Story by Logan Jackson
Sitting among veteran University of Missouri faculty fully engaged in a passionate debate, David Schenker said he felt a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. Schenker had just arrived at Mizzou as a new faculty member in the Department of Classical Studies (now the Department of Classics, Archaeology, and Religion) and had been invited to teach in the long-running Honors College Humanities Sequence. The lively discussion was focused on the upcoming semester’s syllabus.
“I was the youngest person in the room and was among academic giants, like Bill Bondeson, Ted Tarkow, Peter Markie and Dick Hocks,” Schenker said. “It was a really serious discussion about what the students should be reading throughout the semester. While I did feel a little out of my depth, I was thrilled to be there and was happy to soak it all in.”
Those early experiences proved to be foundational as Schenker developed his own teaching style. Now, 35 years later, he is one of the veterans within the Humanities Sequence.
“It’s been a real honor to be involved for such an extended period of time,” said Schenker, an associate professor of classical studies and affiliate faculty in the Honors College. “I’m the old guy of the group now, but I still have this sense of being an absolute novice and just being a sponge. Everyone was so inviting and forgiving, and it’s been such a wonderful experience overall.”
The Humanities Sequence was a regular point of discussion during the recent Schenkerthon event, which highlighted Schenker’s time at Mizzou as he heads toward retirement. The two-day celebration featured numerous speakers and brought together Schenker’s peers and former students. The event highlighted Schenker’s impact across more than three decades of teaching.
“I’ve been very lucky to have department chairs and colleagues and others who have been open to ideas and let me try different things,” Schenker said. “I haven’t been put into a box, and as I look back, I realize how truly lucky I was during my time at Mizzou. I’m so appreciative of every moment that I’ve had here. It’s been a great run.”
Schenker’s passion for language and the classics began in high school after participating in several Latin courses. He continued that interest at Vanderbilt, where he received a bachelor’s degree in classical languages. He followed that with a master’s degree in Greek and a PhD in classics, both from the University of California, Berkeley. After completing his degrees, Schenker spent two years at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania as an assistant professor.
After his brief stint at Allegheny College ended in 1991, Schenker had two faculty job offers – one at the University of Missouri and one at a college in New Zealand.
“I had two offers, and my young son didn’t want to go somewhere with volcanoes, so it was off to Missouri,” Schenker joked. “I had never been to the state of Missouri, but it immediately felt like home. I’ve had other offers and opportunities throughout the years, but I’ve always thought this was the perfect place for me.”
Schenker’s teaching efforts at Mizzou have covered a number of topics, including classical humanities offerings and a range of courses throughout the Greek curriculum, from first-semester Greek to seminars on the tragedians, Plato and other configurations of Greek literature. His research interests are in fifth- and early fourth-century literature, with a specific focus on tragedy and the dialogues of Plato.
Schenker has also regularly offered an Honors College section of his first-year Greek courses.
“Greek is endlessly challenging, and engaging with the language is a lifelong process,” Schenker said. “It’s just so much fun working with the language, and I really enjoy discussing the entire world with students. I appreciate the perspectives they bring and the conversations that come from their interest in the language.”
In the Humanities Sequence, Schenker has always taught during the first semester of the four-semester Sequence. Of all the selected readings that he teaches, Schenker said his favorite has been the Iliad.
“That text really defies expectations in a lot of ways,” Schenker said. “It’s just a fun and rewarding read. Along with being such an engaging text, I enjoy it because we teach it at the beginning of the semester and students are so eager and energetic about diving into the text. There are numerous great discussions that come from that.”
Schenker said those are the interactions that he’ll truly miss, especially those where students ask challenging questions out of genuine curiosity.
“What I love about the students in the Humanities Sequence is that they’re not just going to take what you say as absolute truth,” Schenker said. “We read a lot of the same books year after year in the course, but there are different conversations that happen every single time. The students bring different ideas and perspectives to the conversations, and every semester that I’ve taught in the Sequence has been so engaging.”
As Schenker finishes his last semester, he said he has reflected on those conversations, from the days of being the youngest voice in the room to years of discussion with fellow Sequence faculty. Even as a veteran of the program, he still values the feedback and encouragement of his peers.
“Being part of the Humanities Sequence was some of the best professional development I had while at Mizzou,” Schenker said. “I loved attending lectures and seeing the different teaching styles. Peter Markie would wander around the entire room, keeping everyone on their toes. Bill Bondeson had this relaxed way of getting strong points across. With Ted Tarkow’s histrionics, if you blinked, you would miss something. And the list goes on.
“I tried to emulate some of what they did within my own style. It was an unbelievable experience, and I really appreciate that Mizzou and the Honors College have such a unique program.”