Lehmann, Ph.D., will address how people perceive Greece, from the poet Homer in ancient history to the media coverage of recent elections. His talk will also compare outsiders’ perspectives of Greece with how Greeks think about themselves.

Since joining USD in 1988, Lehmann has taught classes in Greek and Roman history, Western civilization, archaeology, epigraphy, language and literature. A South Dakota native, Lehmann earned his bachelor’s degree from Augustana College, his master’s degree from the University of Maryland and a doctorate in ancient history from the University of Chicago. While working on his dissertation, he traveled to Greece and developed a life-long love of the country. Lehmann regularly returns to Greece to travel and study, three times as the Gertrude Smith Professor at the American School of Classical Studies to direct an intensive summer study tour of Greece for advanced students and teachers of the classics. He also runs a study-abroad program that takes students from USD and other institutions to Greece, where the group travels to historic and cultural locations on a sailing yacht. Since this program’s inception 2005, 115 students have traveled and studied in various parts of the country with Lehmann and his fellow faculty members. Much of Lehmann’s research focuses on Greek history with his most recent work concerning the Greek historian Thucydides.

Named in 1966 in honor of Elbert Harrington, professor of speech and dean of USD's College of Arts & Sciences (1945-1970), the lecture is an annual event featuring a distinguished professor with long-standing service to the College of Arts & Sciences. Each year a faculty committee from the department recommends to the dean the name of a faculty member to deliver the Harrington Lecture. The faculty member must be a teacher and scholar, and the lecture must be non-technical, blending insight into liberal education with the faculty member’s work as a scholar. A reception will be held immediately following the lecture.

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