Prof. Scully leads seminar at Grambling State University
Exploring the Margins: Enhancing the Teaching of Ancient Greek Drama at Historically Black Colleges and Universities at Grambling State University, Grambling, Louisiana
Stephen Scully (Associate Professor, Department of Classical Studies) and Michele Valerie Ronnick (BU PhD ’90; Professor of Classics and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Wayne State University) teamed up to lead seminars on ancient Greek tragedy and the history of black Classics educators at the NEH-funded seminar at Grambling State University from May 26 to June 13. According to Dr. Hugh Wilson, one of the principal investigators, the institute’s goal is to “explore the continuing relevance of Greek drama to society at large,” as well as “foster a greater awareness of the black literature and drama influenced by the Greeks.”
The 15 faculty fellows, all of whom hold faculty appointments at historically black colleges and universities across the United States, studied the works of Aeschylus (with Scully leading the seminars), Sophocles (led by Professor Rush Rehm of Stanford University), and Euripides (led by Professor Ruth Scodel from the University of Michigan). Professor Ronnick led seminars examining the history of black classicism in the United States and discussing the influences of the Graeco-Roman heritage upon the work of African and African-American intellectuals, writers and artists here and abroad.