2018 Annual Meeting and Symposium

Illuminated initial from Rylands Italian MS 1
John Rylands Library, Italian MS 1. Copyright of the University of Manchester. Used with permission.

"Come il baccialier": Questioning and Professing Dante

Dante Society of America, 2018 Annual Meeting and Conference

May 5, 2018, John J. Burns Library, Boston College

Following the annual membership meeting of the Dante Society of America, a day-long symposium featured one keynote lecture, two panels, and a response that address the idea of pedagogy in the Commedia conceived broadly. Presenters addressed the following topics: what questions we ask of Dante, what questions are asked of us as teachers of Dante, and how Dante himself teaches us to appreciate, read, and teach his poem.

All sessions were held in John J. Burns Library at Boston College.

Please feel free to share a link to this page or this program flyer with others. We also encourage you to download and post the conference poster to your social media account (JPEG version) or print it for local circulation (PDF sized for 11"x17" paper); you may also request printed copies to be sent by regular mail by writing to dantesociety@gmail.com.

Program sessions were videorecorded and added as a playlist to the Society's YouTube channel.

This event was sponsored by the Dante Society of America with support from The Nicholas J. Sottile Fund for Italian Studies of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Boston College and The Heinz Bluhm Memorial Lecture Series Fund, and additional support from the Boston College Libraries.


Program

Saturday, May 5

8:30am – 9:00am Continental breakfast

9:00am – 10:00am 136th Annual Meeting of the Dante Society of America (open to DSA members only)

  • Albert R. Ascoli (University of California, Berkeley), President, Dante Society of America

10:30am – 11:30am Keynote Lecture (recording)

  • Teodolinda Barolini (Columbia University), “Dante, Teacher of his Reader”
  • Introduced by Kristina Olson (George Mason University), with welcoming remarks from Dante Society president Albert R. Ascoli (University of California, Berkeley)

11:30am – 11:45am Coffee Break

11:45am – 1:00pm Panel I: Ideas of Pedagogy Inside and Outside of the Poem (recording)

  • Gary Cestaro (DePaul University), “Professing Dante LGBTQ”
  • Martin Eisner (Duke University), “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Letter to Can Grande”
  • Peter Hawkins (Yale University), “Divinity School Dante”
  • Laurie Shepard (Boston College), session chair, with sponsorship remarks from Franco Mormando, chair, Department of Romance Languages (Boston College)

1:00pm – 2:30pm Buffet Lunch

2:30pm – 4:00pm Panel II: The Poem as Inspiration for Self-reflection, Inside and Outside the Classroom (recording)

  • Sherry Roush (Penn State University) “C'indoviamo?: Finding Ourselves with Dante
  • Ronald Herzman (SUNY Geneseo) “Democratizing Dante”
  • Jessica Levenstein (Horace Mann School) “‘Al volo mi sentia crescer le penne’: Dante’s Guide to Letting Go”
  • Christian Dupont (Boston College), session chair

4:00pm – 4:30pm Coffee Break

4:30pm – 5:00pm Response and Wrap-up (recording)

  • Christopher Kleinhenz (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
  • Kristina Olson (George Mason University)

5:00pm – 6:00pm Closing Reception


Directions, Parking, and Lodging

Please refer to the Boston College website for information on getting to campus by car or public transportation and parking. For parking, we recommend the Commonwealth Avenue Garage (Google Maps location) for its proximity to Burns Library. For precise walking or rideshare directions to Burns Library, enter “John J. Burns Library in a mapping service (note: this is more effective than entering simply Boston Collegeor the main campus address, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA). We invite you to download a printable map of the immediate vicinty of the library and parking garage that also includes information on handicap parking an accessible entrance. Those needing special assistance, should contact local accommodations organizer and Dante Society secretary Christian Dupont in advance at dantesociety@gmail.com.

Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, approximately 6 miles west of downtown Boston. There are many accommodation options in the area at a variety of rates. The Boston College undergraduate admissions office maintains a list of hotels near campus sorted by distance and accessibility to public transportation (the MBTA or “T”; see trip planner). Hotel Boston is offering discounted rates for conference attendees (single king $159; two doubles $174; two queens $189 + 14.45% tax and $20/night parking); mention "Dante Society" when calling to making your reservation or use the promo code "Dante518" when making reservations online. Additional lodging options may be found via websites like BedandBreakfast.com and Airbnb.com.


Further Information

Symposium organizers:

Kristina Olson, George Mason University (kolson4@gmu.edu)

Christopher Kleinhenz, University of Wisconsin (ckleinhe@wisc.edu)

Local arrangements:

Christian Dupont, Boston College (dantesociety@gmail.com)
 


Sponsorship

This event was sponsored by the Dante Society of America with support from The Nicholas J. Sottile Fund for Italian Studies of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Boston College and The Heinz Bluhm Memorial Lecture Series Fund, and additional support from the Boston College Libraries.