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VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

Learn more about what makes Fresno State such a special place.

Dr. Victor Hanson is a professor of classical studies in the School of Arts and Humanities and has been teaching at California State University, Fresno since 1984. He began teaching a single course in Latin to a small class of seven students.

He has been credited with single-handedly resurrecting the Classical Studies program and creating one of the most intellectually challenging and most successful academic programs on campus.

The program now has five faculty members and offers at least eight courses each semester at all levels of difficulty. Classes in Latin and Greek, as well as classes in poetry, mythology and literature in translation, are offered. Now several hundred Fresno State students take classes in the Classical Studies program each semester. Dr. Hanson has taught more than 32 different courses during his tenure. Some of his courses offer an interdisciplinary approach and have become part of the university’s General Education requirements. Some of his courses have been broadcast to other schools, and Dr. Hanson has led a study course to Greece and Rome.

Dr. Hanson revived the Classical Society on campus and organized the Classics Lecture Series. He has an ability to relate the ancient world to current events and societal problems while captivating his students. He is enthusiastic and holds the students’ education above all else. One student commented, "Dr. Hanson makes you want to immerse yourself in the subject and become the best student you can be." In 1991 Dr. Hanson was recognized by the American Philological Association, which awarded him its Award for Excellence in Teaching, the top award in the country for teaching in the field of classics. He also received the University Scholar of the Year Award, presented by Chapter 062, in April 1998. Nominated in February 1999, Dr. Hanson was one of the contenders for the California State University system's most prestigious award, the Wang Family Excellence Award.

Dr. Hanson is also widely published and has attracted the attention of the media with his knowledge and scholarly insights in farming and the plight of the small farmer . One of his most recent books, Field Without Dreams, published in 1996, a portrait of the vanishing small farmer, has received wide acclaim. A few of his many other titles include: Classical Greece; The Western Way of War; Hoplites, The Classical Greek Battle Experience, and The Other Greeks: The Family Farm and the agrarian Roots of Western Civilization."  He has also co-authored a book, Who Killed Homer? The Demise of Classical Learning and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom, published in 1997, which examines the decline of emphasis on the classics and humanities in our universities. His latest book is The Soul of Battle, published in 1999. Two more books are scheduled for publication, The Wars of the Ancient Greeks, in 1999, and The Land was Everything. Letters From an American Farmer, in 2000.

--Copy from the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.