Classical Reception and pedagogy
A Scottish perspective on teaching the reception of classical material culture, 2 May 2024, St Andrews
The hybrid workshop, which took place in early May in St Andrews, brought together experts from various Scottish institutions to share experiences, good practices and strategies on teaching the reception of classical material culture. The workshop was organised by Alexia Petsalis-Diomidis (School of Classics, University of St Andrews) and Lenia Kouneni (School of Art History, University of St Andrews), under the aegis of the St Andrews Centre for Receptions of Antiquity (SACRA) and with the support of the Council of University Classical Departments (CUCD) and the Schools of Classics and Art History. In the morning session there were presentations by Blair Cunningham (University of Glasgow), Matthew Fox (University of Glasgow), Hans Hones (University of Aberdeen), Seren Nolan (University of Edinburgh), Laura Moretti (University of St Andrews), and Darin Stine (University of Edinburgh). This was followed by an afternoon exploring the University Collections and discussing object-based learning. We looked at a selection of early printed books, Grand Tour journals, nineteenth-century photographic albums, and plaster cameos, discussing the potential of each as teaching resources.
As many university departments are increasingly incorporating Classical Reception Studies into curricula, we are faced with the challenge of effectively embedding the subdiscipline into existing or new programmes. As the boundaries of classical reception continue to expand, so too do the pedagogical possibilities. A self-critical and self-aware approach to our teaching is central to enabling students to appreciate both the breadth and the impact of reception. Alexia and Lenia considered this to be an opportune moment to evaluate how we approach classical reception in our classrooms.
What makes the teaching of the reception of classical material culture distinctive?
The subject, more than many others, is taught in a variety of disciplines and institutional contexts. For example, our speakers came from Schools of Humanities, Classics, Art History and Edinburgh College of Art, as well as access and lifelong learning programmes. Our specialisms included material culture in a range of periods and cultures, including the classical world, the Byzantine age and Britain, Italy and the Ottoman Empire from the Renaissance to the accession of Victoria. Several people remarked that they did not realise that they were doing ‘classical reception’ until others suggested this to them! One of the questions we bore in mind throughout was how does seeing this kind of teaching as ‘classical reception’ help us to develop our understanding of the subject and teaching practice? One answer was that a focus on the classical reception element can lead to a myopic vision of the material, to the exclusion of other important features (such as artistic trends, or an imperial socio-economic context), but at the same time this narrower focus reflects the dominance of the classical tradition in past eras.
The diversity of our institutional contexts is matched by a diversity in the demographics of our students and the background knowledge and skill-sets they bring to the classroom. In the Scottish context in particular we have ‘tourists at Sub-honours as one speaker described it — students in their first and second years of undergraduate study who choose a third subject in which they may have hardly any grounding. Modules on classical reception, including the reception of classical material culture, are being increasingly recognised as important gateways into Classical Studies. The potential of the subject for greater inclusivity came up repeatedly in the discussion. The variety of learners creates both challenges and opportunities. It is now the norm that students taking modules on the reception of classical material culture have little or no knowledge of classical or biblical texts. This leaves a lot of ground for us to cover as a preliminary step to making the material accessible. The breadth of history that has to be outlined, both on the classical side and in the period of reception, is daunting for both instructors and students. Many of us acknowledged that the subject is specialised, the theory of reception is not very accessible to students, nor do they always find it easy to see why reception and its history matters. At the same time a feature that most appeals to our students is the opportunity to learn about new areas, and especially about Scottish identity and history.
Pedagogical practice: a competency-based approach
Classical Reception entails the study of many different types of objects, including paintings, sculpture, architecture, furniture, textiles, ceramics, photographs and film, and documents ranging from published books to diary manuscripts. This offers students the opportunity to build on existing skills and to develop new ones. For instance, a student with a background in art history could apply their technical skills in a new context, while concurrently developing the ability to close-read documentary evidence. Synthesising these approaches is of course integral to historical research. There is an obvious place for peer-to-peer teaching through careful groupings bearing in mind the students’ diverse learning backgrounds.
Assigning popular good-quality Classics podcasts like the work of Natalie Haynes as a preparatory listening task was mentioned as useful in access and lifelong learning courses. Getting people to think about ways that the classical past already features in their own environment, from the remains of the Antonine W all to neoclassical architecture in their Glaswegian neighbourhood or even in their home, also came up as a successful way into the subject for people who felt they knew almost nothing about it.
Active learning is certainly an important part of our teaching practice. The rich collections at all four institutions (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews), and the prevalence of neoclassical architecture in Glasgow and Edinburgh emerged as key resources. Many of us described our students’ excitement at entering special collections and handling precious objects. Lenia had used questionnaires to evidence such responses and found that students in St Andrews felt more connected to the university after such handling sessions. Our active learning tasks include setting students to copy classical material, to sketch based on reading a description in a classical text (e.g. Virgil’s Laocoon), and to identify early modern busts using classical coins. We discussed the limits of a more traditional approach (how much specialised terminology should we expect our students to know?) as well as the importance of engaging with the emotional register of artworks and styles (what did it feel like to worship in the Greek Revival Wellington Church in Glasgow or to study in the neo-Gothic University Library across the street?). Using some of the rich holdings of the St Andrews Special Collections, including cameos, manuscripts, early printed books and photographs, we explored the value of allowing students to make sense of the material in front of them through careful prompts rather than overwhelming them with information.
Next steps
Many of the participants agreed that the Scottish focus of the event was excellent as the university system is distinctive. It also brought people together who in many cases had never met, even though we were aware of each other’s work. Although the subject at hand was pedagogy, research synergies soon surfaced in conversation, and we left with a growing sense of a classical material culture reception community north of the border. Sharing our practice and ideas was enjoyable and enriching. There is room for development, especially in further theorising and detailed comparison with different forms of reception (e.g. Medieval). Lenia and Alexia are planning an expanded UK-wide event in 2025 – watch this space!
Dr Alexia Petsalis-Diomids, Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of St Andrews
Dr Lenia Kouneni, Lecturer in Art History, University of St Andrews