CPR Salutes the Class of 2020!

Congratulations to the CPR Graduates of 2020! While we couldn't salute you in person on Saturday, May 9, we at CPR are extremely proud of the Graduates in Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies for 2020:Frederick O. Altenburg, Alec D. Cameron, Charles M. Carlson, William E. Carpenter, Joelle A. Carter, Lydia G. Eisenberg, Anna K. Elmore, Christopher J. Hanbury, Alexander J. Harris, Kathryn E. Heislup, Addison E. Hinton, John F. Huebler, Brienne A. Kennedy, Haley R. Lavach, Sarah A. Mahmud, Alexandra K. Nette, Ronic B. Ngambwe, Claire E. Parkey, Ivan Quiroga, Madeline G. Robinson, Lillian U. Salamone, Kelsey C. Sheffer, John D. Sullins, Zien Tang, Thomas F. White, and William T. Wren.Each year we also bestow a number of individual honors. This year our honorees include:In CLASSICSOutstanding Graduate in Classics: Lydia G. Eisenberg (Major: Classics: Latin)Barbara Leigh Gregg Greek Prize: Brienne A. Kennedy (Major: Classics: Classical Civilization)Laura V. Sumner Award in Classics: … [Read more...]

Classics and the Digital Classroom

While the University of Mary Washington is conducting classes remotely, the students in Professor Pitts's Ovid class haven't missed a beat. They recently used the Canvas Conference feature to engage with Randolph Macon Professor Bartolo Natoli to discuss his work on the "Silenced Voices" in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Dr. Natoli was originally slated to come to campus, but students were still able to enjoy a digital discussion with him. You can learn more about the class and hear a recording by following this link. … [Read more...]

CPR and Khatib Center to sponsor Jefferson Lecture

The Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies and the Khatib Program for Religion and Dialogue at UMW are happy to announce the 2020 Jefferson Lecture. Our own Professor Mary Beth Mathews will speak on "The Religious Worlds of Enslaved African Americans" on Tuesday, February 18th at 5 p.m. in the HCC Digital Auditorium. We hope you'll join us! … [Read more...]

Mysterium Humanum returns for Spring 2019

  In the coming spring semester, CPR will offer its Mysterium Humanum Studies course for the thirteenth time since the department was created in 1979.  This is a public lecture series exploring a theme of enduring importance to the human condition from a variety of academic points of view.  The course was conceived when the department was formed, as a way to capitalize on its interdisciplinary character.  In previous years we have focused on Justice, Death, Time, God, Imagination, Power, Sex, and Wilderness, among others.  Students earn three credits in the course, but it is also free and open to the public. … [Read more...]

New Courses for Spring 2019

Open to all UMW students, CPR has two new courses for the spring semester! CPRD 299, Mysterium Humanum Studies: Madness, will use a multi-disciplinary set of guest lectures to explore the topic of madness. Approaches will include classics, philosophy, disability studies, religious studies, and art history, to name a few. The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:45 and satisfies major requirements for Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies majors. There are no prerequisites. RELG 231C4, Special Topics: Christianity in Africa, will survey the history of Christianity in Africa, particularly on selected regions: Egypt and sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Violet Gandiya (Ph.D. , University of Cambridge) will teach the course on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. There are no prerequisites, and the course satisfies an elective for Religious Studies majors. … [Read more...]

CPR mourns the passing of Dr. Diane Hatch

  It is with deep regret and sadness that the Dept. of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion announces the passing of its beloved colleague, Dr. Diane Hatch, Professor Emerita of Classics.  Prof. Hatch passed away on Saturday morning, October 13, 2018, at the age of 76. Prof. Hatch began teaching Latin and Classics at Mary Washington College in 1966 and retired in 2000. She received her B.A. in Latin from Sweet Briar College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). Dr. Hatch co-edited with Dr. Elizabeth Clark The Golden Bough, The Oaken Cross: The Virgilian Cento of Faltonia Betitia Proba. Above all, she was dedicated to teaching and her students. … [Read more...]

UMW CPR Zen Garden Opening

  On Saturday, June 2nd at 3 p.m., CPR will celebrate the opening of the new Zen garden, located between Trinkle and Mason Halls. The garden is a joint venture funded by Classics, Philosophy, and Religion; the College of Arts and Sciences dean; and private donors. A reception will follow, and we hope you'll join us. … [Read more...]

Philosophy majors successfully defend honors theses

Last week, Kate Barry, Megan Murphy, Ben Willis, and Jonathan Hollingsworth successfully defended their senior theses in Philosophy. Congratulations to them and to all of the CPR majors graduating on Saturday, May 12, 2018! … [Read more...]

Schedule changes!

The snow has forced some changes to the Religious Freedom conference. Please see the updated schedule below. MARCH 22 UNIVERSITY CENTER, COLONNADE 10:00AM-10:30AM OPENING REMARKS 10:30AM-12:30PM SPEAKER PANEL 12:30PM-2:00PM LUNCH 2:00PM-4:30PM SPEAKER PANEL 4:30PM-4:45PM CLOSING REMARKS SPECIAL EVENT: MONROE HALL 116 7:00PM-8:30PM ROUNDTABLE MARCH 23 UNIVERSITY CENTER, COLONNADE 9:30AM-12:00PM SPEAKER PANEL 12:00PM-1:30PM LUNCH 1:30PM-2:30PM ESSAY WINNERS 2:30PM-4:00PM REFLECTION 4:00PM-4:15PM CLOSING REMARKS Speaker Panels Breakdown with titles March 22nd Panel 1: ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Monica Miller (Lehigh University): “The Struggle of (Black) Gods Today: A.L.L.A.H and the Rhetoric of Divine Subjectivity”​ Benjamin Marcus (Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute): “Who Is the Expert?: Authority and Knowledge in Religious Literacy Education” Panel 2: Persecution complex MARY BETH MATHEWS (UNIVERSITY OF MARY … [Read more...]

Conference schedule for Religious Freedom in a Fractured America, March 22 and 23

  Please join us for UMW CPR's conference, Religious Freedom in a Fractured America. Day sessions will meet in the University Center's Colonnade Room on March 22 and 23. Thursday evening's special panel on "Religious Freedom in the Streets: Remembering Charlottesville" is set for Monroe 116 at 7 p.m. Many thanks to the University of Virginia's Center for the Study of Religion, UMW's Women's and Gender Studies Program, UMW's Political Science and International Affairs Department, the UMW Department of History and American Studies, and the UMW Leidecker Center for Asian Studies for their generous support! MARCH 22 UNIVERSITY CENTER, COLONNADE 9:30AM-10:00AM     Opening Remarks 10:00AM-12:30PM   Panel: Anti-Intellectualism and Religious Freedom Matthew Scherer (George Mason University): "religious freedom: a longer view on contemporary questions" Monica Miller (Lehigh University): “The Struggle of (Black) Gods Today: A.L.L.A.H and the Rhetoric of Divine … [Read more...]