Classics and Letters Newsletter

12
The University of Oklahoma Summer 2012 Tongue (Classics), and McReyn- olds (History)—administered the Letters program for the next ten years. The General Catalog provides snapshots of the program’s evolu- tion during this time. The 1945–46 catalog lists Letters as not a school, but a planned program in the College of Arts and Sciences. (This precedes by almost a decade the vote of the Board of Regents in 1954 to abolish all “paper schools” and establish programs in their places.) The same catalog lists a new requirement: facility in one ancient language. The 1954–55 catalog updates the description to include all of the elements that are still in place to- day: thirty-six hours in history, literature, and philosophy (twen- ty-seven at the upper division level), with supporting course- work in one ancient and one modern language—all with a grade point average of B or better. Shortly after his arrival at OU in 1954, Philip Nolan became the director of the Letters Program. Jack Catlin, an alumnus of OU’s Classics program (Class of 1958), succeeded Nolan as Chair of Clas- sics and Director of the Letters Program in 1978. CLASSICS & LETTERS NEWS This year marks the 75 th anniver- sary of the Letters program, which we plan to celebrate with several events throughout the year. To prepare for the celebra- tion, I thought that it would be a good idea to use this space for a little history of the program. On August 4, 1937, The Norman Transcript ran a story on the founding of the School of Letters, as it was called originally. Presi- dent Bizzell announced the ap- pointment of Joseph P. Blick- enderfer, professor of English, as the director of the school. Accord- ing to Blickenderfer, “The school of letters will attempt to cure mental indigestion produced by the cafeteria style of education. It will provide systematic programs of instruction in ancient and mod- ern languages, history, philoso- phy and comparative literature, and will take the full time of the student.” In 1942, when Blickenderfer moved to a new position as the first dean of the new University College, William Baxter became Director of the School of Letters and held that position until he resigned in 1944 to take a gov- ernment position. Jack Catlin has informed me per litteras that a trio of three profes- sors—Mueller (Philosophy), A Silver Anniversary By Samuel J. Huskey, Chair Continued on next page THIRD ISSUE Inside: Students 2 Read all about the awards, honors, and distinctions our students received this year. Events 5 From guest lectures to visits from alumni, the department had a busy year. Faculty 7 A review of the accomplish- ments of our faculty members in and out of the classroom. Jack Catlin Scholarship 9 Read about the campaign to establish a scholarship in honor of our former chairman. IACH 10 The latest news on the Institute for the American Constitution- al Heritage. New Faces 11 Meet Eric Lomazoff, Andrew Porwancher, and Angie Gauthier. Upcoming Events 12 Some of the events we have planned for the 75 th anniver- sary of the Letters Program.

description

Classics and Letters Newsletter

Transcript of Classics and Letters Newsletter

Page 1: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Summer 2012

2

Tongue (Classics), and McReyn-olds (History)—administered the Letters program for the next ten years.

The General Catalog provides snapshots of the program’s evolu-tion during this time. The 1945–46 catalog lists Letters as not a school, but a planned program in the College of Arts and Sciences. (This precedes by almost a decade the vote of the Board of Regents in 1954 to abolish all “paper schools” and establish programs in their places.) The same catalog lists a new requirement: facility in one ancient language.

The 1954–55 catalog updates the description to include all of the elements that are still in place to-day: thirty-six hours in history, literature, and philosophy (twen-ty-seven at the upper division level), with supporting course-work in one ancient and one modern language—all with a grade point average of B or better.

Shortly after his arrival at OU in 1954, Philip Nolan became the director of the Letters Program. Jack Catlin, an alumnus of OU’s Classics program (Class of 1958), succeeded Nolan as Chair of Clas-sics and Director of the Letters Program in 1978.

CLASSICS & LETTERS NEWS

1

This year marks the 75th anniver-sary of the Letters program, which we plan to celebrate with several events throughout the year. To prepare for the celebra-tion, I thought that it would be a good idea to use this space for a little history of the program.

On August 4, 1937, The Norman Transcript ran a story on the founding of the School of Letters, as it was called originally. Presi-dent Bizzell announced the ap-pointment of Joseph P. Blick-enderfer, professor of English, as the director of the school. Accord-ing to Blickenderfer, “The school of letters will attempt to cure mental indigestion produced by the cafeteria style of education. It will provide systematic programs of instruction in ancient and mod-ern languages, history, philoso-phy and comparative literature, and will take the full time of the student.”

In 1942, when Blickenderfer moved to a new position as the first dean of the new University College, William Baxter became Director of the School of Letters and held that position until he resigned in 1944 to take a gov-ernment position.

Jack Catlin has informed me per litteras that a trio of three profes-sors—Mueller (Philosophy),

A Silver Anniversary By Samuel J. Huskey, Chair

Continued on next page

THIRD ISSUE

Inside:

Students 2 Read all about the awards, honors, and distinctions our students received this year.

Events 5 From guest lectures to visits from alumni, the department had a busy year.

Faculty 7 A review of the accomplish-ments of our faculty members in and out of the classroom.

Jack Catlin Scholarship 9 Read about the campaign to establish a scholarship in honor of our former chairman.

IACH 10 The latest news on the Institute for the American Constitution-al Heritage.

New Faces 11 Meet Eric Lomazoff, Andrew Porwancher, and Angie Gauthier.

Upcoming Events 12 Some of the events we have planned for the 75th anniver-sary of the Letters Program.

Page 2: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

2

On April 25, we held our fourth annual end-of-the-year reception for Classics and Letters students, faculty, and staff. We convened in the Beaird Lounge in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, where we enjoyed a delightful spread of Mediterranean foods. We also had a great time recognizing the achievements of our students.

Classics and Letters majors are some of the best students on campus, and they have the awards to prove it. Sam Clancy, Nick Coffey, and Zach Lanier were named Big Men on Campus. Clancy and Coffey were also initiated into the Pe-Et society and received the Regents Award for Outstanding Juniors. Joe Sangi-rardi was elected President of the University of Oklahoma Stu-dent Association.

Coffey and Lanier also received Cortez A.M. Ewing Public Ser-vice Fellowships from the College of Arts and Sciences. Zach Sullivan received a Jack Roe Denton Memorial Scholarship. Lu-cille Gauthier, Justin Mai, Taylor Shupert, and Tyler Tennant were inducted into the Leadership Scholars Program.

See the next page for the list of Classics and Letters majors who joined Phi Beta Kappa, and turn to page 4 for the winners of our departmental scholarships. ❧

Majors Receive University Honors

3

To reflect the department’s long-standing commitment to the Letters program and the outstanding job it has done administering it, the depart-ment’s name was changed to the Department of Classics and Letters in 1996.

Catlin stepped down from his position as Chair of Classics and Director of Letters in 2006, at which time Ralph Doty, an alumnus of the Letters pro-gram (Class of 1967) took the helm and guided the program until 2009. Since then, it has been my privilege to serve as Chair and Director.

4

For seventy-five years, the Let-ters program has given the best students at OU the opportunity to pursue a traditional liberal arts education. Educational fads may come and go, but the Letters curriculum has re-mained the same since 1954. Why mess with perfection? We believe that working closely with students to identify courses that both interest and challenge them is the key to a robust and meaningful college education.

For proof that Letters is one of the best majors on campus, we point to our alumni. They have

5

gone on to accomplish won-derful things as attorneys, business leaders, doctors, edu-cators, politicians, ministers, writers, and almost anything else that you can imagine.

Please see page 12 for the events we’re planning for our Silver Anniversary celebration. We hope that you will be able to join us for some or all of them. ❧

A Silver Anniversary (Continued)

Sam Clancy and Dr. Huskey at the annual end-of-the-year reception. Clancy was named Big Man on Campus. He was also initiated into the Pe-Et society and received a Regents Award for Outstanding Juniors.

Page 3: Classics and Letters Newsletter

3

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

Earning the distinction of membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, has never been easy, but the national office of Phi Beta Kappa recently praised the Alpha of Oklahoma chapter for the rigor of its selection procedures. Members of the chapter’s Members-in-Course Committee independently review the records of the students who meet the minimum qualifications for membership and assign each student a score based on the depth and breadth of the student’s curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences. The committee then convenes to compare notes and determine the final list of students to be invited to join the chapter. After-wards, the full membership of the chapter votes on the list pro-posed by the committee. This process insures that only the best of the best students in the liberal arts and sciences at OU receive invitations to join this august society.

The following fifteen Classics and Letters majors from the grad-uating class of 2012 accepted the invitation to join Phi Beta Kappa and participated in the initiation ceremony on May 11 in Meacham Auditorium at the Oklahoma Memorial Union:

Paige Abernathy Amy Brackenbury

Mary Dewers Haley Doran

Breanna Edwards Lacy Fannell Riane Fern

Werner Ferrone

Michael Fons Elizabeth Forsythe

Erica Halley Blake Jenkins Molly Miller

Mason Morrow Sarah Parrish

Congratulations to these outstanding students! ❧

Classics and Letters Majors Elected to Phi Beta Kappa

Michael Fons, Amy Brackenbury, and Werner Ferro-ne at the Classics and Letters end-of-the-year recep-

We want to hear from you. Stay in touch with the department by using our alumni survey form at http://www.ou.edu/cas/classics/alumni/alumnisurvey.html to update your contact infor-mation. Check our events calendar while you’re there, and join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/classicsandletters.

Page 4: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

4

At the third annual awards reception on April 25, we presented the following scholarships and awards:

The Peggy Chambers Scholarship, established by an OU alumnus in recognition of Peggy Chambers’ out-standing contributions to the Classics and Letters programs. It is awarded to an outstanding junior or senior Letters major. This year’s recipient was Lauren Rippetoe.

The Charles and Julie Daniels Study Abroad Endowed Scholarships, established by a former Letters ma-jor and her husband, both graduates of the University of Oklahoma, were awarded to Zachary Sullivan, Allie Kallman, and Gabrielle Skillings.

Four students received the Philip Nolan Scholarship, established by a former student of Philip Nolan: Ally Rahill, Caitlyn Ansley, Mark Osborn, and Jennie Gauthier.

The Philip Nolan Memorial Scholarship, established by the former students, colleagues and friends of Dr. Philip Nolan, went to Zach Lanier.

The Mary Enod Williams Memorial Scholarship was established by Charles Williams for his mother, Mary Enod Williams, a long time public school teacher who graduated from OU with a degree in Latin. This year’s recipients were Gerard Keiser, Liz Braden, and Alyssa Bickford.

The Jean Herrick Scholarship was established in memory of a long time faculty member in the Department of Classics and Letters. The intention of the donor was that this scholarship be for a student pursuing a ca-reer teaching Latin. Madison Standerfer was the recipient.

The J. Rufus Fears Scholarship, established by donors to recognize Dr. Fears’ many contributions to OU, the immediate community, and the state went to Sam Clancy.

Next year, we would like to offer the first Jack Catlin Scholarship, but we need your help. If Dr. Catlin taught you, advised you, or helped you in any way during your student career, please consider making a contribution to the Jack Catlin Scholarship fund. Contact David Quirk ([email protected], 405.325.3724), Di-rector of Development in the College of Arts and Sciences, for more information. ❧

From left to right: Liz Braden, Gerard Keiser, Madison Standerfer, Mark Osborn, Caitlyn Ansley, Jennie Gauthier, Allie Kall-man, Zach Lanier, Lauren Rippetoe, Sam Clancy, and Gabrielle Skillings

Page 5: Classics and Letters Newsletter

5

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

1

The year was full of events for students and faculty. Our first event was a presentation by Adrienne Ja-blonski, Director of Student Career and Leadership Development for the College of Arts and Sciences. Her topic was tips on making the most of a career fair.

In September, the IACH launched its Religious Freedom Project with a lecture by Dr. Allen Hertzke. For Constitution Day, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt delivered a lecture entitled “Oklahoma, Health Care Reform, and the Constitution.” Our chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America hosted Dr. Su-san I. Rotroff (Washington University), who delivered a lecture entitled, “Phrasikleia and the Merenda Kouros: Beauty, Victory, Death, and Marriage in Archaic Athens.”

Events in the Department

Continued on next page

Latin Students Achieve National Distinction This was our second year of administering the National Latin Exam to all of our third-semester Latin students as part of our depart-mental assessment program.

Of the thirty-five students who took the Latin III exam, twenty-one scored above the national average. Elizabeth Braden and Greg Kaplan received received gold medals and the distinction of summa cum laude. Alexandra Wright, Tim Curtis, and Jacob Mitchell re-ceived silver medals and the distinction of maxima cum laude. Six received the distinction of magna cum laude, and ten received the distinction of cum laude.

Nine of the fifteen students who took the upper-level exams scored above the national average. Gerard Keiser made a perfect score and received not only a gold medal and the distinction of summa cum laude, but also a book prize and a letter of acknowledgement from the American Classical League. Only twenty-two other students out of 136,000 who participated worldwide share this distinction. Kelly Taylor missed that mark by only two points, and she also received a gold medal and the distinction of summa cum laude. Anthony Vogt, Lauren Davis, and Hannah Decker received silver medals and the distinction of maxima cum laude. Two other students re-ceived the distinction of magna cum laude, and two received the dis-tinction of cum laude.

This is an excellent showing in the inaugural year of using the NLE to help us assess our language programs. Congratulations to all of the award winners! ❧

Gerard Keiser was among the twenty-two students worldwide who made a perfect score on the National Latin Exam.

Page 6: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

6

2

In October, we celebrated Vergil’s birthday with a coffee hour in the Carnegie Lounge. Macie May (Classics 2003) made a cake for the occa-sion. We also hosted two distinguished scholars at the end of the month: Vernon Burton, author of The Age of Lincoln, delivered a public lecture entitled "The Age of Lincoln and the Civil War," and Dr. Thomas Williams, Professor of Catholic Studies and Professor of Phi-losophy at the University of South Florida, gave a lecture on the sub-ject of medieval philosophy and theology. The students in Eta Sigma Phi closed out the month with a Halloween party.

In November, Eta Sigma Phi, the national honor society for classics majors initiated several new members. The IACH hosted two lectur-ers. Tony Horwitz, author of Confederates in the Attic, delivered a pub-lic lecture entitled “Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that

Sparked the Civil War.” Russell Hittinger delivered a public lecture entitled “Natural Law and Human Rights in the Post-War World.”

In December, fifteen students graduated from our programs.

In February, Adrienne Jablonski returned to give a presentation on professional networking. The 27th was a big day for the IACH. Several important authors and scholars came to campus for the first-ever Teach-in on America’s Founding. Among the luminaries assembled for this event were David McCullough, Gordon Wood, David Hackett Fisher, Rosemarie Zagarri, Peter Onuf, and Akhil Reed Amar. Diane Rehm, host of NPR’s Diane Rehm Show, moderated one of the discus-sions. On the next day, the AIA hosted its second event of the year: Professor Kimberly Bowes (The University of Pennsylvania) delivered a lecture entitled “Mosaics and Beyond: The Villa of Piazza Armerina (Sicily) and its Environment.”

In March, Adrienne Jablonski delivered a presentation on interview-ing for a job. On the 14th, the IACH hosted a performance by Bill Barker, a renowned Thomas Jefferson In-terpreter. The institute also celebrated Constitution Day (April 2) with a symposium entitled, “Religious

Freedom in America: Constitutional Traditions and New Horizons.” On April 17, the AIA brought Professor Lanny Bell (Visiting Research-er in Egyptology at Brown University) to campus for a lecture entitled, “Tutankhamun: The Life and Death of a God King.” On April 21, the Classical Archaeology Society held its annual Undergraduate Collo-quium on Classical Antiquity, an all-day forum for the presentation of undergraduate research.

In May, thirty-two seniors graduated from our programs.

In the coming year, we are planning several events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Letters program. As usual, our alphabet soup of affiliated organizations (AIA, CLAS, Eta Sigma Phi, IACH) will also have a variety of events, so be sure to check the calendar on our web-site to stay informed about events throughout the year. ❧

Events in the Department (Continued)

Eta Sigma Phi Halloween Party.

Amy Brackenbury, Kristin Morgan, and Mol-ly Miller at May 2012 Commencement.

Chris Hains at Winter 2011 Commencement.

Page 7: Classics and Letters Newsletter

7

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

1

The faculty had another great year. In addition to doing an exception-al job of teaching our students in courses covering everything from ancient Greek to secret societies in early American culture, they dis-tinguished themselves in scholarship and service to the community.

Richard Beck continues to foster the growth of our ancient Greek program through his tireless efforts to recruit students to take begin-ning Greek. He also published a review article in the Bryn Mawr Clas-sical Review.

Kevin Butterfield spent most of his Junior Faculty Summer Research Fellowship doing research at the Library of Congress. He gave presentations at New York University’s Legal History Colloquium and the annual conference of the American Society for Legal History. He also published an article on secret societies and the power of the law in the Early Republic in the journal Common-Place, as well as two reviews and an entry in an encyclopedia. In the coming year, he will be on an NEH fellowship at the New-York Historical Society.

Peggy Chambers received an Outstanding Advising Certificate of Merit from the National Academic Advising Association. She also published her third textbook, The Natural Histories of Pliny the Elder, An Advanced Reader And Grammar Review, with the University of Ok-lahoma Press.

Sara Coodin participated in an NEH summer institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library, in Washington, D.C. She also presented papers at the annual conferences of the Shakespeare Association of America and the Renaissance Society of America.

Ralph Doty’s book The Criterion of Truth was reissued in Peter Lang Verlag’s American University Studies Series. His latest contribution to scholarship on Xenophon, A Translation from Ancient Greek into English of Xenophon’s Manual on the Duties of a Cavalry Commander, was also published by The Edwin Mellon Press and nominated for the London Hellenic Society 2011 Criticos Prize. In recognition of his contribu-tions to teaching and scholarship, he has been named the Joseph Pax-ton Presidential Professor for 2012–2016.

Rufus Fears published a new course for The Great Courses (formerly The Teaching Company): Life Lessons from the Great Myths. Pegasys also published his series of five lectures entitled, “The World Was Never the Same.” Much in demand as a speaker, he traveled to Eng-land and France to give lectures on “Winston Churchill and D-Day” to the World Presidents Organization and the Young Presidents Or-

Focus on the Faculty

Ralph Doty

Continued on next page

Recent books by Faculty

Peggy Chambers

The Natural Histories of Pliny the Elder. University of Oklahoma Press, 2011.

A Translation from ancient Greek into English of Xenophon’s Manual on the Duties of a Cavalry Commander. Edwin Mellen Press, 2011.

Ralph Doty

Page 8: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

8

Focus on the Faculty (cont.)

2

ganization. He also gave a series of three “Cor-nerstone Lectures” on the legacy of Classical Greece to a gathering of more than 1000 Nobel and Pulitzer laureates and leaders in politics, the media, technology, and education.

Ellen Greene was invited to speak at Boston Uni-versity, the University of Tennessee (as the Har-ris-Marshall Lecturer), and Radboud University in The Netherlands. She also delivered papers at the annual meetings of the American Philological Association (APA) and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS)

John Hansen presented a paper at the annual meeting of the APA and served on the editorial board of Teaching Classical Languages, a new jour-nal on pedagogy. He continues to serve as the Ok-lahoma Vice President for CAMWS, and he puts in countless hours mentoring students planning to become Latin teachers.

Kyle Harper’s book, Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275–425, won the CAMWS President’s Award for Outstanding Publication. Harper also published three review articles and delivered pa-pers at the University of Missouri, Harvard, and the Roman Society Research Center Colloquium in Brussels. He also continues to provide leader-ship for the Institute for the American Constitu-tional Heritage (IACH).

Rebecca Huskey presented papers at the South-west Conference on Religious Studies, the South-west Conference on Christianity and Literature, and the Society of Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy.

Samuel Huskey published an article in Mittel-lateinisches Jahrbuch, presented a paper at the an-nual meeting of CAMWS, continued to serve as the APA’s Information Architect. Huskey was al-so selected to lead a project to create a digital li-brary of Latin texts. The project is sponsored by the APA and funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

3

Rachel Knudsen presented a paper at the annual meeting of the APA. She has articles forthcoming in American Journal of Philology and Classical Philol-ogy.

After completing his Ph.D. at Harvard earlier this year, Eric Lomazoff joined the department as a Wick Cary Professor in the IACH. He has devel-oped courses for the Constitutional Studies cur-riculum. He also presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Associa-tion.

Andrew Porwancher also joined the faculty as a Wick Cary Professor in the IACH. He received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University. In addition to developing courses for the Constitutional Studies curriculum, Porwancher delivered a paper at the American Society for Legal History.

Farland Stanley continues to serve as President of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Archaeological In-stitute of America. Each semester he brings to campus distinguished lecturers from around the world. He also has an article forthcoming in the journal Glotta: Zeitschrift für griechische und lateinische Sprache.

Stephen Wagner taught a wide variety of courses, including Beginning and Intermediate Latin, An-cient Epic, Classical Myth, Ancient Drama, and Classical Influences on Modern Literature. He was also the faculty adviser for three student groups: O.U. Improv!, Facilitating African Reha-bilitation, and Episcopal Student Association.

Cheryl Walker-Esbaugh organized and led an-other successful OU Classics Day, one of the de-partment’s most important outreach and recruit-ing efforts. Dozens of high school students from across Oklahoma come to the campus of the Ok-lahoma College of Continuing Education to par-ticipate in a day of activities and presentations on all aspects of the ancient world. She also repre-sented the department at OU’s Majors and Minors Fair.

❧ ❧ ❧

Page 9: Classics and Letters Newsletter

9

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

The Jack Catlin Scholarship

www.oufoundation.org/onlinegiving/makegiftgen.aspx?club=0042400_Catlin&fund=0042400_Catlin

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 cap-tain sails even with a torn sail.

But Jack’s real and lasting legacy will come from the scores of students he has taught, advised and men-tored. Many of them became lawyers, doctors, scholars and teachers; some even became his col-leagues at the university—all are grateful for his dedication and devotion to the department.

To celebrate Jack’s career and his devotion to his students, Sam Fulkerson (Letters 1982) has estab-lished the Jack Catlin Scholarship Fund. The goal is to raise at least $25,000 to endow an annual scholar-ship in Jack’s name, given to a deserving Classics and Letters student.

This is a fitting tribute to Jack, since he campaigned for scholarships in honor of his beloved col-leagues, Philip Nolan and Jean Herrick.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to this scholarship fund, go to the URL be-low, or 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. You can also find the link on the department’s web page at www.ou.edu/cas/classics/people. ❧

Update: As of July 1, 2012, we have raised a little over $5,000.00 for the Jack Catlin Scholar-ship—more than 25% of our goal! If you ever were taught or advised by Jack Catlin, please consider making a contribution. If we can raise $20,000 we’ll be able to give the first Jack Catlin scholarship to a deserving student in the near future.

Page 10: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

10

Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage

1

The last year saw exciting progress at the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage.

Our Constitutional Studies cur-riculum, which students can take as a minor or as a concentration within the Letters major, makes OU the only top-tier university in the country where a student can focus on the Constitution.

Our two new faculty, Eric Loma-zoff and Andrew Porwancher, joined Kevin Butterfield to bring to three the number of faculty hired directly to teach in the IACH. To-gether they offer a remarkable ar-ray of courses on constitutional history, such as “The Constitution and the Economy,” “Debating Constitutional Controversies,” and “Interpreting the American Found-ing.”

2

In the spring, popular OU Law professor Joe Thai taught a course in the department on “First Free-doms.”

The IACH continues to host a range of exciting events, combin-ing scholarship and public affairs.

The “Teach-In on America's Founding” was a highlight. Da-vid McCullough, Gordon Wood, David Hackett Fischer, Peter Onuf, Rosemarie Zagarri, and Akhil Amar came to campus for an extraordinary one-day event, which drew thousands in attend-ance.

The IACH will follow up this event with a Teach-In on the Great Depression in the spring of 2013. As well, Akhil Amar will be joining us on campus again to celebrate Constitution Day on September 18.

3

The heart of the IACH remains its amazing students, who bring en-ergy, enthusiasm, and creative intelligence to the program. Both of our student groups, the Consti-tutional Studies Student Associa-tion and the Society of Fellows, continue to thrive.

As always, sign up for our email list and look for event details on our website: iach.ou.edu. ❧

Officers of the Constitutional Studies Student Association (from left): Doyle Albright, Megan Lam-bert, Megan Marks, Eric Lomazoff (faculty sponsor), Aly Feliciano, Alexandra Nicole Gray, Bailie Gregory, and Tyler Ford.

By Kyle Harper, Director

Page 11: Classics and Letters Newsletter

11

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

A generous bequest to OU allowed us to add two more professors to the faculty of the Institute for the American Consti-tutional Heritage (IACH). Both of these positions bear the title of Wick Cary Professor, in honor of the benefactor.

Eric Lomazoff received his B.A. in Political Science (summa cum laude) from the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University. His dis-sertation, “Reconstructing the Hydra-Headed Monster: The Bank of the United States, Institutional Change, and American Constitutional Development,” won the Senator Charles Sumner Prize, and he’s currently revising it for publication. His research inter-ests include the Constitution outside the Supreme Court, American constitutional his-tory, mechanisms of institutional development, and contemporary fiscal and monetary politics. He has taught Introduction to Constitutional Studies, The Constitution and the Economy, the Supreme Court and the Constitution, and Oklahoma and the US Consti-tution.

Andrew Porwancher received his B.A. in Commu-nications (Rhetoric, summa cum laude) from North-western University, his M.A. in History from Brown, and his Ph.D. in History from Cambridge University. He is currently working on a book enti-tled American Jurisprudence and the Law of Evidence, 1904-1940, based on his dissertation. In this study, Porwancher argues—contrary to the conventional

wisdom—that evidence law was central to the devel-opment of modern legal thought. He is the author of "Objectivity's Prophet" in Journal-ism History and "Humanism's Sisyphean Task" in History of Education. He teaches In-troduction to Constitutional Studies, Debating Constitutional Controversies, and American Legal Philosophy.

For the 2012–2013 academic year, Dustin Gish will join the faculty of the IACH as an instructor. He will be filling in for Kevin Butterfield, who will be on a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Gish received a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma and his doctorate in Politics from the Institute of Philosophic Studies at the University of Dallas. Since 2007, he has been Visiting Assistant Professor in the Political Science department at the College of the Holy Cross. Prior to that, he lived in Rome, and taught at several American universities there.

We also welcome Angie Gauthier as our new Pre-Law/Academic Advisor, a position that became open after Elizabeth Base accepted a position at OU’s College of Law, where she continues to work with Classics and Letters majors entering law school. Gauthier has a unique, extensive, work history. Her B.A. is in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Jus-tice and a minor in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Following this, and an internship at the Colorado Correctional Facilities, she went on to become a Certified Paralegal, having graduated from Denver Paralegal Institute at the top of her class. She has worked in Family Law, Contract, Real Estate, and Corporate Law in a variety of settings. Additionally, she has a Master’s Degree in Human Relations with a counseling emphasis from the University of Oklahoma. She has worked as an advisor in University College, and she has a wide-ranging knowledge of OU and career counseling. She will be assisting pre-law students with course recommendations, successful navigation of law school require-ments, and providing resources and guidance in selecting a career path.

We are pleased to welcome these new additions to the department. ❧

New Faces in the Department

Eric Lomazoff Wick Cary Assistant Professor

Andrew Porwancher Wick Cary Assistant Professor

Angie Gauthier Pre-law/Classics & Letters

Advisor

Page 12: Classics and Letters Newsletter

The University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters Summer 2012

12

University of Oklahoma Department of Classics and Letters 650 Parrington Oval, Carnegie 100

Norman, OK 73019-4042

http://www.ou.edu/cas/classics/

This newsletter was produced at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution.

We are planning several events to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Letters program. The plan is to invite three speakers to give talks on each of the three core areas of the Letters curriculum—history, literature, and philosophy. Two have been scheduled two (see below); look for a third soon. We hope that alumni and current students will come to these events and celebrate this mile-stone with the department.

Please check the events page on our web site (www.ou.edu/cas/classics/events/index.html) or go to our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/classicsandletters) to find more information.

SEPTEMBER 19, 4:30–6:30 P.M., SCHOLARS ROOM (OMU)

Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles: A Novel, will read from her work, sign cop-ies of her book, and deliver a talk on the challenges of telling the story of the Trojan War for a modern audience.

A reception will follow the lecture and reading.

OCTOBER 3, 5:30–7:00 P.M., SANDY BELL GALLERY (FRED JONES, JR., MUSEUM OF ART)

Hunter Rawlings III, Professor of Classics at Cornell University and current President of the Association of American Universities, will give a talk entitled “The Founders and the Classics.” The focus of this talk will be how Thomas Jefferson and James Madison benefited from the kind of education that we endeavor to provide through the Letters curriculum.

A reception will follow the lecture.

We will also be co-sponsoring a number of events with the other departments that participate in the Letters program. Please check our events calendar for more details. ❧

Upcoming Events