Advanced Seminar in the Humanities 2008 - 2009. Literature and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece, Rome, and the Near East

Download the application form here

Conveners:
Ettore Cingano, professor of Greek Literature, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia
Lucio Milano, professor of Ancient Near Eastern History, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia

When:
From November 17 to November 29, 2008, Venice International University (VIU), with the support of the Fondazione di Venezia, will offer a post-graduate seminar on “Literature and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece, Rome and the Near East”.

The program:
The program is conceived as a two year commitment over two successive years (2008 and 2009). The first session (November 2008) will consist of lectures by scholars with a seminar approach on the origins and development of literary genres and literacy in Ancient Greece, Rome and the Near East. Some of the lectures will run simultaneously and will be devoted respectively to the interpretation of specific classical and Near Eastern texts, with more focus on textual analysis.

The Faculty:
The faculty consists of scholars active in the field of Greek, Latin and Ancient Near Eastern literature, including: Alessandro Barchiesi (Università di Siena - Stanford University); Ettore Cingano (Venice), Joy Connolly (New York University); Stephanie Dalley (Oriental Institute, Oxford); Richard Hunter (Trinity College, Cambridge); Lucio Milano (Venice), Dirk Obbink (Christ Church, Oxford); Alessandro Schiesaro (Università di Roma “La Sapienza”); David Sider (New York University); Konrad Volk (Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen); Nathan Wasserman (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem).

The aim of the program:
The aim of the program is firstly to investigate the relationship between themes, motifs and structures of the texts, starting with the early examples of epic poetry and of wisdom and didactic literature; secondly, to examine the processes involved in their transmission and preservation in both oral and written forms. A variety of issues concerning the history of literate cultures will also be reviewed, such as, for example, the relationship of gods with mortals, the textual traditions, the creation and organization of libraries, the classification of genres, and the relationship between literature and politics.

In the course of the first session the fellows will identify a research project according to their own scholarly interests and under the supervision of one of the faculty. This project will be presented in the form of an essay in the second session of the seminar, which will be held in from September 21 to 27, 2009 and will also host a number of lectures by invited speakers.

Participation in the second session is a prerequisite for admission:
The second session will also host a number of lectures by invited speakers. The invited speakers in the last session of the seminar (2006 - 2007) were Stephanie Dalley, Joy Connolly, Margalit Finkelberg, Susan Stephens, Piotr Michalowski. The list of invited speakers for the second session (2009) will be available on the website of VIU by the end of May.

Prerequisites:
Knowledge of Greek and Latin, and/or of some of the ancient Near Eastern languages, is expected. Lectures will be in English. A good knowledge of spoken and written English is also required. The lectures will alternate with a series of visits to, for example, the Marciana Library, the Library of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, the Centro Studi e Ricerche Ligabue, and to the Basilica of San Marco.

Fellows and faculty will be housed on the island of San Servolo, and lectures will take place on the premises of VIU. All rooms are shared rooms (2 or 3 beds per room of a very comfortable size, with ensuite bathroom), therefore each fellow will have 1 or 2 room-mates of the same gender for the duration of the program. Lunch and dinner are served at the San Servolo dining hall
For each of the sessions, the program will cover room and board for the fellows accepted into the program.
Travel costs to Venice and back are to be met by the admitted fellows’ home universities or other institutions.

Fellows:
The program is open to 20 fellows. All will be either in an advanced stage of doctoral research, or will have recently completed Ph.D.s. The candidates will be selected by a committee appointed by VIU. The decision of the committee will be final.

Application deadline:
May 31, 2008

For information and application, please contact:
Venice International University
Ref: Literature and Culture in the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece, Rome and the Near East
Isola di San Servolo
30100 Venezia
Italy

Tel. +39 041 2719 511
Fax +39 041 2719 510
E-mail: classics@univiu.org
http://www.univiu.org/graduate/seminarhumanities/index.htm