March 27, 2024
From 3:45-4:45 today, Professor Beth Severy-Hoven will be holding an information session on the department’s 2025 January in Rome opportunity in the Harmon Room. Feel free to drop in any time with any questions or concerns!
For a recap of the information from today’s session, or as a resource for students who were unable to attend, reference this flyer for information on the trip itinerary, application rounds, and preparations. To apply for our 2025 trip, please fill out this form.
March 21, 2022
Professor Overman recently wrote about the destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine for the American Society of Overseas Research. Here is a link to the piece.
September 30, 2021
After analyzing both the costs associated with a mid-pandemic program and the likelihood that we would actually be able to go, the Department of the Classical Mediterranean and Middle East has postponed the next offering of its popular January in Rome program until 2023. Information about the course is always available on our January Programs website. Watch for announcements of a spring round of applications in April. If you have questions about the 2023 program, please contact Beth Severy-Hoven at [email protected].
September 1, 2021
INCOMING FIRST YEAR STUDENTS: Participate in the World Languages at Macalester SCAVENGER HUNT! Visit the websites of the departments offering world languages at Macalester. Find the answers to the following questions (https://forms.gle/Eu2xrTdSr6BcRxcv7) on the homepages of each department. Fill in your responses and submit by September 1, 2021 for a chance to win a gift card to Shish, a beloved Middle Eastern restaurant near the Macalester campus.
June 5, 2020
Antiquity Now, Spring 2020
The Spring 2020 edition of our newsletter, Antiquity Now, is here. This Antiquity Now has been created under the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of the effects of that crisis are reflected in the pages. The newsletter does not include news of the wave of responses in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a wound that is very recent, and raw; and built on a long history of racism. This Antiquity Now covers the semester that ended just before this response to systemic racism erupted, and may seem jarringly upbeat. In this Antiquity Now we are celebrating the achievements of our department during a challenging semester. Those achievements include work against injustice that our community has been engaged in for years; work which is apparent within these pages, and particularly evident when our alumni share what they have gone on to do with their majors.
We began June with a new college President, Dr. Suzanne Rivera, who has said, “The college sits at the center of our nation’s broken heart today. We must stand up and do something to repair it.” When we return, and even now while we are apart, we will stand up where we can to repair the nation, and the world beyond.
April 28, 2020
Bringing Our World to Students’ Homes
Taking our Spring Sampler visits online, Professors Brian Lush and Beth Severy-Hoven provide an introduction to the department for admitted students.
April 15, 2020
Throughout History, Peeps have Overcome, by Herta Pitman
Take a moment to view the PeepsShow SlideShow
and learn how Peeps of the past have managed adversity.
April 10, 2020
Classics Department Video Introduction, story by Herta Pitman, video of Classics Faculty by Admissions
Professors Beth Severy Hoven, Andy Overman, Nanette Goldman, and Brian Lush got together in mid-March (before social distancing became the norm) to make a video to introduce our department to admitted students who are not able to visit campus in person this spring. The video, while technically imperfect, perfectly captures our welcoming and supportive professors, and provides a quick overview of the major. See it here: https://youtu.be/ghMHdKKthuM
April 1, 2020
Meet a Classics Major, by Andy Overman
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a son of Italian immigrants, grew up in Brooklyn and The College of the Holy Cross College where he majored in Classics. He was captain of the basketball team, following in the footsteps of Boston Celtic great Bob Cousy He attended Cornell Medical School. He is the 40th most cited researcher alive today and has served in Public and Global Health for over forty years.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera Fauci offered one of the wisest and far-reaching epidemiological statements ever uttered when describing how to best fight an epidemic:
“You don’t skate to where the puck is. You have to skate to where the puck is going be.”
Dr. Fauci, Classics major and, a wise hockey informed Medical philosopher. It doesn’t get any better than that. We are in good hands.
March 20, 2020
Staying in Touch/UPDATES written to our current students by Andy Overman
As Majors and Minors in Classical Mediterranean and Middle East we value you very, very much. I and my fantastic colleagues think the world of each and everyone of you. You mean so much to us, to our department, and to our college community. I am so sorry this strange episode has come upon us and you especially in the midst of your college career.
But we will all make it through this and we will be a stronger community as a result. Our department wants you to know we are here for you. Anything you might need, any questions you have, rumors you may have heard, and any other concerns you have, please reach out to me or Brian, Nanette, Beth or Greg. We are here and want to try to stand together and support one another in every way possible.
So I have heard from some of you but by no means all. So please reach out to me and let me know where you are, how you are doing and if you need anything at all. OK? Let’s stay in touch with one another and remain strong as a community. We are here for you and we are all here for one another.
I have had a chance to see some of you this week and I commend you on how you are dealing with all of this, maintaining both your character and your usual high standards!
So we will keep you updated on anything we hear and know. And please touch base and stay in touch. You all are amazing!
With a Big Hug and Elbow Bump!
For older posts, visit the Department News Archive.