[Expositions 5.2 (2011) 1-2]  Expositions (online) ISSN: 1747-5376 

 

 

The Future of the Classics: Introduction 

DONALD E. LAVIGNE 

Texas Tech University 

 

I firmly believe that if modern Western society is to continue to endorse the study of the 

Classics, it is essential that we, as classicists, actively participate in a public discussion of what 

exactly it means to pursue such study. Too often, we allow anachronistic definitions of our field 

and its significance to populate the marketplace of ideas. Do we really expect those who hold 

power over the dollars that fund education to make informed decisions about the value of 

Classics if we ourselves are not regularly reminding them of exactly what that value is? The 

following papers represent an effort to contribute to such a discussion of the discipline, its value 

and concerns for the future, and to foster an on-going, public debate of the future of the Classics. 

When I was first asked by the editorial team of Expositions to offer my ruminations on the state 

of Classics, I had the good fortune to be in residence at the Center for Hellenic Studies (CHS). 

As one of CHS’s missions is to act as a conduit between classicists and society at large, I, in 

consultation with the Director and the rest of the management team, arranged to host a 

symposium on the future of the Classics, in order to provide a jumping off point for a self-

examination of the discipline, in the hopes of spurring more analysis and debate. The breadth we 

were seeking is embodied in the contributors themselves, who represent several countries, from 

Greece to the US, and have various institutional associations, from middle schools to top-rank 

research universities. The resultant picture of the state of the discipline contained in these papers 

is rather varied and nuanced, informing as much through the similarities as the differences 

revealed in each contribution. Yet, the contributions all share a basic approach, in that each 

surveys the past with an eye toward how that past has shaped the present state of the discipline, 

finally offering some suggestions for the future. As evidence of the fecundity of this approach, 

many unforeseen connections and unaddressed problems, as well as other visions of the state of 

the discipline and its future, were broached in discussion after the oral presentation of the papers. 

While it has proven impossible here to include a sense of the vibrant discussion that followed the 

live presentation of the papers (presented to an audience of classicists at CHS and broadcast on 

their website), I encourage readers to watch a recording of the original event (including both the 

papers and discussion) at the following url: http://vimeo.com/channels/chsfellows. It seems that 

such a broad-ranging and free discussion of the state of Classics as a discipline could only be 

possible in the context of the Center for Hellenic Studies. Indeed, time and again CHS has shown 

its leadership in the field (and in the Academy more generally) by supporting innovative projects 

that address concerns far beyond those deemed traditional, and the present endeavor owes its 

existence to the Center’s progressive agenda. I especially would like to thank Greg Nagy (the 

director of CHS), Kenny Morell, and Doug Frame for marshaling the resources of the Center for 

http://vimeo.com/channels/chsfellows


Future of the Classics: Introduction  2 

 

Hellenic Studies in support of this project. Special thanks are due to Rob Jensen, for recording 

the symposium; and to Ruth Taylor, Lanah Koehl, and Allie Marbry for ensuring all aspects of 

the event came off without a hitch.  It remains to thank my fellow contributors, who took time 

out of their ongoing work to share their thoughts on the state of the discipline – these papers 

stand as testaments to their commitment to fostering the kind of public debate without which the 

future of the Classics would be rather uncertain.