CAMWS Subcommittee: Bolchazy Pedagogical Award 2018 Announcement
Membership:
Barbara Boyd, Bowdoin College
Helena Dettmer, University of Iowa
Generosa Jackson-Sangco, Oak Hall School
Beth Severy-Hoven, McCalester College
Cynthia White, University of Arizona
The Classical Association of the Midwest and South is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Bolchazy Pedagogical Book Award. The criteria for this award include appropriateness for the target student audience, clarity of presentation, excellent quality, effective pedagogical practice and design, and potential for broad impact. Preference is given to language-based textbooks. The committee is awarding two prizes for 2018 because of the outstanding nominations. This year’s winners are Erin K. Moodie (Purdue University) for her commentary, Plautus’ Poenulus: A Student Commentary (University of Michigan, 2015) and Judith M. Barringer (University of Edinburgh) for her The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Cambridge University, 2014).
The committee applauded Moodie’s book as an excellent addition to the available intermediate Latin commentaries, observing that more are needed, and particularly ones like Plautus’ Poenulus, which does not do all the work for the student. One member of the committee summarized well the excellent features of this commentary: “The rich introduction to Plautus’ meters and manuscript tradition, the general background to Roman drama and the specific background of the Poenulus, one of the most complicated of all Plautus’ plays, and the enviable command of scholarship on Plautus make this commentary an excellent choice as a scholarly … but accessible treatment of the play. The grammar references are useful as is the layout of the references and notes.” Another member remarked on the versatility of the commentary, which “could be used in either an undergraduate or graduate course.”
Members of the committee praised Barringer’s book as a “lovely” introduction to the art and archaeology of ancient Greece, with its many beautiful illustrations and fine layout. One member noted that “the writing is clear and engaging, communicating a wide range of issues in the study of art and archaeology, including how the excavation history of a site often shapes later interpretations, questions of repatriation and provenance,” while another commented that the book was “innovative” and would be “appealing to today’s students.” It was agreed that Barringer’s textbook is an outstanding introduction for students who possess little or no background in ancient Greek art.
Our committee enthusiastically congratulates Professors Moodie and Barringer.