Summer Reading List

Here's the Summer Reading List put together by our faculty panel, in case you're looking for some Classics-related entertainment!

- "Oneirocritica: Interpretation of Dreams" - Artemidorus (Ancient)
- "The Golden Ass" - Apuleius (Ancient)
- "True History" - Lucian (Ancient)
- "Satyricon" - Petronius (Ancient)
- "Letters from a Stoic" - Seneca the Younger (Ancient)
- "Symposium" - Plato (Ancient)
- "Collected Ancient Greek Novels" - B.P. Reardon (Modern; collection of ancient works)
- "The Name of the Rose" - Umberto Eco (Modern; a good novel for basic Latin practice)
- "The Ancient Economy" - Moses I. Finley (Modern; solid historical facts/analysis)
- "Eros the Bittersweet" - Anne Carson (Modern; ancient concepts of love)
- "Memoirs of Hadrian" - Marguerite Yourcenar (Modern; fictional letters of the emperor Hadrian)
- "Imperium" and "Lustrum" - Robert Harris (Modern; fiction centered around the life of Cicero)

                                                  
 

Event Updates and More Upcoming Lectures!

Here are just some quick updates regarding a couple of events previously advertised (see the last post from 4/6 for details):

The Professor Panel (I'm SO excited!) is to be held on Thursday, April 24th from 2:30-4:00 PM in Van Hise 1418. So mark that calendar and start thinking of some things you'd like to ask and/or discuss with our fantastic Classics faculty! [Current Participants: Brockliss, Tate, Dressler, Nelsestuen.]

Secondly, the Classics Department's End of the Year Reception will be on Wednesday, April 30th from 4:30-5:30 PM in Union South! As with our meetings, be sure to check the Today in the Union (TITU) board upon your arrival in order to find the assigned room.

In other news, I've got two more lectures sponsored by the Classics Department that are free and open to the public:

Professor J. Donald Hughes of the University of Denver will be giving his lecture "Greening the Greeks, Recycling the Romans" on Tuesday, April 15th at 5:30 in Van Hise 104. Professor Hughes researches environmental history (particularly of the ancient world, but of other areas as well) and has given lectures around the world on the subject. His groundbreaking books, Ecology in Ancient Civilizations (1975) and Pan's Travail: The Environmental Problems of the Ancient Greeks and Romans (1994, now in a second edition as Environmental Problems of the Greeks and Romans: Ecology in the Ancient Mediterranean, 2014) demonstrated the inextricable links between the ancients and the environment, and argued persuasively that ecological factors played a major part in the decline of Greco-Roman civilization. Any with an interest in the environment/environmental studies and/or the ancient Mediterranean world should find this a real treat!

Professor Egbert Bakker of Yale University will be giving his lecture "In and Out of the Golden Age: The Temporality of Odysseus' Return" on Tuesday, April 29th at 5:30 in Van Hise 104.


                                                            Videbimus vos mox!


 

Classics Society Events - April

Hey, everyone!
It looks like Spring may finally be here, and what better way to celebrate (or de-stress...) than having some Classics fun?! We've got a lot going on this month, so without further ado...

Classics Society, April 2014:    

We've got two more Study Nights this month - Tuesday the 8th and Tuesday the 22nd. It's a great opportunity to get a bit of scheduled study time in prior to midterms and finals, so feel free to stop on by! We'll be hanging out in the usual spot at the usual time (3251 College Library from 7-9 PM).

Also on Tuesday, April 8th - the Classics Lecture Series has organized a public lecture to be given by visiting professor Mark D. Stansbury-O'Donnell entitled "Greek Pursuit Scenes in Context." As chair of the Art History Department at the University of St. Thomas, Professor Stansbury-O'Donnell has research interests in the history of Ancient Greek art, including topics such as gender, identity, and pictorial narrative. Join us at 4 PM in room L140 of the Chazen Museum of Art!    

 

Our last General Meeting of the semester will be held on Wednesday, April 16th at 7:00 PM in Union South. As per usual, a room has yet to be determined (the Union will assign us one shortly before the event) so be sure to check the 'Today in the Union' board upon your arrival. We'll discuss our final events of the semester and be wrapping up any formal business (including t-shirts - see note below), which should leave us with just the fun bits!
     *NOTE*: This meeting will be your LAST CHANCE to pick-up your t-shirt if you ordered one this past semester. Please, please, please come to the meeting to grab yours or get in touch with me (adailey@wisc.edu) if you can't make it and we'll figure something out!

We're also in the process of organizing a Professor Panel to be held toward the end of this month! What is that, you ask? Basically, we'll be gathering together a group of UW-Madison Classics faculty members (likely 2-4) whom you will then have a chance to informally ask any manner of Classics-related questions of! Wanna know what getting a PhD is like? Wanna know what a certain course offered by the department consists of? Wanna ask what the Latin/Greek word for something is? Wanna ask what Classical work's their favorite? This will be your chance! When we get the details all hammered out, we'll be sure to let you know!

Lastly, the Classics Department's End of the Year Reception will be held on Wednesday, April 30th in Union South. All majors and certificate students are encouraged to come and celebrate the Classics Department's accomplishments this year over some tasty food! Stay posted as to the exact room and time!

I believe that's all for now - see you soon, and good luck on any upcoming projects/exams!
         

Visiting Professor Details

I hope everyone enjoyed their Spring Break - many thanks to those who came along on the Field Trip! It was a great time! Don't forget to pick-up your reimbursement check if you haven't already.

In other news, Professor Rex Stem of the University of California-Davis will be visiting campus this Thursday, March 27, as sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Department of Classics, the Political Theory Workshop, the Classics Society, and Pi Sigma Alpha!

The Classics Society will be hosting a pizza lunch and meet-and-greet opportunity at 11:30 AM in the Pillinger Library on the 9th floor of Van Hise, and Professor Stem's lecture, "The Republican Imperialism of Julius Caesar", will be in room 159 of the Education Building at 3:30 PM.

Professor Stem has research interests in Roman historiography, oratory and political thought, and the Roman Republic. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in ancient politics/history/speech to informally meet and ask questions of/discuss topics with a real expert, so PLEASE consider coming to either or both of these events! It's important that we show support for our beloved Classics Department!

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us at classicssocietyuw@gmail.com.
Updates for the month of April will follow in about a week, so stay tuned! TTFN!  

Upcoming Events in Classics Society

March is upon us, which means three things - 1) midterms; 2) SpRiNg BrEaK; and obviously, 3) another fun month of Classics Society events! Here's what we've got on the agenda!

Classics Society, March 2014:

There's a general Meeting this next Tuesday, March 4 at 7-8 PM in Union South. Once again, a room has yet to be determined (as the Union will assign us one shortly before the event) so be sure to check the 'Today in the Union' board upon your arrival. I'll have t-shirts for those members who've ordered one this past semester (That's right - they're here!), and we'll be discussing other important topics such as our field trip (see below), another movie night (possibly to see "Pompeii"), and the possibility of ordering more t-shirts for those new members/members who've an interest!

Our Study Nights are a great opportunity to get some homework done or to catch-up with some of your fellow friends and students. There are two this month - Tuesday, March 11 and Tuesday, March 25, both at 3251 College Library from 7-9 PM.

We're also planning a Field Trip for mid- to late-March! Now this is a bit earlier than when the Classics Society normally has field trips, but we've got a special idea in mind for this year - a trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum in the morning/early-afternoon, and a viewing of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's "An Iliad" in the late afternoon (links below)! First and foremost, we need you to tell us which Saturday (March 15 or March 22) would work better for you (be sure to check/join our Facebook group if you haven't yet!), and then we can start coordinating and firming-up plans, including the exact day and time, transportation, costs, etc. - so let us know!

Last but certainly not least, the Classics Society will be co-hosting a meet-and-greet lunch with Professor Rex Stem on Thursday, March 27. Professor Stem is a professor in the Classics department at UC Davis, with research interests in Roman historiography, oratory and political thought, and the Roman Republic. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in ancient politics/history/speech to informally meet and ask questions of/discuss topics with a real expert! Exact time and location are TBD, so we'll let you know when we know!

                                                            Videbimus vos mox!

Link for the Milwaukee Art Museum: http://mam.org/
Link for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's "An Iliad": http://www.milwaukeerep.com/Tickets/2013-14-Season/An-Iliad/      

300!

                                                    

The Classics Society is super excited to announce that our viewing of the 2007 film '300' will be this Thursday evening (February 20) at 7:00 PM in Van Hise 367!

The movie '300' (rated R, starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, etc.) is the fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE), in which Leonidas, king of Sparta, leads his 300 best soldiers against the Persians, who are attempting an all-out invasion of Ancient Greece.

Basically, if you like crazy action sequences, ancient battles and shirtless dudes, this is your movie!

There'll be popcorn, but feel free to bring some other snacks or soda if you so desire!

See you then!

    

Classics Society - Our Official Start to the Semester

Salvete! Χαιρετε! Greetings!

A big 'thank-you' to everyone who responded to the poll - it really helped us out with respect to scheduling this semester! We've got a lot planned for Spring 2014, and we're excited to get started as soon as possible (as I'm sure you are too)! So without further ado, here's a quick run-down of our upcoming February events!  

Classics Society, February 2014:

Our Kick-Off Meeting is this next Thursday, February 6, from 6:30-7:30 PM at Memorial Union. The room has yet to be decided (the Union will assign us one shortly before the event), so be sure to check the 'Today in the Union' board upon your arrival. We'll do some quick introductions and chat about potential plans for the semester, including our field trip, and I'll be updating everyone on t-shirts! (They're coming, I promise!) There will also more than likely be FOOD.

Our first Study Night of the semester is Tuesday, February 11, from 7-9 PM at 3251 College Library. Whether you'll be bringing Latin flashcards or some Physics worksheets, all are welcome regardless of what you're working on! [This marks the start of our Study Nights, which will continue every other week for the rest of the semester. Therefore our second Study Night will be February 25, same time and place.]

Lastly, and perhaps best of all, the Classics Society will be hosting a Movie Night a bit later this month! We'll be watching '300' (2007; starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, etc.), in order to prepare ourselves for the soon-to-be-out sequel, '300: Rise of an Empire'! Be sure to check back here in the near future for details!



                             We hope to see you all soon!