@orpheus22 That is astute. But it is not only a matter content - I teach diverse content — but also the habits of mind, the attention to detail, a philological (rather than a ‘critical’ or theoretical) conception of meaning - born from decades of parsing...
@JeremyTate41 Yes, our situation does scramble all the clichés and political stereotypes — it’s precisely why so many are trying, and unsuccessfully, to fit us into some neat disjunction: is it A or is it B?
When both are missing the point of what we do entirely... The truth is much simpler
@AsheeshKSi Believe me, my friend, we don’t cost anywhere near a “couple of million”...!
Do you know anyone in Congress who’s studied Greek or Latin? They might ‘get it’.
student/faculty ratios in the College — and strong course evaluations. This is the product of intellectually challenging and dedicated teaching.
And many of our students go on to high-powered careers, which they often ascribe to their years in Locke Hall.
Just listen to them.
What many are missing is that HU Classics is very popular with students — hence, the tremendous support from students and alums. It has nothing to do with anything ideological.
Our minors are currently thriving, and our GenEd contributions leave us with one of the highest...
When I was at @HowardU , just a few months after I declared my major in Latin, the majors (Greek, Latin, & Classical Civ) was taken off the books. Other enthusiastic students were forced to minor in it and find other departments for their majors.
.@HUPrez17 @Morning_Joe
That is when an earlier prioritization took away our majors, leaving only the minors.
In 2017, we had only one declared minor.
But a revitalization push followed. We currently have approx. 20 declared minors (35 current or recently graduated).
.@HUPrez17 @HowardU@Morning_Joe
The question about demand for Classics is more nuanced than the media has captured.
After years of acting solely as a GenEd ‘service department’, the Classics then graduated approx. 57 majors between 2000-2009, including a Rhodes Scholar.
I just know my life (and many of the people I know) would be fundamentally different if I’d never walked in that office in Locke in 2013. And I just hate to think that no other students will get to experience that.
This tweet is closing in on 48,000 views (impressions) since just mid-afternoon. That really astonishes...
We are very touched and grateful for everyone’s interest and support.
With all due respect, we believe that the money that will be saved by this move is marginal, since the principle salaries apparently will be retained. Nor does this piece address 90% of what we actually teach in Classics: the ancient world, Latin, and Greek (and their receptions)
@ShanaHartmann @AfricanaCarr Actually, what is generally lost primarily is the study of Greek and Latin, and the ability to critically read these texts in the original.
Plus the profound analytical foundations that students gain by studying these highly inflected and highly articulated grammars.
@ShanaHartmann @AfricanaCarr You could, yes — but that’s where University politics gets even more complicated, sadly. At any rate, we have a thriving department, with even more latent potential. It’s a long story, of course...
With all due respect, we believe that the money that will be saved by this move is marginal, since the principle salaries apparently will be retained. Nor does this piece address 90% of what we actually teach in Classics: the ancient world, Latin, and Greek (and their receptions)
“In an ideal world, Howard would have a large, thriving classics department. But departments aren’t free,” write Brandon Hogan and Jacoby Adeshi Carter, who are both professors in Howard University’s philosophy department. https://t.co/LdQKVEfZW9