Dennis Kratz - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Dennis Kratz
Brepols Publishers eBooks, 2002
Translation Review, Sep 1, 1987
Medieval Institute Publications eBooks, Nov 1, 1989
A brief analysis of several theories of language acquisition and of various methods of language i... more A brief analysis of several theories of language acquisition and of various methods of language instruction leads to a proposal of general guidelines to be used in the development of an experimental course in Latin for seventh-grade students. The author discusses the writings of Chonsky, Sweet, and Brooks and suggests the abandonmekt of methodology which is strictly based on an andiolingual or granmar-translation theory in favor of a modified program geared primarily to individualized instruction. (E)
China and the world, Sep 1, 2020
Western artists, philosophers and politicians have inevitably viewed China and its actions throug... more Western artists, philosophers and politicians have inevitably viewed China and its actions through a distorting lens – often seeking to confirm assumptions rather than to gain new understanding. This paper examines Western and specifically American responses to three manifestations of the Silk Road: the historical Silk Road that enabled the transport of goods, people and ideas from China through Central Asia as far as Europe; the “Silk Road of the Western Imagination;” and the modern transformation of the Silk Road into China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It explores reasons for the American idealized fascination for the first two and hostility toward the BRI. The tendency to interpret history and China from a “heroic” perspective serves as an obstacle to fostering a modern era of cultural exchange and cooperation that both Americans and Chinese believe the Silk Road symbolizes.
Arthuriana, 1995
Professor Furtado here alerts us to another aspect of Geoffrey of Monmouth's learning, skill and ... more Professor Furtado here alerts us to another aspect of Geoffrey of Monmouth's learning, skill and playful brilliance by raising a fascinating question. In constructing his portrait of Arthur, did Geoffrey use Alexander the Great as a historical model? I am convinced that the answer should indeed be yes, though not to the extent that Furtado claims. Furtado argues that Geoffrey made use of a version of the Latin Alexander Romance when he composed his Historia Regum Britanniae. Geoffrey fails to mention his literary model, a fact that should hardly surprise anyone, since Geoffrey's practice (as Howlett's essay also reminds us), was to cite only authorities who did not exist.
Translation Review, Mar 1, 1986
Translation Review, Sep 1, 2012
For more than thirty years, Translation Review has provided not only a forum for the exchange of ... more For more than thirty years, Translation Review has provided not only a forum for the exchange of ideas about the practice and theory of translation but also a bully pulpit for promoting the role and importance of translation as a component of literary studies. Those efforts have achieved somedegree of success, as evidenced by an increase in the number of translation programs, translation workshops, and translation-based courses; more translators receiving tenured appointments; and even a minor surge of interest by such organizations as the Modern Language Association. Despite these gains it cannot be denied that translation remains undeniably on the margins of the academic world. The field has had a no more eloquent or effective champion than Rainer Schulte, who also was among the first to argue that translation could have educational impact beyond the boundaries of literature. He has argued that the process of translating a literary text could serve as the model for a more comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and integrative approach to learning. Building on his insights, I propose that the time has come for us to extend our aspirations for the place of translation and translation studies in education. Unlike many educators, I am optimistic about the future and foresee the possibility that translation, currently a truly underdeveloped resource, can play a significant role in fashioning amore vibrant and effective approach not only to literature and the humanities but indeed throughout the curriculum. To many this optimism will seem misguided. It is widely agreed, after all, that higher education in the United States has reached a crisis point. The university as an educational institution is facing daunting challenges driven largely by societal and technological developments that began in the late twentieth century and have rendered many current practices—from the classroom lecture to the fifteen-week semester—teetering on the edge of obsolescence. For the humanities the situation is more than daunting—it is dire. The causes for the decline of interest in traditionally structured humanities degrees are numerous, including the growing emphasis in the United States on economically based justifications for education. But it cannot be denied that the humanities has managed to exacerbate its problems by indulging too frequently in (to quote Nannerl Keohane) “the creation of increasingly specialized disciplines” expressed in increasingly arcane language.1 Calls for reform abound. Unfortunately they tend to focus on the trees rather than the forest; for example, on ways to employ technology more effectively in the current curriculum or on ways to increase and assess achievement in specific subjects. Students need to write better or know more American history or (above all) produce higher test scores in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). It is a self-defeating approach, analogous to improving an orchestra by strengthening the woodwinds while allowing the strings to languish. The situation calls instead for a more comprehensive and systemic approach that is guided by a coherent, unifying vision of the overall purpose of higher education. The approach that I propose for comprehensive change is based on three basic principles. First, the goal of education is to prepare students for the future; second, education can achieve this goal by emphasizing the development of the qualities of mind required to survive and thrive in that future; third, an emphasis on “qualities
Translation Review, Sep 1, 2003
Translation Review, Sep 1, 1979
Translation Review, Nov 1, 1980
Historia de Preliis Alexandri Magni, J1 recension -- Historia de Preliis, J2 (excerpts) -- Histor... more Historia de Preliis Alexandri Magni, J1 recension -- Historia de Preliis, J2 (excerpts) -- Historia de Preliis, J3 (excerpts) -- Epistola Alexandri ad Aristotelem de mirabilibus Indiae -- Alexandri Magni iter ad Paradisum -- Appendix: Leo of Naples, Historia de Preliis.
Speculum, Oct 1, 1977
Page 1. 1010 Reviews Russian history, and, although she does not reflect upon this possibility, i... more Page 1. 1010 Reviews Russian history, and, although she does not reflect upon this possibility, it seems that efforts in a similar spirit could reduce to various degrees of waste other comfortable assumptions about the Muscovite period. ...
German Studies Review, May 1, 1982
Publications of the Journal of Medieval Latin, 2002
Brepols Publishers eBooks, 2002
Translation Review, Sep 1, 1987
Medieval Institute Publications eBooks, Nov 1, 1989
A brief analysis of several theories of language acquisition and of various methods of language i... more A brief analysis of several theories of language acquisition and of various methods of language instruction leads to a proposal of general guidelines to be used in the development of an experimental course in Latin for seventh-grade students. The author discusses the writings of Chonsky, Sweet, and Brooks and suggests the abandonmekt of methodology which is strictly based on an andiolingual or granmar-translation theory in favor of a modified program geared primarily to individualized instruction. (E)
China and the world, Sep 1, 2020
Western artists, philosophers and politicians have inevitably viewed China and its actions throug... more Western artists, philosophers and politicians have inevitably viewed China and its actions through a distorting lens – often seeking to confirm assumptions rather than to gain new understanding. This paper examines Western and specifically American responses to three manifestations of the Silk Road: the historical Silk Road that enabled the transport of goods, people and ideas from China through Central Asia as far as Europe; the “Silk Road of the Western Imagination;” and the modern transformation of the Silk Road into China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It explores reasons for the American idealized fascination for the first two and hostility toward the BRI. The tendency to interpret history and China from a “heroic” perspective serves as an obstacle to fostering a modern era of cultural exchange and cooperation that both Americans and Chinese believe the Silk Road symbolizes.
Arthuriana, 1995
Professor Furtado here alerts us to another aspect of Geoffrey of Monmouth's learning, skill and ... more Professor Furtado here alerts us to another aspect of Geoffrey of Monmouth's learning, skill and playful brilliance by raising a fascinating question. In constructing his portrait of Arthur, did Geoffrey use Alexander the Great as a historical model? I am convinced that the answer should indeed be yes, though not to the extent that Furtado claims. Furtado argues that Geoffrey made use of a version of the Latin Alexander Romance when he composed his Historia Regum Britanniae. Geoffrey fails to mention his literary model, a fact that should hardly surprise anyone, since Geoffrey's practice (as Howlett's essay also reminds us), was to cite only authorities who did not exist.
Translation Review, Mar 1, 1986
Translation Review, Sep 1, 2012
For more than thirty years, Translation Review has provided not only a forum for the exchange of ... more For more than thirty years, Translation Review has provided not only a forum for the exchange of ideas about the practice and theory of translation but also a bully pulpit for promoting the role and importance of translation as a component of literary studies. Those efforts have achieved somedegree of success, as evidenced by an increase in the number of translation programs, translation workshops, and translation-based courses; more translators receiving tenured appointments; and even a minor surge of interest by such organizations as the Modern Language Association. Despite these gains it cannot be denied that translation remains undeniably on the margins of the academic world. The field has had a no more eloquent or effective champion than Rainer Schulte, who also was among the first to argue that translation could have educational impact beyond the boundaries of literature. He has argued that the process of translating a literary text could serve as the model for a more comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and integrative approach to learning. Building on his insights, I propose that the time has come for us to extend our aspirations for the place of translation and translation studies in education. Unlike many educators, I am optimistic about the future and foresee the possibility that translation, currently a truly underdeveloped resource, can play a significant role in fashioning amore vibrant and effective approach not only to literature and the humanities but indeed throughout the curriculum. To many this optimism will seem misguided. It is widely agreed, after all, that higher education in the United States has reached a crisis point. The university as an educational institution is facing daunting challenges driven largely by societal and technological developments that began in the late twentieth century and have rendered many current practices—from the classroom lecture to the fifteen-week semester—teetering on the edge of obsolescence. For the humanities the situation is more than daunting—it is dire. The causes for the decline of interest in traditionally structured humanities degrees are numerous, including the growing emphasis in the United States on economically based justifications for education. But it cannot be denied that the humanities has managed to exacerbate its problems by indulging too frequently in (to quote Nannerl Keohane) “the creation of increasingly specialized disciplines” expressed in increasingly arcane language.1 Calls for reform abound. Unfortunately they tend to focus on the trees rather than the forest; for example, on ways to employ technology more effectively in the current curriculum or on ways to increase and assess achievement in specific subjects. Students need to write better or know more American history or (above all) produce higher test scores in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). It is a self-defeating approach, analogous to improving an orchestra by strengthening the woodwinds while allowing the strings to languish. The situation calls instead for a more comprehensive and systemic approach that is guided by a coherent, unifying vision of the overall purpose of higher education. The approach that I propose for comprehensive change is based on three basic principles. First, the goal of education is to prepare students for the future; second, education can achieve this goal by emphasizing the development of the qualities of mind required to survive and thrive in that future; third, an emphasis on “qualities
Translation Review, Sep 1, 2003
Translation Review, Sep 1, 1979
Translation Review, Nov 1, 1980
Historia de Preliis Alexandri Magni, J1 recension -- Historia de Preliis, J2 (excerpts) -- Histor... more Historia de Preliis Alexandri Magni, J1 recension -- Historia de Preliis, J2 (excerpts) -- Historia de Preliis, J3 (excerpts) -- Epistola Alexandri ad Aristotelem de mirabilibus Indiae -- Alexandri Magni iter ad Paradisum -- Appendix: Leo of Naples, Historia de Preliis.
Speculum, Oct 1, 1977
Page 1. 1010 Reviews Russian history, and, although she does not reflect upon this possibility, i... more Page 1. 1010 Reviews Russian history, and, although she does not reflect upon this possibility, it seems that efforts in a similar spirit could reduce to various degrees of waste other comfortable assumptions about the Muscovite period. ...
German Studies Review, May 1, 1982
Publications of the Journal of Medieval Latin, 2002