Public Programs Offered at Wyoming Humanities Council Summer Classics Institute

Several free public lectures will be offered as part of the Wyoming Humanities Council 15th Summer Classics Institute June 15-19 at the University of Wyoming.

“The Emperor and the Philosopher: Nero, Seneca and Their World” is the conference theme. An experienced team of faculty members will help participants gain knowledge of Roman history, culture and society, focusing on the reign of Nero (A.D. 54-68). The institute will include four mini-courses, a daily seminar for group discussions and a daily public lecture series.

Mini-courses and lectures, interwoven around the central piece, will explore various works and aspects of the period.

This institute includes five free public lectures.

All public lectures are in Room 186 of the College of Law Building, except for Wednesday’s film showing at the Gryphon Theater. The public lecture schedule is as follows:

Sunday, June 15, 7 p.m. -- “Nero, Seneca and a Cast of Thousands: An Overview of the Age of Nero,” Philip Holt, professor and department head, UW Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

Monday June 16, 4 p.m. -- “The Truth about Tyranny: Tacitus and the Historian’s Responsibility in Imperial Rome,” Kurt Raaflaub, emeritus professor of classics and history, Brown University.

Tuesday June 17, 4 p.m. -- “Troubled Waters: Navigating Class and Gender in Petronius’ Satyrica,” Lorenzo Garcia, associate professor of classics, University of New Mexico.

Wednesday, June 18, 4 p.m., Gryphon Theater in the Laramie Plains Civic Center, 710 E. Garfield St. -- Showing of the 1951 film, “Quo Vadis.”

Thursday June 19, 4 p.m. -- "Frozen in Time? Activity at Pompeii during and after the Eruption," Debora Sneed, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

For a detailed schedule and more information, visit www.thinkwy.org and click programs. Select “Summer Classics” from the bottom of the program drop down list or email sheila@thinkwy.org.