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| An alum walks into a Core course … |
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| Sean Carr, AB’90, revisits Readings in World Literature, which he took more than three decades ago. |
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| When I walk into Cobb 115 a couple minutes early, Malynne Sternstein, AB’87, AM’90, PhD’96, and several students in her Readings in World Literature course are already in heated debate. About the Philadelphia Eagles’ 20–14 loss to the lowly New York Jets two days earlier. |
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| The Tuesday morning quarterbacking is intense when Philly native Sternstein, associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures, turns to the full class, now seated around the standard rectangle of tables. “This is my segue,” she announces. “I feel shame, and I feel like the Philadelphia Eagles did something that was more than just shame themselves. They shamed the entire city.” |
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| “Word,” a student interjects. |
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| “They may have even shamed the game of football,” Sternstein says. “Now why do I say this? Because I want us to understand the part that shame has in this epic.” She means the book the class is reading, the Odyssey. |
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| Someone mentions Penelope’s locustlike suitors in Book 2. “What is shameless about what they do?” Sternstein asks. |
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| Penelope and the Suitors, 1912. |
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| “I feel you could potentially connect this to not exhibiting good xenia,” the student says. |
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| “Most definitely,” Sternstein agrees. “So much of shame has to do—or is bound up—with theoxeny, or the divine law of hospitality or guest-host relations, and xenia.” |
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| “I’m not sure if this is a relevant connection,” another student says. “Even if it’s not mentioned directly in this book, hubris is a very big sin in most of Greek mythology. That usually results from people thinking that they’re godlike or thinking that they’re perfect. So they try to commit godlike actions and obviously they get struck by a lightning bolt or whatever. But shame is kind of like the barrier between mortality and godlike perfection.” |
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| “There’s a thesis claim right there,” Sternstein enthuses. “That’s beautiful. Write that down.” |
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| For the remaining hour of class, Sternstein is a fount of encouragement: “Excellent.” “Well done!” “Really good point, Ryan”—all the while riffing and referencing like a cross between the comic Sarah Silverman and that friend who has read more books and seen more movies (and in more languages) than anyone else in your book group or pathsofcinematicglory subreddit. (Sternstein has also taught classes on Kafka, Nabokov, and Czech New Wave films.) |
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| She brings up peculiarities of pronunciation: “The c in Homeric Greek is pronounced as a ‘kuh.’ But very few people say ‘Keerkee.’ Or ‘Keeklopees.’ So don’t worry.” |
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| A head of Polyphemus from the Roman Colosseum, first century CE. |
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| She can’t resist adding, when reading of Athena spreading grace on Odysseus’s head and shoulders, “That’s where we get the shampoo brand.” (Small chortle, possibly just her own.) “I don’t know why I said that. I’m shameless.” |
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| Read more in the Winter/24 issue of the Core, out in February. |
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“ |
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We want you to be less certain about what kind of mind you think you have and what you should do with it. |
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—Melina Hale, PhD’98, dean of the College, speaking to students at Opening Convocation for the academic year |
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| Alumni memories: O-mance at Woodward |
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| Woodward Court, now the site of Chicago Booth, in an undated photo. |
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| In the November issue, we asked alumni to share their memories of defunct dorms. Two alumnae wrote in with tales of O-mance (Orientation Week romance) that sparked despite the unromantic surroundings. |
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| I entered the U of C in 1961 and moved into New Dorms [later Woodward Court]. We had Orientation, then the upperclassmen arrived. The first day some upperclassmen were sitting and talking in the courtyard. On the other side of the courtyard, I could hear a boy talking. He sounded interesting. I got up and walked around to the other side, by the boy, and two years later we were married.—Nancy Olin Unferth, AB’65, AM’74 |
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| On the first day of Orientation Week, there was a barbecue in the Woodward courtyard for first-years. As I waited in line I saw a group of young men by the fence, gesturing to us to come over. They wanted us to go through the line and get them food. They were second-, third-, and fourth-years, and their meal service didn’t kick in for another week. That is how I met Larry, whom I went on to marry. Still going strong 54 years later.—Ofelia Nunez Svart, EX’71 |
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| Q&A: The shock of the new |
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| Campus North Residential Commons, designed by Studio Gang, opened in 2016. |
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| Alumni: Were you one of the first residents in a brand-spanking-new residence hall—Campus North, Max Palevsky, Granville-Grossman, Pierce? |
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| Previously in College Review |
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| The College Review, edited by Carrie Golus, AB’91, AM’93, is brought to you by Alumni Relations and Development and the College. |
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| (4) Photography by Jean Lachat |
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