Aeschliman with her daughter, Antonia, hiking by the Potomac River this past summer.
Courtesy | Patricia Craig Aeschliman

In this Quick Hits, Assistant Professor of Classics Patricia Craig Aeschliman talks Renaissance polyphony, dictionaries, and her family’s new pet cat.

What do you believe is underrated about your subject?

Everything, to be honest. Classical Greek and Latin literature is undervalued. Reading it in the original was the foundation of Western education for centuries, and Latin was spoken in university classrooms for so long that the foundational literature in nearly every discipline is in Latin, from mathematics to psychology. Few people keep this in mind.

 Are you a cat or dog person? 

Certainly a dog person! But recently, through unforeseen circumstances, my family has acquired a cat, who hid himself in the undercarriage of our car, survived a ride down M-99 unscathed, and has since endeared himself to us quite effectively.

 What’s your favorite genre of music? Why?

Country music to get me smiling or dancing; Renaissance polyphony to help me pray and appreciate the beauty of man’s marvelous attempts to praise God.

 If you could teach in any room on campus, what would it be?

Any room where the projector screen lands squarely on a whiteboard (so that I can mark it up).

  If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Peanut-butter-filled pretzels.

 Beach or mountains? Why?

Mountains! Sand and too much wind, an ocean either cold or hot, or the potential for jellyfish stings can ruin a beach trip. Mountains allow for solitude or companionship, views of varied landscapes, exercise as you hike, exploration, learning about flora and fauna, and more.

 What’s a non-serious lesson you learned in college that you would pass on? 

Learn to use a dictionary.

Do you prefer large cities or small towns?

I actually prefer a mid-size city, one that has city amenities but minimal traffic.

  If you didn’t teach classics, what would you do?

I’d like to be a special education teacher. Unless perhaps I could make it as a professional singer.