Faculty in Focus: William Hyland
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Features
I am in my tenth year teaching at St. Norbert College, and for the past three years I have also directed the Center for Norbertine Studies (CNS). A historian by training and a specialist in church history and Christian monasticism, upon my arrival here at SNC I was asked to teach Latin. With some trepidation I took on this task, and right away I found it to be enjoyable as well as challenging. I love the language itself, its sounds, style and beauty. My Latin classes try to introduce the students not only to the language itself, but also to the cultural and intellectual world of the ancient Romans, and the importance and influence of the Latin language and classical culture throughout history down to our own times. It never ceases to amaze and delight me how "relevant" the ancient heritage is to so many aspects of modern life, and how often these comparisons come up in class. I feel very fortunate to be able to explore other aspects of ancient civilizations in my other Classical Studies courses, including those on Augustine and early Christian monasticism.
These teaching interests tie in with my work with the CNS very naturally. Part of what I do is to research and write about the medieval Norbertines, and most of their writings were in Latin. The classical humanism of the ancient world, both Christian and Greco-Roman, is an important component of the Norbertine heritage as well. Early Norbertine abbeys and their libraries played an important role in preserving the writings of many ancient Roman writers, such as the philosopher Seneca. In fact, the first Norbertine in Wisconsin, Fr. Adalbert Inama, was a professor of classics. For me, the same love I have for the ancient classical world and my desire to make it come alive for our students also permeates the way I see and articulate the depths and riches of the Catholic and Norbertine heritage.
These teaching interests tie in with my work with the CNS very naturally. Part of what I do is to research and write about the medieval Norbertines, and most of their writings were in Latin. The classical humanism of the ancient world, both Christian and Greco-Roman, is an important component of the Norbertine heritage as well. Early Norbertine abbeys and their libraries played an important role in preserving the writings of many ancient Roman writers, such as the philosopher Seneca. In fact, the first Norbertine in Wisconsin, Fr. Adalbert Inama, was a professor of classics. For me, the same love I have for the ancient classical world and my desire to make it come alive for our students also permeates the way I see and articulate the depths and riches of the Catholic and Norbertine heritage.
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