Dean White appoints new Director of Classical Studies

The Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Program in Classical Studies at ECU has a new director. On Nov. 18, Dean Alan R. White appointed Dr. John Given as director of the program, replacing Professor John Stevens, who served as director for the previous five years.

Stevens will return to his teaching and research at ECU, teaching a new course he developed on the power of images in the ancient world and working on a book about the epic poem "Aeneid" by the Roman poet Vergil.

"Professor Stevens has been an outstanding leader for the program, someone who has had big ideas and has known how to accomplish them," says Given. "It is a daunting task to follow him but a challenge I am excited to face."

During the past seven years, Given has taught as an assistant professor of classics in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. He has worked within the college to create full curriculum in ancient Greek and to enhance the program's offerings in courses in translation.

Already, Given has established a few goals as the new director for the Program in Classical Studies.

"We have become justly proud of our recent graduates who have gained admission into M.A. and Ph.D. programs at outstanding universities in the United States and abroad. I hope to continue enabling our students to pursue advanced degrees when they so desire," says Given. "At the same time, we need to improve the opportunities for our graduates who decide to enter the workforce immediately after ECU."

The Program in Classical Studies has begun some work in teacher training, and it is one of Given's goals to work with the College of Education to enable students to graduate from ECU with certification in Latin. However, Given wants to help all graduates of the program in their future pursuits.

"Classics majors often enter religious ministry, law, medicine, museum curatorship, professional writing, journalism, tourism and librarianship," says Given. "Since classics is by its nature an interdisciplinary field, we are able to support a broad array of interests."

Classical Studies is a concentration within the college's Multidisciplinary Studies Program. Faculty in the program hold appointments in the Departments of Foreign Languages and Literatures, History, Anthropology and English. Students may minor in classical studies, or use the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in multidisciplinary studies to major in classics or classical civilization. The program offers four years of Latin and ancient Greek and more than 20 courses in archaeology, history, literature, philosophy and religion.

For more information, please visit the program Web site at ecu.edu/classics or contact Given at givenj@ecu.edu or 252.328.6583.