A.  New departmental courses taught:

1.  CC 220: Classical Mythology (Fall 2001).
2.  HF 200: Honors — Classical Mythology (Fall 2001).
3.  CL 310: Seminar in Latin Poetry — Propertius (Fall 2001).
4.  CL 311: Seminar in Latin Prose — Prose Composition (Spring 2002).

NOTE:  CL 310 and 311 are repeating courses but with varying content.  I have taught these three courses before, but with different authors and subject matter.

A.  New approaches to existing courses:

1.  CC 100: English Vocabulary in Greek and Latin (Spring 2002).  I added four new assignments to enhance student learning.  Two assignments asked students to provide the Greco-Roman etymology of technical vocabulary from their majors;  the two other assignments asked students to choose common mythological and Latin phrases in English and to explain them fully.  These assignments, although short, helped the students come to terms with the pervasiveness of Greek and Latin words and ideas in English.  Because CC 100 is a one-credit course, I also decided this year not to hold a final exam;  I think this alleviated end-of-term pressure that has plagued the course in the past and allowed the students to put forth their best effort during the semester.  I should note that I am satisfied with the content and rigor of the course.

2.  CC 224: Greek and Roman Epic (Fall 2001).  This was the second time I taught this course.  I did less lecturing and offered students more opportunities to confront the material themselves.  These opportunities included a discussion-oriented format, in-class projects, panel presentations, and requiring the students to memorize portions of Odyssey book 9.  In fact, the last two weeks of class were given over entirely to the students, whose task was to analyze Ovid's Metamorphoses within the context of the epic tradition.  I have also begun to have the students explore the theory of gendered space in epic texts.

3.  CL 210: Intermediate Latin (Spring 2002).  This course is the reconfigured version of the old CL 201.  The goals and overall scope of the course remained the same;  the addition of an extra hour, however, allowed the students to explore more than grammatical issues.  For example, I assigned readings about the Druids and Caesar's ethnographic approach, which in turn generated many fruitful discussions about the Romans and their reactions to the Uncivilized Other.  The students also had more time to explore Caesar as an author, and how his works contribute to the genre of historiography at large.

A.  Use of computers or multimedia in teaching:

1.  As in past years, I created a web site for each of my courses, typically consisting of an online syllabus, a timetable of readings and events, links to other web-based resources, and guidelines for assignments and other class projects.  For select courses I wrote simple PERL scripts that automatically updated the web sites, which meant that I had more time to devote to teaching the courses than administrating them.

2.  I once again used my online textbook/workbook ÆON (Ancient Etymology ONline) for CC 100: English Vocabulary from Greek and Latin (Spring 2002).  [http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/courses/aeon/]

B.  Curricular work-in-progress:

1.  CG 310: Seminar in Greek Poetry (Fall 2002).  I have not yet taught advanced Greek at Skidmore.  This fall the focus will be on Homer's Odyssey.

2.  I am revisiting CC 223: Greek and Roman Comedy (Fall 2002), which I first taught in spring 2000 (as CL 223), and I will probably make substantial changes to the course syllabus.

3.  I am also revisiting CC 365: Topics in Classical Studies — Ancient Biography (Fall 2002), which I originally taught in Fall 1998 (as CL 365).

C.  Collaborative Research with students:

1.  I directed the senior thesis of Kristina Ann Meinking ('02): Pagans, Christians, Emperors, and Saints: Architectural Innovation in the Church of San Clemente (Fall 2001 - Spring 2002).

D.  Other:

1.  I guest-lectured on Ovid in Professor Sarah Goodwin's Evolving Canon I class (February 8, 2002).

2.  I contributed ten lectures on Greco-Roman literature to the Classics Department's gateway course, CC 200: The Classical World (Spring 2002).

3.  I delivered a lecture entitled "Welcoming the Stranger:  Hospitality in Homer's Odyssey" during Minicollege on Parents' Weekend (October 13, 2001).  Furthermore, I presented this lecture three times during the Mature Adults Lecture Series (October 30 - November 1, 2001).

II. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY     (Teaching | Service)

A. Publications, exhibits, performances:

1.  My review of Stephen M. Wheeler's A Discourse of Wonders: Audience and Performance in Ovid's Metamorphoses was published in Classical Outlook 79 (2001) 33-34.

2.  I revised substantially an essay entitled "Ovid's Tereus: Theater and Metatheater" for the volume Shards from Kolonos: Studies in Sophoclean Fragments (Levante Editori, Bari;  Alan Sommerstein, ed.).  The volume is slated to be published in 2002/2003.

3.  After receiving comments from an external reader, I completed a third draft of an article entitled "The Alcaic Kid (Horace, Odes 3.13)".  I will submit it to the American Journal of Philology at the end of May 2002.

4.  I have proposed a book on Ovid and tragedy for Ohio State University Press' new series on classical literature.  As part of the proposal, I am producing two sample chapters for external review.  The chapters are nearing completion, and I plan to submit them in June 2002.

5.  I coordinated Homerathon 2001, a multidisciplinary event devoted to the works and influence of the poet Homer (December 4, 2001). 

B. Presentations at professional meetings or on campuses:

1.  "Off-center Stage: Procne and Hecuba in Ovid's Metamorphoses."  Pacific Rim Roman Literature Seminar.  University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY (June 27, 2001).

2.  "The Tragic Page: The Heroides and the Theater of the Epistle."  Langford Latin Seminar.  Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (November 10, 2001).

Both presentations were supported by Skidmore travel funds.

C. Consultancies:

1.  As a consultant for National Evaluation Systems, Inc., I reviewed and annotated a draft of a test framework for the New York State Teacher Certification Examination in Latin (August 2001).

III. SERVICE     (Teaching | Professional Activity)

A.  Administrative responsibilities in department:

1.  I attended every department meeting and participated actively in departmental matters (Fall 2001 - Spring 2002).

2.  I represented the Classics Department during Accepted Candidates Days (April 19, 2002).

3.  I designed an assessment program for our majors, designed to enable a more comprehensive review of the portfolios we require them to keep.  Students will respond to an on-line form on various topics related to their work.  [http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/assessment/]

4.  I interviewed David Wilson-Okamura, candidate for a tenure-track position in the English Department (January 24, 2002).

B.  Committee responsibilities:

1.  I helped plan and implement the fall Orientation Scavenger Hunt (Summer 2001).

2.  I served on the Palamountain Prose Committee (Spring 2002).

3.  I served as the Faculty Representative to the Honor Code Commission (Fall 2001 - Spring 2002).

4.  I served on the search committee for the incoming Director of Assessment (Spring 2002).

5.  I served as a faculty representative in an adjudication hearing for the Integrity Board (May 14, 2002).

C.  Advising responsibilities:

1.  I was the advisor of four first-year students, seven second-years, two third-years, and two fourth-years (Fall 2001 - Spring 2002).  Nine of these fifteen were Classics majors.

D.  Other community activities:

1.  I attended every Faculty meeting (both the regular monthly meetings and the two "Faculty-only" discussion sessions (Fall 2001 - Spring 2002).

2.  I participated in Commencement Exercises (May 18, 2002).

3.  I attended the Trustees' Dinner (February 21, 2002).

E.  UWW and/or MALS:

1.  I completed a tutorial in classical mythology with a UWW student, Pam Baltuskonis (Summer - Fall 2001).

F.  Saratoga Springs and region:

1.  I was a coach for the Saratoga Youth Soccer Club, a children's athletic program affiliated with the Capital District Youth Soccer League (Fall 2001 - Spring 2002).

Respectfully submitted,

 
Dan Curley
Assistant Professor of Classics
Skidmore College

May 23, 2002