Vassar Greek and Roman Studies

08/24/2026

Prof. Rice delivering a paper at Durham University earlier this month titled “Religion, Slavery, and the Law in the Late Roman Household: Preliminary Considerations” as part of a conference on The Domestic Dimension of Religious Conflict in the Ancient Mediterranean. This term he's teaching "Introduction to Greek and Roman Civilizations" and Intermediate Latin.

08/03/2026

As part of the 2026 Institute for Liberal Arts Digital Scholarship (ILiADS), hosted this year by Vassar College Libraries, Prof. Rice met with Prof. Rhodora Grate Vennarucci from Denison University and Dr. Robert Conn from the Thaden School to learn about their new Latin learning virtual reality digital humanities project, titled IVR + Living Latin. The project brings together Prof. Vennarucci's expertise in the archaeology of Roman retail with Dr. Conn's living Latin pedagogy to simulate a choose-your-own-adventure shopping experience in Latin! Prof. Rice had a chance to try out the simulation: look at the wonder on his face!

07/22/2026

When it rains it pours, today Professor Dozier also published his review of Nolan's Odyssey, commenting on the politics of the film in relation to the white nationalist interpretations of the poem that he wrote about in "The White Pedestal" https://pghrev.com/nolans-odyssey-and-the-constraints-of-the-past/

07/22/2026

Professor Dozier was interviewed for Ms. Magazine (along with Rosa Andújar, who spoke at Vassar about Carribean adaptations of Greek tragedies in 1970s NYC last Spring) about the casting in Nolan's Odyssey.

The diversity of the ancient world is our collective heritage. Scholars say the controversy over The Odyssey reflects a centuries-long effort to whitewash the ancient world.

05/13/2026

Professor Dozier is offering a 3-session online course for the 92nd Street Y in June (17, 24, and July 1) on White nationalism and Greco-Roman antiquity. Expect an in-depth introduction to why the far right is fascinated with ancient history, how they know more about the past than you might expect, and how traditions of classicism outside the mainstream can help challenge their narratives.
https://roundtable.org/live-courses/history/how-white-nationalists-use-ancient-greece-and-rome-to-justify-hate

05/06/2026

Happy end of classes! Here students in Prof. Rice's Elementary Greek course share their final projects, in which they worked in groups to prepare creative ways to study grammar ahead of their final exam. They planned card games and escape rooms to review participles, prepositions, and verb forms!

04/14/2026

Professor Dozier wrote in Salon about what references to ancient Rome accomplish for politicians seeking to make their violent politics seem glorious

From America to Britain, conservatives' focus on the Roman Empire is part of an effort to make violence virtuous

04/06/2026

Join us for a lecture by Professor Rosa Andújar of Barnard College on Tuesday, April 14th at 5:30 PM.

02/18/2026

Curtis Dozier will be moderating a "Classics and Social Justice" conversation on Feb 21 about the challenge that white nationalist classicism poses to us as teachers. Info in the flyer below; link to register here: (https://gonzaga.zoom.us/.../register/6D-N642WSsm47ZDO5YA2Ng)

01/06/2026

Prof Curtis Dozier was interviewed on "Let's Talk About Myths, Baby" about his new book, "The White Pedestal: How White Nationalists Use Ancient Greece and Rome to Justify Hate." Both out today!

Podcast Episode · Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean · 01/06/2026 · 1h 26m