopotamia through Noah to the present.

There is a certain irony in a classics department's connecting current debates to popular culture. But if an institution is measured by its abilities to build bridges from the past to the present and future and to draw the public closer to its endeavors, the classics department has set an example. Rose contends, “If we don't organize these kinds of topical forums in the community, no one else will. My hope is that more departments will get involved in bringing debate on the most recent social, cultural, and political issues to the university community and the people of Cincinnati. Each month's headlines should dictate the topics we tackle.”

For future events, consult the

Classics calendar

.