A.  New departmental courses taught:

1.  CL 310: Seminar in Latin Poetry — Ovid's Metamorphoses (Fall 2005).  This course developed from my sabbatical research project of last AY.

2.  CG 210: Intermediate Greek (Spring 2006).

New approaches to existing courses:

1.  CC 222: Greek Tragedy (Fall 2005).  I restructured the semester project — formerly the production of an "original" Greek tragedy in English, a task perhaps too onerous for a single semester — by dividing the students into four small groups and asking each group simply to write one tragedy;  the groups shared their plays with each other through rehearsed readings at the end of the semester.  The project was conducted in large part online through the use of a wiki (see below, "Use of computers or multimedia").  Apart from the semester project, I also required the students to perform in class a short scene from Seamus Heaney's Burial at Thebes, and to hold panel discussions on select aspects of tragedy as a genre.  We also spent time making and performing in tragic masks, a project expanded from the previous incarnation of this course.

2.  CC 365: Topics in Classical Studies — Ancient Biography (Spring 2006).  I retained the semester project, to write the biography of a twentieth century figure in the manner of an ancient biographer, but added new peer review exercises.  I also reviewed the reading list and deleted a substantial number of extraneous readings;  to judge from students' reactions on the long-form evaluations, the reading list is still a work in progress.

3.  CC 100: English Vocabulary in Greek and Latin (Spring 2006).  I completed a comprehensive retrofitting of the ÆON Workbook, a web site of exercises and assignments (see below, "Use of computers or multimedia").

A.  Use of computers or multimedia in teaching:

1.  I created web sites for most of my courses, typically consisting of an on-line syllabus, a timetable of readings and events, links to other web-based resources, and guidelines for assignments and other class projects.  My web sites this year were more automated than in previous years — for example, I programmed many of the initial pages to display automatically the agenda for upcoming classes.

2.  My students in CC 222: Greek Tragedy used a wiki, an online workspace which allowed them to collaborate more easily, and which allowed me to critique their work more regularly (and more publicly).  [http://academics.skidmore.edu/wikis/Greek_Tragedy/index.php/Main_Page]

3.  I once again used my online textbook/workbook ÆON (Ancient Etymology ONline)[http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/courses/aeon/] for CC 100: English Vocabulary from Greek and Latin (Spring 2006).  This year I completely retrofitted each page of the Workbook to make the exercises easier for students to fill out.  Correct and incorrect answers were displayed more clearly;  I gave students the option of simply checking answers or formally submitting them to me via email (in past years, I would get an email whenever students wanted to check their answers, thus taxing the email servers as well as my inbox).  Finally, I enabled students to keep better track of their scores by cc'ing them on the point totals ÆON sent to me.  The end result has been a more user-friendly experience for the students, one in keeping with the goals of this online course:  maximum learning, minimum credit experience (the latter dictated by departmental staffing issues).

B.  Curricular work-in-progress:

1.  HF 201: Junior Great Books Training and HF 202: Junior Great Books Practicum, slated for Fall 2006 and Spring 2007, respectively.

2.  Scribner seminar tentatively entitled "Myth-conceptions," Fall 2007.  The course will focus on modern attempts to create mythical systems, which resonate with the social functions of ancient Greco-Roman myth.

C.  Other:

1.  CC 390:  Thesis (Spring 2006).  I directed the senior thesis of Naomi Gutierrez, entitled From Mediterranean to Mississippi:  Inversion and Substitution in the Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

2.  I contributed seven guest lectures on Greco-Roman literature to our gateway course, CC 200 — The Classical World (Spring 2006).

3.  I guest-lectured on Greek tragedy in Kendra Eshlemann's HI 202 — Greek History class (April 8, 2006).

4.  I participated in a discussion of Burial at Thebes at the Theater Department orientation (September 2, 2005).

5.  I lectured on Greek tragedy for the cast and crew of Burial at Thebes (September 26, 2005).

II. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY     (Teaching | Service)

NOTE:  A grave hand injury curtailed my professional activity
this academic year, especially in the fall semester.

A. Publications:

1.  "The Tragic Page: The Heroides and the Theater of the Epistle."  Under revision.

2.  "Homeric Hospitality in Callimachus' Hecale."  In preparation.

3.  Theater and Metatheater: Transforming Tragedy in Ovid.  Book project nearing completion for Ohio State University Press.

B. Professional meetings attended:

1.  Symposium on the Symposium.  Skidmore College, April 9, 2006.

2.  Parilia:  An Undergraduate Conference in Classics.  A conference devoted to undergraduate research and professional development.  Union College, April 21, 2006.

C. Workshops attended:

1.  Burial at Thebes Planning Session for the FYE.  September 2, 2005.

2.  Senior Thesis Workshop. May 9, 2006.

3.  First Year Experience Workshops for Scribner Seminars.  May 22 - 25, 2006.

III. SERVICE     (Teaching | Professional Activity)

A.  Administrative responsibilities in department:

1.  I attended every department meeting and participated actively in departmental matters (Fall 2005 - Spring 2006).

B.  Committee responsibilities:

1.  Faculty Executive Committee (Fall 2005 - Spring 2006)

C.  Advising responsibilities:

1.  Advisor of one sophomore Classics major (Spring 2006).

D.  Other community activities:

1.  I led a discussion of Burial at Thebes during with First-year students during Orientation (September 5, 2005).

2.  I co-hosted a Minicollege session on Burial at Thebes with Carolyn Anderson. (October 8, 2005).

3.  I attended a Mellon Grant Panel on the Classics Major (March 28, 2006).

4.  I participated in the Homerathon (April 14, 2006).

5.  I attended every Faculty meeting (both the regular monthly meetings and the two "Faculty-only" discussion fora (Fall 2005 - Spring 2006).

6.  I participated in Commencement Exercises (May 20, 2006).

7.  I proposed a course on ancient mask-making for Skidmore's Community Education Evening Art Class series;  the course was accepted, but unfortunately cancelled due to low enrollment.

Respectfully submitted,

 
Dan Curley
Assistant Professor of Classics
Skidmore College

June 7, 2006