My work requires explanation, and I like it that way. Everything I do is somewhat related, because all of my work is with languages—usually Latin, Ancient Greek, or English. However, … Continue reading “Diary of a Freelance Language Scholar”
It’s time to do away with selective college admissions for undergraduate education. Now, let’s get the caveats out of the way. When it comes to specific training that requires particular … Continue reading “The Case Against Admissions Selectivity”
Like an overlong proxy war, the “canon” skirmishes of the 1980s and ’90s no longer feature in the media, though the conflict persists. As in a battle over this or … Continue reading “Why the Canon Wars Still Matter”
In 1985, Roosevelt Montás arrived in the United States aged twelve, speaking no English, accustomed to life in a rural mountain village of the Dominican Republic where he had passed … Continue reading “A Life-Changing Meeting of Minds”
In 2019, the Society for Classical Studies, a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization, held a rather memorable conference in San Diego. … Continue reading “As the US turns its Back on Western Classics, China Embraces Them”
Editor’s note: this essay is adapted from a talk delivered by Jessica Hooten Wilson at Word on Fire’s Good News Conference on November 7, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. Universities are … Continue reading “Universities Have Forgotten Their Purpose: Pursuing the Contemplative Life”
The study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations through their languages, literature, and history— the study of Classics—is part of the bedrock of a rigorous university education. While some … Continue reading “Did You Know? Classics Departments and Programs Are Disappearing”
At the start of students’ college careers, there are both good and bad unknowns. The good unknowns are the people they will meet, the different instructors, courses on subjects they … Continue reading “Education with a Vision: A Curriculum Worth Following”
The loss of public trust in universities that has risen to front page news did not suddenly emerge in 2020. In 2018 the non-partisan Gallup organization found that, for the … Continue reading “Why Liberal Arts Colleges Are Failing and How to Revive Them”
With the pandemic, more parents are discovering what their children are being taught in public schools—from explicit how-tos in sex-ed class to narratives of power that divide everyone into oppressors … Continue reading “For Teacher Training, Drop Critical Theory and Add Character”