Educator Peter Dodington to speak at Luther College on Sept. 4

Educator Peter Dodington to speak at Luther College Sept. 4

What does it mean to find harmony in relationships? Can individuals create it or is it necessary to have a cooperative partner? Why is having harmonious interactions with others important?

Educator Peter Dodington will present “Odysseus and His Women: Like-Minded Harmony?” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, in F.W. Olin Building Room 102, on the Luther College campus. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement, is open to the public with no charge for admission.

Dodington’s lecture will build off the Paideia summer reading of Emily Wilson’s translation of “The Odyssey.” In this epic poem, Odysseus wishes for the basic desires of a home and a partner with whom he can live in “like-minded harmony.” Along his journey, he has interactions with Circe, Calypso, Penelope and the Sirens. Dodington will examine the conversations Odysseus has with the women he encounters on his journey and consider the degree to which harmony is created.

For nearly 50 years, Dodington taught English and Latin at various academic institutions. Before his retirement in 2015, he was an adjunct professor of Latin and mythology at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Prior to that, he was a Latin teacher at The Bronx Latin School, a small start-up public school in the South Bronx, New York. While there, Dodington was able to help all his Latin students pass the Latin Regents test at least two years early. He also served as the assistant principal and English department chairman for Park West High School in New York, New York.

Dodington received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University in 1967. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts in classics from the University of Montana in 1975. In 1980, he earned a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Iowa.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,050, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.