Center for Prison Ed names teaching fellow

MIDDLETOWN — The Wesleyan Center for Prison Education will soon be offering a course on Greek history to inmates at the Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Jane E. Seney Professor of Greek, has been named the Onassis Foundation Teaching Fellow in Culture and Humanities, according to a press release. The fellowship will support the course he will teach in the spring.

The Onassis Foundation established the fellowship with the aim of promoting Greek culture through expanded college course offerings in Greek philosophy, humanities, art and politics; through a partnership with the Bard Prison Initiative, Onassis invited partners from across the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison to apply for the titled, distinguished fellowship, according to the release.

Szegedy-Maszak was selected as one of two inaugural fellows. He serves on both the CPE Faculty Advisory Committee and the CPE External Advisory Board, and is a faculty mentor for Wesleyan’s Posse Veteran Scholars program. His popular The Ancient Greeks MOOC, offered through Coursera, has brought Greek history to thousands of individuals worldwide, according to Wesleyan University.

He enjoys a stellar reputation in the field of classical studies and has an innovative and student-centric approach to teaching, according to Wesleyan. “His CPE course is a continuation of his robust commitment to expanding access to the liberal arts and classical studies,” the release said.

Greek history continues CPE’s tradition of including classical studies as a critical part of the CPE curriculum. The course examines the development of Greek civilization from Mycenaean times through the death of Alexander the Great, with a special emphasis on the connection between political events and cultural and intellectual trends, the release added.

Past CPE courses in classical studies have included “Live Like a Philosopher (An Introduction to Ancient Philosophy,” “Greek Drama” and “Three Great Myths.”

For information, visit wesleyan.edu/cpe.

Pat Eaton-Robb / Associated Press Roberto Alvarado, who is serving a 50-year sentence for murder, applauds during graduation ceremonies Aug. 1 inside the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Cheshire. Alvardo was among 18 inmates who received associate degrees from Middlesex Community college as part of a program with Wesleyan University's Center for Prison Education.