2010 - College of Arts and Sciences

The University of Oklahoma
Summer 2010
CLASSICS & LETTERS NEWS
First Issue
Inside:
Chair’s Corner: Annus Mirabilis
Samuel Huskey reviews the
events of the last year in the life
of the department.
2
Focus on Students and Faculty
Scholarships and scholarship in
the department.
2
The Jack Catlin Scholarship
A scholarship fund has been
established in honor of Jack
Catlin.
Archaeological Expedition
Farland Stanley takes OU
students to excavate in Pompeii
and Stabiae.
Our “New” Building
From Kaufman Hall to the Carnegie Building
A year ago, the Department of
Classics and Letters moved out
of its home of more than 50
years in Kaufman Hall and into
its “new” quarters on the north
oval, in the Carnegie Building.
Although Carnegie is the
second-oldest building on the
Norman campus, it is new to
us—and we love it. Our
students enjoy the student
lounge, and we are delighted
with our new offices, seminar
room and classrooms. ❧
Alumni news
An overview of the responses to
our recent survey of alumni.
Announcing the IACH
Information about the new
Institute for the American
Constitutional Heritage.
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6
6
8
Stay in Touch with the Department of Classics and Letters
Staying in touch with our alumni is important for a variety
of reasons. First of all, we’re proud of you and we want to
know about all of your achievements. Our current and
prospective students also can benefit from knowing what
you have done with your degree. We also want to keep
you up to date on the news and events in the department.
If you haven’t already filled out our alumni survey, please
go to our website (www.ou.edu/cas/classics), click on
“Alumni” and follow the link to the survey.
If you are on Facebook, consider becoming a fan of the
Department of Classics and Letters. We’re also on Linkedin
(“OU Classics and Letters Alumni”). ❧
The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters
Summer 2010
Chair’s Corner: Annus mirabilis
A lot has happened in the past
year in the Department of
Classics and Letters.
In June 2009, we moved out of
our old home in Kaufman Hall
and into our “new” quarters in
the Carnegie Building. Although
we were sad to leave the place
the department had called home
for the last half century, we now
enjoy more space, a student
lounge, a seminar room and our
own classroom. With its neoClassical façade, the Carnegie
Building is an appropriate place
for a department that promotes
the study of Greco-Roman
antiquity and its influence on
modern civilization.
the department would house the
new Institute for the American
Constitutional Heritage, directed
by Kyle Harper, assistant
professor (see related story on
page 8). That set off a flurry of
activity over the next four
months, since OU President
Boren authorized us to hire the
first full-time faculty member for
the institute. The national search
brought in dozens of
applications from a variety of
disciplines. In the end, we hired
Kevin Butterfield, who recently
received his doctorate from
Washington University in St.
Louis. Butterfield will begin
teaching courses for the IACH in
the fall of 2010. We also had the
In September, we learned that
Continued on page 4
“… we now enjoy more
space, a student lounge,
a seminar room and our
own classroom.”
Above: Chair Sam Huskey holds an
informal discussion in the new
seminar room.
Focus on Students and Faculty
On April 29, the Department of Classics and Letters held a
reception to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty and
students. We gathered in the Beaird Lounge in the Oklahoma
Memorial Union, where a delightful assortment of
Mediterranean foods prepared by the Union caterers was
enjoyed by all. This was the second time that we have held a
reception of this kind, and we hope to make it a tradition.
Students
Our students covered themselves in honor this year. The
many awards and scholarships that they garnered buttress
the reputation of Classics and Letters students as among the
best and the brightest on campus:
“Our students covered themselves in
honor this year.”
Above: Nick Moellman displays his many honors at the
2010 commencement ceremony.
2
Kasie Griffitts won a prestigious national award, the Native
American Political Leadership Program Scholarship.
Continued on page 5
The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters
Summer 2010
Announcing the Jack Catlin Scholarship
For most of his career at OU, Jack Catlin
directed and guided the Department of Classics
and Letters. With Jack at the helm, the study of
the languages and cultures of the ancient Greek
and Roman world found safe passage through
the troubled waters that arose from time to time
during those years, and the department now
has a bright future ahead of it because of his
careful stewardship. As Seneca put it, magnus
gubernator et scisso navigat velo—a great captain
sails even with a torn sail.
To celebrate Jack’s career and his devotion to
his students, Sam Fulkerson (Letters 1982) has
established the Jack Catlin Scholarship Fund.
The goal is to raise at least $25,000 to endow an
annual scholarship in Catlin’s name, given to a
deserving Classics and Letters student.
But Jack’s real and lasting legacy will come
from the scores of students he has taught,
advised and mentored. Many of them became
lawyers, doctors, scholars and teachers; some
even became his colleagues at the university—
all are grateful for his dedication and devotion
to the department.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible
contribution to this scholarship fund, please
send a check in any amount to The University of
Oklahoma Foundation, 100 Timberdell Road,
Norman, OK, 73019-0685, and specify “Jack
Catlin Scholarship” in the memo line. On online
donation form will be available on the
department’s web site soon. ❧
This is a fitting tribute to Catlin, since he
campaigned for scholarships in honor of his
beloved colleagues, Philip Nolan and Jean
Herrick
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The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters
Annus mirabilis
(continued)
good fortune to be able to hire his wife, Sara Coodin, who
will teach courses in the Letters program.
In March, we hosted the annual meeting of the Classical
Association of the Middle West and South, a major
national conference for professional classicists. More than
400 scholars and students came to Oklahoma City to
discuss the latest in scholarship and pedagogy. This was
the first time in its 106 years that CAMWS met in
Oklahoma. Our students, clad in matching shirts, were a
big hit on the day when the meetings took place on the
Norman campus.
During the year, we also hosted several other events,
including regular coffee hours for faculty and students, a
brown bag series on faculty research projects,
presentations by alumni and lectures by visiting scholars
sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America.
Summer 2010
Faculty
Publications
Peggy Chambers
The Attic Nights of Aulus Gellius:
Intermediate Reader and Grammar
Review. University of Oklahoma
Press, 2009.
In the coming year, we will keep up the pace. We have
plans to host several visiting lectures, develop new
courses and continue making contributions to the field
through our scholarship. I’m looking forward to reporting
on another great year in the next issue of our newsletter.
—Samuel J. Huskey, Chair
Ellen Greene
The New Sappho on Old Age: Textual
and Philosophical Issues. Edited with
Marilyn Skinner. Center for
Hellenic Studies, 2010
Rebecca K. Huskey
“Our students, clad in matching
shirts, were a big hit …”
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Paul Ricoeur on Hope: Expecting the
Good. Peter Lang, 2009.
The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters
Focus on Faculty and Students
(Continued)
Three students received special distinctions for their
performance on the National Latin Exam: Matt
Berry (maxima cum laude), Gerard Keiser (summa cum
laude) and J.P. Mensching (summa cum laude). Berry
also received an honor for his performance on the
National Greek Exam.
No fewer than 23 of our students were invited to
join Phi Beta Kappa this year.
Several of our students received scholarships from
OU’s College of Arts and Sciences: Lydia
Anderson received the Mary, Nell and Louise
Perkinson Endowed Memorial Scholarship; Ian
O’Kidhain received the Jack Roe Dentom
Scholarship; and Baxter Schooley received the
Robert E. and Mary B. Sturgis Scholarship. Two
students were inducted into the Leadership Scholars
Program: Koby Seitter and Kaela Patterson.
Finally, we’re always proud to honor our top
students with our own departmental scholarships.
Two scholarships have been endowed in memory of
Philip Nolan, beloved professor of Classics. This
year, the Philip Nolan Memorial Scholarship went
to Jackson Eldridge. We also handed out Philip
Nolan Scholarships to Claire Epperson, Jessica
Calvert, Breanna Edwards, Erin Dwinnell, Thomas
Brewer and Jillian Chance. Molly Hart received the
Peggy Chambers Scholarship. Three students
received the Charles and Julie Daniels Study
Abroad Endowed Scholarship: Susanna Stamile,
Baxter Schooley and Whitley Virgil. Mary Enod
Williams Memorial Scholarships went to Michael
Fons and Syndey Vanhooser. Matt Berry received
the Jean Herrick Scholarship. Tucker Cross
received the Danney Goble Scholarship. The John
H. Hansen Prize for Future Teachers of Latin went
to Murphy Eskridge. Luke Chitwood received the
Reid Philips Memorial Scholarship.
Faculty
In addition to the outstanding job that they do
teaching our students, faculty members in the
Department of Classics and Letters published four
Summer 2010
books this year (see sidebar above: Peggy
Chambers, The Attic Nights of Aulus Gellius, An
Intermediate Reader/Grammar Review (OU Press);
Ellen Greene: The New Sappho on Old Age, ed. with
Marilyn Skinner (Harvard U. Press) and The Erotics
of Domination (OU Press); Rebecca Huskey, Paul
Ricoeur on Hope: Expecting the Good (Peter Lang).
Ralph Doty delivered his edition of Xenophon’s
Cyropedia to Edwin Mellen Press, which will publish
it in the coming year. Faculty members also
presented a total of 12 papers at regional and
national conferences, published two articles and one
book review in major journals.
Peggy Chambers won the Provost’s Outstanding
Academic Advising Award for the second time in
her career. John Hansen received an Ovatio at the
106th annual meeting of the CAMWS, the highest
honor bestowed by that organization.
Rufus Fears’ lectures, “Leadership in a Time of
Crisis: The Legacy of Churchill,” came out on DVDs
published by Pegasys. He also gave many lectures
across the country, including one at the Gerald Ford
Museum.
Ellen Greene delivered the Annual Kimball Lecture
at Whitman College. She also traveled to Texas Tech
University, Williams College, University of London
and Radboud University in the Netherlands to give
lectures.
Kyle Harper became the director of the Institute for
the American Constitutional Heritage, and he was
nominated for the Irene Rothbaum Outstanding
Assistant Professor Award.
Rebecca Huskey received a Presidential Dream
Course grant to pay for bringing noted scholars to
campus in connection with a course that she will
offer in the spring of 2011 about the meaning of
education.
Rachel Knudsen received a Junior Faculty Summer
Research Fellowship, a grant that will enable her to
spend the summer working on her book on
Homeric speech and the origins of rhetoric.
What a great year for our students and faculty! ❧
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The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters
Summer 2010
Stanley to Lead Archaeological Team In Italy
From June 16 through July 9,
2010 Farland Stanley will lead a
team of OU students working
with an archaeological project at
Pompeii and nearby Stabiae in
Italy. The OU team will join with
the University of Maryland and
Italian archaeologists in an
international project excavating
and carrying out architectural
analysis of two immense Roman
villas at Stabiae. The project also
involves an architectural analysis
of houses in ancient Pompeii.
First, students will assist in the
excavation and study of two
huge Roman villas that have
been discovered atop a 100-foothigh bluff overlooking the
southeastern part of the Bay of
Naples. The luxurious villas,
built by the elite of Pompeii,
are located approximately 10
miles from Mt. Vesuvius and
were covered by ash and
lapillae to a depth of
approximately 15 to 20 feet.
Each of the villas is in excess
of 5 acres in size and consists
of elaborate gardens and
buildings. The ornate and
beautiful frescoes testify to
the opulent nature of the
expensive villas.
One of the villas that OU
students will help to excavate
is the Villa Arianna. Among
their tasks will be to help in
the excavation of the villa’s
huge peristyle garden
“One of the villas that
OU students will help to
excavate is the Villa
Arianna.”
Above: Image of a fresco of the myth of
Ariadne that gives the Villa Arianna its
name. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Continued on page 7
Alumni
We sent out a survey of our alumni at the beginning
of the spring 2010 semester to reconnect with our
former students and find out what they have been
doing since graduating from OU. The responses
confirmed our belief that the Classics and Letters
majors offer excellent preparation for a variety of
careers and pursuits.
Graduation day, 2009
Many of our former students have pursued careers
in law. After graduating from OU, they attended
some of the best law schools in the world: Cornell,
Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, University of
Pennsylvania, University of Texas, University of
Virginia—and, of course, the University of
Oklahoma. We count among them a trial court
Continued on page 7
Above: New alumnae Jamel Daugherty, Rachel Dowell,
and Tori Shields at Commencement 2009.
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Summer 2010
The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters
Upcoming
Events in the
Department
Visiting Scholars
David Depew, Professor
Emeritus of Communication
Studies and the Project on the
Rhetoric of Inquiry at the
University of Iowa, will be on
campus at the end of
September to speak about the
history and tradition of the
Great Books curriculum
Robert Ketterer, Professor of
Classics at the University of
Iowa, will be on campus in
October to give a public lecture
about Classical influences on
Baroque opera, the subject of
his recent book.
As usual, Farland Stanley will
be making arrangments to
bring distinguished
archaeologists to campus
through the Archaeological
Institute of America’s lecture
series.
Other Events
During the semester, we
regularly hold coffee hours for
faculty, staff, students and
friends of the department.
Our student clubs, Eta Sigma
Phi, the Letters Student
Association and the Classical
Archaeology Society also hold
regular events throughout the
fall and spring semesters.
Dates and times for many of
these events will be posted on
the department’s web site by
August 16. Please go to
www.ou.edu/cas/classics for
more information.
Dr. Stanley
(Continued)
(approximately 300 ft x 75 ft)
to help clarify the
architectural features and the
design of the garden, as well
to help in efforts to
understand the types of
ornamental vegetation grown
in the garden.
The students also will work at
the Villa San Marco, where
they will assist in the
architectural recording of the
villa and the completion of a
set of architectural plans for
the structures. They also will
have the opportunity to assist
with the development of a
digital model of the Villa San
Marco.
Our students also will assist
in a multi-year project to
review the house plans in
Pompeii. Specific work will
be in Region VII where, after
more than 250 years of
excavations, many drawings
have been produced for each
house. The result of the many
drawings and plans is that
there are many differences of
opinion concerning details.
Our students will compare
the various plans by visiting
each of the houses where they
will evaluate anomalies in
plans and help make
corrections to the new plans
that are being completed for
the houses of Pompeii. ❧
Alumni
(Continued)
judge, a trial lawyer for the
U.S. Department of Justice, a
couple of professors of law, a
number of corporate lawyers
and several partners in law
firms.
Many of our students have
become medical doctors.
Among them we count
several in private practice and
a few who have gone on to
teach future doctors in
medical school.
You name it, our alumni have
done it. Other professions
reported in the survey
include: business
administrator, art buyer,
banker, consultant, CPA,
teacher, pastor, foreign
service officer, IT
professional, journalist,
landscaper, librarian,
machinist, soldier, sailor,
pilates instructor,
psychologist, real estate
entrepeneur, technical writer,
production manager,
professional golfer, dance
instructor … the list goes on
and on. Of course, we can’t
forget to mention one of the
most important jobs reported:
parent (of future C & L
students, we hope).
Future issues of this
newsletter will feature
individual alumni and their
accomplishments. Let us
know if you want to share
your story. ❧
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The University of Oklahoma
Summer 2010
Announcing the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage
The Institute for the American
Constitutional Heritage is an
initiative to create a dynamic,
interdisciplinary center for the
study of the U.S. Constitution.
The notion of a constitutional
heritage reflects the IACH’s
broad approach to the
Constitution in all its aspects: its
philosophical underpinnings, its
historical context, its legal
substance and its contemporary
relevance. The IACH is
committed to teaching
undergraduate courses designed
to provide students with the civic
knowledge and critical tools that
will empower them as citizens
and benefit them in their
professional pursuits. It also will
promote faculty research and
publication in the areas of
constitutional studies and the
foundations of political thought.
Kyle Harper, assistant professor
of Classics and Letters, was
appointed by President Boren to
direct the IACH. He has
assembled a list of affiliated
faculty members from other
departments, in addition to
hiring the IACH’s first faculty
member, Kevin Butterfield. ❧
“The notion of a constitutional
heritage reflects the IACH’s
broad approach to the
Constitution.”
Above: Constitution of the United
States. (Source: www.archives.gov)
This newsletter was produced at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.
University of Oklahoma
Department of Classics and Letters
650 Parrington Oval, Carnegie 100
Norman, OK 73019-4042
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