ANNUAL REPORT

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

1999-2000

NAME: Dan Curley
RANK: Visiting Assistant Professor
EMAIL ADDRESS: dcurley
DEPARTMENT: Classics

I. TEACHING

A. New departmental courses taught; new approaches to existing courses, including use of computers or multi-media in teaching:

As was the case last year, many courses were new to me this year:

Autumn:
CL 103 (Elementary Greek)
CL 301 (Seminar in Latin Prose)

Spring:
CL 100 (English Vocabulary through Greek and Latin)
CL 200 (The Classical World)
CL 223 (Greek and Roman Comedy)

In the case of CL 200, I reworked the format of the class from previous years and instructors to provide a more cohesive and chronological framework for the subject matter.

I developed web sites for all of my new courses, and significantly revised sites for courses I had already taught. Two web sites deserve special mention here:

(1) Hexametrica
[http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/courses/metrica/], an online introduction to the Latin dactylic hexameter (with audio files) for CL 202 (Intermediate Latin II: Vergil); and

(2) ÆON (Ancient Etymology ONline)
[http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/courses/aeon/], which is an interactive web-based textbook/workbook for CL 100. It is fair to say that without ÆON, CL 100 would have been impossible to teach to a maximum number of students in a minimum of contact time. It is also fair to say that ÆON is still a work in progress, and that I hope in the future to explore avenues for modifying and expanding the site.

C. Curricular work-in-progress:

Currently under development is CL 225 (Greek and Roman Lyric), the fourth course in our sequence of ancient poetic genres--the others being CL 222 (Tragedy), CL 223 (Comedy), and CL 224 (Epic). I hope to propose CL 225 to the Curriculum Committee at some point in AY 2000-2001.

Until then I am currently developing a version of this course, with similar content and objectives for CL 365 (Topics in Classical Studies), which I will teach in the fall of 2000. I am also developing for the fall a different version of CL 301 (Seminar in Latin Prose) around the works of the poet Horace. This fall I will also teach CL 105 (Elementary Latin) for the first time.

D. Skidmore curriculum/pedagogy summer workshops attended:

I participated in an All-College Writing Normalization Session (18 February 2000) and in the All-College Writing Assessment Project (16 May 2000).

I presented and discussed the Classics writing webpages [http://www.skidmore.edu/classics/writing.html] as part of the Standards and Expectations Writing Workshop (14 June 2000).

E. Collaborative Research with students, independent studies, theses, etc.:

This year I continued my collaboration on the ÆON web site with Andrew Cencini ('01), which had originally begun last summer as a project funded by a Summer Technology Innovation Grant.

II. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY

A. Publications, exhibits, performances, etc. (Give full citations with dates):

I completed a draft of an article entitled "The Alcaic Kid: Horace and the Poetics of Sacrifice" in April. After receiving peer comments, I am in the process of making final revisions before submitting it to the American Journal of Philology.

B. Presentations at professional meetings or on campuses:

I submitted an abstract to the "Fragments of Sophocles" conference at the University of Nottingham, U.K. (17-19 July 2000.) The abstract was accepted, and I will deliver a paper entitled "Ovid's Tereus: Theater and Metatheater."

Supported by Skidmore Travel funds? Yes, fully.

D. Workshops attended on or off campus:

I was accepted to participate in an NYU Faculty Enrichment Seminar (5-9 June 2000). The title of the seminar is "Performing Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome."

III. SERVICE

A. Administrative responsibilities in program or department:

I oversaw the proposal of two new courses--CL 223 (Greek and Roman Comedy) and CL 100 (English Vocabulary through Greek and Latin)--as well as a catalog copy change for CL 222.

I rewrote the Latin Placement Exam, used for the first time this fall.

I participated actively in discussions about assessment and reconfiguration, including the adjustments to our language sequences.

I attended every Classics Department meeting.

B. Committee responsibilities:

I was a member of the Honor Code Commission. I helped the student Honor Code Educator, Kristina Meinking ('02) develop a mission statement for the commission, and to establish a budget for the next AY (the HCC had never been granted a budget by SGA). Add to these miscellaneous advisory duties of a day-to-day nature.

I was also a contributor to the Honor Code Discussion Group, an ad hoc group of faculty, students, and administrators who are working to focus attention on the Honor Code at Skidmore. Within this group I represented the interests of the Honor Code Commission. I also worked with the group to establish the presence of an honor-related essay in both the Skidmore admissions application, and in the mailings sent to accepted candidates.

Finally, I served as the faculty representative in an adjudication hearing for the Academic Integrity Board (26 May 2000).

C. Advising responsibilities:

This year I became an advisor of 10 first year students, and one Classics major.

D. Other community activities:

I presented a minicollege lecture entitled "Animation in the Ancient World: The Art of Ekphrasis" during Parents' Weekend (16 October 1999).

I attended nearly every Faculty meeting.

I represented Classics at the CRUSSH luncheon for HS guidance counselors (27 Sep 99)

I was a member of the Parents' Advisory Board of the Greenberg Childcare Center, which among other things oversaw the First Annual Greenberg Childcare Center Craft Fair (17 Oct 99), a benefit event for community scholarships to the Center.

Saratoga Springs and region:

I am currently serving as a grader for the NY State Teacher Certification Exam in Latin.

29 June 2000