Classical Studies Institute of Louisville

                                                           DIRECTORS & FACULTY

                             Richard Dworin came to the study of the ancients by a roundabout route. In a way, this
                             combined two of his long-term interests: the physical and biological sciences, and the inquiry
                             into human behavior and thought. For the Greeks, as it turns out, neither of these subjects
                             could be pursued fully without the other. From an original major in molecular biology at Yale,
                             Mr. Dworin turned to the study of history and political thought. The ancients were convinced
                             that the search for the best regime, or the best means of government, requires an
                             understanding of human happiness, or the best way of life. Psychology, then, had to be the
                             basis of any understanding of politics.

Intrigued by this approach, Mr. Dworin learned Greek in an intensive summer course at the University of Texas at Austin (his home state), then spent three years in graduate study in the classics department there, followed by another year at the University of Toronto. After some time off in the world of business in Chicago (including nine years running his own company), he began teaching the classics in translation through adult seminars at the Newberry Library in Chicago. These courses included Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Greek tragedy and comedy, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plato’s Republic.

This past year, he topped off his studies by refreshing his Latin with an M.A. from the University of Kentucky. Now living in Louisville with his wife Angela and nine-year-old daughter, Mr. Dworin tutors middle- and high-school students in a range of subjects and teaches classes in standardized test preparation (SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT, etc.). He continues to teach the classics through his participation in Classical Studies Institute. In the Institute's 2008 Winter Session, Mr. Dworin will offer his adult seminar on Homer's Iliad, a favorite with his patrons at the Newberry Library. He is also scheduling classes or private instruction in Latin and/or Greek for elementary students through adults.