Dr Patricia Baker from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies has just co-authored a chapter with Helen King and Laurence Totelin entitled ‘Teaching Ancient Medicine: The Issues of Abortion’ in the collection From Abortion to Pederasty: Addressing Difficult Topics in the Classics Classroom (Ohio State University Press, 2015), edited by Nancy Rabinowitz and Fiona McHardy.
The overall collection has just received the inaugural 2015 Teaching Literature Book Award, an international, juried prize from Idaho State University.
The specific chapter addresses the difficulties of teaching the subjects of abortion, embryotomy and gynaecology to undergraduate students studying the history of Greco-Roman medicine. Patty and her co-authors each contribute their experiences teaching these sensitive subjects, the problems that arise in the classroom when students have difficulties engaging with such topics, and how they are resolved. It is a significant review of pedagogical practice that advises creative ways to encourage critical thinking and student engagement with delicate material.
For details of the collection, please see the publisher’s page here:
https://ohiostatepress.org/index.htm?books/book%20pages/Rabinowitz%20McHardy%20Difficult.html