[LATN V3310] Latin Elegy

Gareth Williams is a truly brilliant man. His connection with the literature is deeply personal. He analyzes the text with great care and reveals layer after layer of complexity that is present within the text. His speeches in classes are awe-inspiring and his voice is great. He's got this great soothing British accent -- that is also great to make fun of. PROPS TO HE WHO MADE THAT 5 MINUTE IMPERSONATION OF PROF WILLIAMS! His class focuses on the beauty of the Latin and how this beauty brings out universal themes of human complexity and man's struggle to define himself and his condition in a world where uncertainty may be the only definite entity. Williams expresses these themes powerfully to his students -- with conviction as well as with rational analysis. He is funny and very understanding as well. This man surpasses the title of scholar. He does it all not for the love of scholarship (as so many Columbia professors do) but for the love of knowledge. He is a great teacher and man who lives and breathes this literature.

Professor Williams is an extraordinary professor, a man who cares tremendously for the Latin and for his students. He bears a deep respect for literature (references ranging from Homer to Wilde abound) which shines through in almost every class. While the reading assignments can prove a bit daunting, it is in class that Williams draws all the strands together into a comprehensive and insightful understanding of the text. Generally, his views about the literature are firm and well-grounded, shaped over years of study. Indeed, he does not assign a work without a plan to entwine it within the larger themes he sets forth. At times, the momentum with which he presents these themes can be daunting, and may deter students from participation, particularly from disagreement. Don't be deterred. If you've thought through your point, he will almost always entertain discussion (particularly in your papers). In some respects, Williams defines and defies changes in modern academia. He has a personal, almost religious respect for the Latin canon, and is known to disagree with students, saying, "Not my Horace." At times, he refers to the poetry as "dead serious." But in spite of his love of classics and tradition, Williams is somehow capable of recognizing his own idiosyncrasies and the near absurdity of hyper-serious academia. At one point, Professor Williams allowed a student to do a five minute impression of him during class, an impression that was full of light parody and mockery. This, of course, included Williams' rather bizarre Welsh-British-Cambridge accent, and all the catch phrases. The professor smiled away. When a student drew an analogy to Austin Powers, Williams responded, "Austin Who? Is that someone on the TelyVision?" Of course, he knew perfectly well who Austin Powers was. But Williams had enough wit and enough confidence to caricature his most serious self. His ability to poke fun at his own persona is strikingly rare among Columbia professors. A course with Professor Williams can be the highlight of a semester, particularly for students willing to set aside their cynicism for a couple hours a week and embrace the literature. It sounds absurd, but Gareth Williams is truly one of Columbia's gems.