There are a number of controversies surrounding the humanities and the classics, including concerns about their usefulness (why should anyone bother to read old books?) and racial dynamics (doesn't studying the classics simply reinforce and perpetuate a white, Eurocentric perspective?). In this episode of More Human, Dr. Anika Prather of Howard University and Johns Hopkins University joins Dean Jordan for a wide-ranging conversation about the nature and value of studying the classics.

Dr. Prather's book Living in the Constellation of the Canon: The Lived Experiences of African-American Students Reading Great Books Literature can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Living-Constellation-Canon-Experiences-African-American/dp/172493337X. Other resources discussed or recommended include The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393911558), Antigone (https://www.amazon.com/Sophocles-Antigone-Translation-Diane-Rayor/dp/0521134781), The Souls of Black Folk (https://www.amazon.com/Souls-Black-Folk-B-Bois/dp/1505223377) and the Touchstones Discussion Project (https://touchstones.org/).

Ep. 22 - What Are the Classics, and Why Should You Care? -- with Anika Prather