Austin College faculty will host “Ancients Week” on campus February 13 through 15, to celebrate the roots of Western civilization in ancient times and their contemporary significance.
“The Great Books and great works of art are the foundation of a traditional liberal arts education,” said Karánn Durland, Austin College professor of philosophy and director of the College’s Western Intellectual Tradition Program.
“Revered by some as the best that has been thought and said in a ‘great conversation’ that links the ages, and derided by others as the relics of dead, white European males, their continuing influence on cultural and intellectual life in modern Europe and the Americas, and many other places, remains incontestable. We, and especially our students, are often so focused on the contemporary world that we lose sight of this, and our lives and understanding of contemporary issues are the poorer for it,” she said.
Ancients Week is designed to promote a vibrant intellectual community outside the classroom by celebrating works produced in the past that remain relevant and interesting today. A number of presentations are scheduled in Wright Campus Center, Room 231, and are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, February 14, at 11:30 a.m. Peter Anderson, an Austin College English professor, presents “Gnosis, Gnostics, Gnosticism.” At 4:30 p.m., Charles Chiasson, associate professor and director of classical studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, will present “Herodotus, Homer, and Trojan ‘Truthiness.’”
Then, on Thursday, February 15, at 11:30 a.m., Robert Cape and Martin Wells of the Austin College classics faculty present “New Discoveries and New Ways of Teaching the Classical World in 2017: Why the Past Still Matters.” At 4:30 p.m., Wells will present “The Late Roman Synagogue at Huqoq, Israel.”
Ancients Week is sponsored by the Austin College Departments of Art and Art History, Classical and Modern Languages, English, and Philosophy, as well as The Johnson Center for Faculty Development and Excellence in Teaching and The Western Intellectual Tradition Program. Ancients Week is the first of a three-year cycle of celebrations of great works organized by the Western Intellectual Tradition Program. Following programs include Medieval and Renaissance Week, and Enlightenment Week.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.