David Carter
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+44 (0) 118 378 6473
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Professor
Departmental Director of Teaching and Learning
Areas of interest
My research interests are in Greek drama and Greek political thought. A great deal (though not all) of my research to date is inspired by an enthusiasm for political drama in all its forms. (My favourite TV show is The West Wing, my favourite modern playwright is David Hare, and my favourite opera is John Adam's Nixon in China.)
Much of my research considers the question of how Greek tragedy can be considered a political art form. I have tried to show how this question is inseparable from a consideration of tragedy as performance. I have also written, from time to time, on the problem of the Greeks and legal rights: is it reasonable to discuss ancient Greek ideas of justice in terms of rights, or was the concept foreign to them?
Research centres and groups
I was a founding member of the international network on The Legacy of Greek Political Thought. The work of this group concluded in 2024 with the publication of Brill’s Companion to the Legacy of Greek Political Thought.
Background
I am a keen supporter of classics teaching in secondary schools and I am happy to give talks to sixth formers, especially in the state sector. In a previous life I was Head of Classics in a large boys' comprehensive school, and for two years I was chair of the Classical Civilisation committee of the Joint Association of Classical Teachers.
I am a University Teaching Fellow and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. This reflects my keen interest in international higher education. I was previously seconded as Head of the International Study and Language Institute (now Global Academy), and I had a role setting up the University’s joint institute in Nanjing. Away from Reading, I have served on the Academic Advisory Board for British Management University in Tashkent, and co-authored reports on transnational education for the British Council.