Scholar Delivers Seminar Series On Roman Law
In a two-part seminar hosted by the Classical Language department last Friday, William Sullivan discussed the profound impact that the laws of Ancient Rome have had throughout history. During the lunch talk, “An Overview of Roman Law,” he examined the influence of Roman Law on the development of Western legal systems. In the evening talk, “A Case Study in Roman Law,” attendees were challenged to think like Roman jurists.
Formerly a teaching fellow and instructor of classical languages at Exeter during the 2009-2010 academic year, Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree in classics from Princeton University and a law degree from Yale Law School. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in classics and history at the University of Chicago and conducting research on the influence of Roman law on the development of Western legal traditions. Having stayed in touch with Exeter’s classical language department, his former colleagues invited him to speak at Exeter. In the past, Sullivan has given talks at universities in the United States and Europe, but never to high school students. Sullivan said the challenge was fun to take on.
“When you’re speaking to other specialists, everyone knows all the same material, so you know exactly how to make your argument, whereas with high school students you have no idea and you don’t know what your audience will find extremely boring or interesting, so it’s one of the hardest kinds of talks,” Sullivan said.
“He spoke with elegance, poise and yet a certain youthful vigor that kept us audience members fully engaged.”
Sullivan’s two-part seminar, hosted during lunch and after dinner on Friday, gave students the opportunity to examine sections of Roman Law in detail while considering their various interpretations and underlying rationales. In both parts, he focused on a short text containing a specific law, which served as the basis for discussion. His primary objective was to emphasize the lasting effects that Roman Law has had on legal systems across the world for over two thousand years. Sullivan lists his second objective of the seminar as discussing the history of Roman Law after antiquity so that students could see how classical texts have been used through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and have remained sources of important ideas for today.
Many of the students who attended the seminars appreciated its interactive nature. Sullivan handed out pieces of paper with a specific Roman law on them. He then raised hypothetical situations to illustrate the many ways in which the law could be applied, as well as the contexts in which jurists disagreed about its applicability. Upper Olivia Liponis found Sullivan’s activities easy to understand and said he was quite knowledgeable on the subject. “I think he did a great job using the short time he had to give us a good idea of how historians, classicists and lawyers study Roman laws,” said Liponis.
Addressing students as Mr. or Ms., Sullivan fostered a law-school-style atmosphere throughout the seminar. After asking hypothetical questions, Sullivan would contest the student responses. Put on the spot, attendees were forced to find alternative solutions to the problems presented. Senior Elizabeth Kim found the two-part seminar to be thoroughly thought-provoking. “I not only learned about Roman law and its place in our society, but I think I also got a taste of what it’s like to be in law school,” said Kim.
Students and faculty had various reasons for attending the event. Some, like Kim, challenged the idea that Roman law still pertained to modern society. Others, like prep Taylor Robertson, were simply interested in Roman history. Most attendees, however, share a passion for Classics, Roman law and the impact of Ancient Rome on modern society. “I chose to attend the lecture because of my desire to meet and personally converse with a member of the Classics intelligentsia,” said upper Bliss Perry. “He spoke with elegance, poise and yet a certain youthful vigor that kept us audience members fully engaged.” Unlike most high schools, Exeter invites several outside speakers each year to give seminars. Offering opportunities for further exploration of subjects that interest them, students and faculty alike benefit from attending these events. “I like how Mr. Sullivan set up the seminar with a close reading of a specific law to demonstrate the ‘terms of art’ therein,” said English intern Wendy Mellin.
Upper Caroline Grace expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to learn about a topic she was interested in without the pressure of a grade behind it. “Mr. Sullivan is very passionate about classical language and presented his seminar with clarity and structure that was easy to understand,” Grace said.