Guest Author
The introduction to Homer’s “Odyssey” tells us that the hero was “a man of many twists and turns.” The trials and adventures of this wily figure will be a centerpiece of the new core curriculum at New College of Florida. Starting next year, all first-year students will take a required course on the epic that will focus on close reading, analysis and discussion.
New College’s new core curriculum unites the Greek concepts of logos, reasoned speech and techne, applied knowledge. The logos curriculum provides students with the opportunity to read directly and extensively, from the great works of the past. In the Odyssey class, new students will take their first step on this enriching and exciting journey.
Why the Odyssey? Most people are familiar with some of the flashier elements of Odysseus’s story, such as his confrontations with the Cyclops and the Sirens. But when students approach the text carefully and inquisitively, they learn that it is in fact a rich, complex literary work that raises enduring human questions: What is a hero? What is the nature of identity and self-discovery? What are the consequences of hubris and the pursuit of power? What is the role of fate and free will in human life? What is the nature of temptation and the consequences of indulgence? What do the bonds of loyalty, love and family demand?
Our course on the Odyssey will demonstrate to new students that they don’t have to be experts to ask serious questions and get serious answers from ancient works, and to have fun while doing it. While the course is being designed and directed by knowledgeable and experienced classicists at the college, the focus will be on small group discussions where students learn how to talk about literature thoughtfully and productively with their friends. To further emphasize the accessibility of the great works of the past, faculty section leaders will include many professors from disciplines unrelated to the classics—this semester, for example, they include an economist and a specialist in Eastern religions. In this environment of free exploration, we expect students to develop the skills and the confidence to confront other great works in the future.
Most class meetings feature guest lecturers who discuss how some aspect of the Odyssey illuminates questions and problems in their own disciplines. For example, a professor of art history will describe how the image of Penelope weaving has inspired modern artists, while a professor of political economy will use the image of Odysseus bound to the mast as the ship passes the Sirens to introduce the paradox of choosing constraints in designing constitutions. These presentations will introduce new students to professors and fields they might be unfamiliar with and emphasize the interconnected nature of all learning.
The pilot version of the course is being offered now. On a recent Monday evening before class, students and section leaders chatted and ate tacos and barbecue from a couple of food trucks outside the classroom. In the classrooms, students debated whether the young Telemachus’s rebuke of his mother Penelope is meant to underscore his immaturity or signal his coming of age. Students read passages aloud in support of their arguments.
Great works energize a great college education, and we also hope that students will develop the ability and desire to continue to engage with the great works throughout their lives. To demonstrate the importance of these works for people at every stage of life, this semester, I’m not only serving as interim president — I’m also a student. I’ll be attending the class, and I’m looking forward to escaping the daily grind for a few hours immersed in the glory of ancient Greece.
At New College, we will show how the struggles and triumphs of a literary figure from almost three thousand years ago can productively illuminate those of a student new to college.
And the difficult journey of Odysseus and his eventual triumph will serve as a metaphor for a student’s journey through college and through life.
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Former Rep. Richard Corcoran served as Florida House Speaker and state Commissioner of Education. He is currently interim president of New College of Florida.
11 comments
JD
September 25, 2023 at 7:37 am
“Guest Author”? Someone is afraid to put their name or moniker on this rhetoric.
Let’s talk about the reality.
New College is becoming a classical ghost of itself, a Greek tragedy.
Pathetic drivel.
Rick Whitaker
September 25, 2023 at 8:13 am
i don’t know much about corcoran, but considering desantis’ interference in the school, i assumed he was somehow in cahoots . the focus on ancient greek works does seem to me to be a smokescreen to distract from all the issues that the anti-woke governor is consumed by. the greeks are considered to be “white”, so there is no messy discussion of race.. drivel, i agree.
John Ubele
September 25, 2023 at 9:05 am
The filmmakers of the resistance front should show the world how Zionism benefitted from the Black Slave Trade
“…Ubele stated: The Zionists and the Israeli government, which is actually their base and center, do not want people to know anything about the truth of the Black Slave Trade [1], because if a decision were to be made in a world court, judgements would be issued against Israel and many powerful Jews around the world.
They would have to pay trillions of dollars and this is the greatest vulnerability of the Jews. Filmmakers can show the importance of this issue to the world by producing videos and films about the Black Slave Trade [2], [3], [4] …”
Source:
http://tn.ai/2900815
Footnotes:
[1] Minister Louis Farrakhan’s Letter To ADL’s Abraham Foxman
https://finalcall.com/artman/publish/Minister_Louis_Farrakhan_9/article_7116.shtml
[2] The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews Volume 1: The Jewish Role in the Enslavement of the African
https://store.finalcall.com/product/the-secret-relationship-between-blacks-and-jews-volume-1/
[3] The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews Volume 2: How Jews Gained Control of the Black American Economy
https://store.finalcall.com/product/the-secret-relationship-between-blacks-and-jews-volume-2/
[4] Jews Selling Blacks: Slave Sale Advertising by American Jews
https://store.finalcall.com/product/jews-selling-blacks/
TJC
September 25, 2023 at 9:16 am
It is written by Corcoran, he’s the guest author. And the ironies of his own words apparently escape him. “What are the consequences of hubris and the pursuit of power?” he writes, extolling the mighty lessons the students will learn. They’ve already learned that two-fold lesson, however: the hubris of the Governor who appointed him to run New College is apparent to all, foes and friends alike. And Corcoran himself is the example of craven desire to pursue power, shown by his willingness to participate in the political war against what was a truly fine institution. Between the two of them, DeSantis and Corcoran, the lessons are clear to all but themselves.
Michael K
September 25, 2023 at 8:33 am
Richard Corcoran is destroying New College – the former premier liberal arts institution with the highest number of Fullbright Scholars in the nation.
Why? Just to serve the failing presidential campaign of a delusional and power-hungry Ron DeSantis. In a very short time, New College’s rankings have tanked. Corcoran and Rufo are unfit to serve – neither deserves or belongs there.
Rick Whitaker
September 25, 2023 at 9:16 am
you get what you vote for. if desantistan wants to continue to be a laughing stock of the country they will continue to let him tear the state down to the maga level. wake up and smell the s*it.
My Take
September 25, 2023 at 10:51 am
The uderlyig, but INTENDED, message is, “Your cutural heritage and wisdom come from EUROPE, from WHITE MEN.
But they state this openly elsewhere, not hère.
My Take
September 25, 2023 at 12:14 pm
Let’s see, how would a MAGA GOPer spin against this were the tabĺes turned?
“Why does a minion of Ron DeSanctimonious force onto our college students the primative philosophy of an ancient pagan . . . over the everlasting message of Our Lord, Jesus Christ?!”
Rick Whitaker
September 25, 2023 at 4:10 pm
christianity is a 2000 year old cult based on “take it on faith” conspiracy theory . i go by empirical fact, not faith. most, if not all, cults go with the, do as i say, not as i do, m.o. most of their texts were written by people that knew only of one fifth of the world, so they were ignorant of the other four fifths. misinformation for sure. maga is a similar cult in that they rely on the “take it on faith” b.s.
My Take
September 26, 2023 at 2:19 am
Imagine if a professor there taught the same underlying lessons and more from a classic epic tale from ancient India, or China, or the Steppes, or eMesopotamia, or Africa (!!), or Dreamtime Australia, or Pacifica, or native America?
Imagine the white-man’s carping.
“We are are Aryans!” he would bleat, incorrectly.
My Take
September 26, 2023 at 2:24 am
Or Japan.
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