| LOUIS MARKOS Professor in English Houston Baptist University Houston, TX 77074 281-649-3000, ext. 2279 lmarkos@hbu.edu http://fc.hbu.edu/~lmarkos EDUCATION 1991 PhD, English, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Major Concentration: British Romantic Poetry Minor Concentrations: Literary Theory, Classics Dissertation: Wordsworth and the Powers of the Imagination Languages: Classical/New Testament Greek, Spanish 1987 MA, English, University of Michigan 1986 BA, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY Majors: English (high honors), History (high honors) TEACHING 2002-present, Professor, Houston Baptist University, Courses Taught: Comp; Great Books; Romantic, Victorian, and 17th-Cent Poetry and Prose; Lit Theory (classic to postmodern); Mythology; Epic; Film; C. S. Lewis 1997-2002, Associate Professor, Houston Baptist University 1991-1997, Assistant Professor, Houston Baptist University 1987-1991, Teaching Assistant (TA), University of Michigan 1998-present, Led various classes for various Houston-based groups: The Women’s Institute, Leisure Learning Unlimited, University Place, Life-Long Learners, Oasis. I also co-established a six-part lecture series on Ancient Greece for the AHEPA of Houston and a six-part lecture series on Ancient Rome for the Italian Cultural Club of Houston; for both, I gave three of the lectures. VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT Although a devoted professor who works closely with his students, Dr. Markos is dedicated to the concept of the professor as public educator. He firmly believes that knowledge must not be walled up in the academy, but must be freely and enthusiastically disseminated to all those "who have ears to hear." As a specifically Christian professor he also adheres to a second goal: to fuse into a single stream the humanist strivings of Athens and the Christian truths of Jerusalem. Believing that “all truth is God’s truth,” Dr. Markos seeks to measure all human knowledge against the touchstone of orthodox Christian doctrine (the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the Resurrection). Believing further that Christianity is not the only truth but the only COMPLETE truth, he seeks to discover in the cultures, mythologies, religions and philosophies of the ancient (and modern) world intimations and foreshadowings of the greater truths revealed in Christ and the Bible. In pursuing this goal, his three principle mentors have been Plato, Dante, and C. S. Lewis, his central vision has been that of the Magi (whose pagan wisdom proved a partial guide to encountering the Christ child), and his core biblical passage Paul’s address to the Areopagus at Athens (Acts 17). ACADEMIC HONORS Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 1996, 1998 Sabbatical Leave, Spring 2001 NEH Summer Institute: Reading Virgil's Aeneid, Emory Univ, 1994 Outstanding Teaching Award, Houston Baptist Univ, 1992 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Univ of MI, 1990 PUBLICATIONS From Homer to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics, forthcoming from IVP (2007) Pressing Forward: Alfred, Lord Tennyson and the Victorian Age, forthcoming from Sapientia Press (2007) Lewis Agonistes: How C. S. Lewis can Train us to Wrestle with the Modern and Postmodern World, Broadman & Holman, 2003. From Plato to Postmodernism: Understanding the Essence of Literature and the Role of the Author, a series of 24 lectures + coursebook, produced and distributed by The Teaching Company, Fall, 1999. The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis (12 lectures), Teaching Company. Fall, 2000. Contributed three lectures on Presocraticism, Structuralism, and Deconstruction for a 7-part series, Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, The Teaching Company, 2002 "Aslan in the Public Square," in Reasons for Faith. Edited by Norman L. Geisler, Chad Meister, and Eric Pement for Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Due out in Spring, 2007. "Nobody Does it Better," in James Bond in the 21st Century: Why we Still Need 007. Edited by Glenn Yeffeth for BenBella, 2006. "Redeeming Postmodernism." in Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles. Edited by Shanna Caughey for BenBella, 2005. "The Enchiridion of Erasmus: An Evangelical-Catholic, Humanist-Christian Vision," Theology Today, due out in Spring, 2007 "The Threefold Witness of the Church: The Catholic Paul, the Orthodox John, and the Protestant Peter, The Clarion Review, due out in Spring, 2007. "How Film Noir Got its Look," American Arts Quarterly, due on in Spring, 2007. Book reviews in Christianity Today, January, 2007, September, 2006, July, 2006. "From Romantic to Victorian: Alfred, Lord Tennyson and the Victorian Spirit of Progree," Saint Austin Review, November/December, 2006. "Alien Notion: John Gray's Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, December, 2006. "Vessles of Honor: All the Glory We Can Hold,” Touchstone, November, 2006. "The Wardrobe, the Witch, and the Lion" (a review of the film version), in the Bulletin of the NY CSL Society, Spring, 2006. “What Christianity is NOT,” Christian Research Journal, Vol. 29, No. 2 (2006): 32-9. "Wrestling in the Academy: How Christian Professors can Train their Students to Grapple with Ideas." Integrite (A Faith and Learning Journal). Vol 4, No 2 (Fall 2005): 16-22. "Excluded Middle School: Why C. S. Lewis was Right about Chests,” Touchstone, July/August, 2005. "An Evening with Athanasius: Meditations on the Incarnation." Theology Today July, 2005. "The Compulsvie Reader," Christianity Today, June, 2005. "Apologetics for the 20th Century: The Legacy of Francis Schaeffer." Faith and Mission (A Journal of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) Spring, 2005 (Vol 22, no 2). "Intimations of Incarnation: The Apologetic Vision of Robert Browning," Touchstone, April, 2005. "Review of Remembering the End," Christian Scholar's Review, Spring, 2004. "The Dangers of a Values-Free Education: C. S. Lewis and the Abolition of Man," Bulletin of the NY CSL Society, Sep/Oct, 2003. "If you like C. S. Lewis, you will also like," Bulletin of the NY CSL Society, Spring, 2003. "The Heirs of Galileo," Touchstone, December, 2002. “Poetry-Phobic,” Speaking Out Column, Christianity Today, October 1, 2001. “Myth Matters: C. S. Lewis bequeathed us a method and a language for sharing the gospel with the modern and postmodern world,” Christianity Today, Cover Story, April 23, 2001. “Apologist for the Past: The Medieval Vision of C. S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia,” Mythlore 88 (v. 3, n. 2), Spring 2001. Encyclopedia articles on Nikos Kazantzakis’ Odyssey: A Modern Sequel and H. G. Wells’s When The Sleeper Wakes for Magill, 1998, 1996. "Lillo's The London Merchant and the Discourse of Criminal Biography," Restoration and 18th Cent. Theatre Research, V (Wint 1990). Books Written (but as yet unpublished):From Narnia to Middle-Earth: On the Road with Aslan and Frodo; Rehabilitating Beauty: C. S. Lewis on Education and the Arts; Confessions of a Humanist Christian; Life to the Full: The Search for Joy in a Fallen World; My Icon Case: Literary Sketches of a Greek-American Family; Seeing the Kingdom: A Symbolic Analysis of The Gospel of John; Redemptive Moments: The Poetry of Robert Browning; and a trilogy of children's novels: The Dreaming Stone, In the Shadow of Troy, The Gates of Freedom. ACADEMIC SERVICE Judge for Christianity Today Books Award (subject: apologetics), 2004, 2005, 2006 I am on the Editorial Board for The Clarion Review, 2006 Chair of Conference on Christianity and Literature, Dallas, Oct, 1997 Lead ESL Bible Study for Intensive English Institute, Houston, 1997-present Faculty Sponsor, Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society), 1990-present Lead investigative/inductive home Bible Study for students, 1989-present At Houston Baptist University: I was one of the initiators of the departmental honors program and serve on various related committees; have taught a section of Freshman Year Experience each year since its inception and been active in shaping the curriculum; put together an extensive advising handbook for the College of Arts and Humanities and serve on various related commit-tees; frequently attend and participate in programs to recruit new students; frequently participate in school functions; and frequently attend and speak at workshops sponsored by the COAH. LECTURES, SPEECHES, SEMINARS & PAPERS Speeches for the 2006-2007 Academic Year Monday, August 28, 1-3pm: I spoke for the faculty of St. Thomas Episcopal Academy in Houston on the topic of Roman Portraits: Ancient Rome on Film. Wednesday, September 6: I gave a speech on The Horse and His Boy for First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio. Wednesday, September 13, 6:45pm: I gave a speech at First Presbyterian Church, Houston, on the Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis. Wednesday, October 4, 6:30pm: I gave a speech at Cypress Creek Christian Church on how I integrate my Christian Faith and my work as an English Professor. Weekend of November 10-12: I attended a weekend conference on C. S. Lewis held at Camp Allen in Navasota, TX (sponsored by the CSL Foundation). I led and spoke for Bag End Cafe on Saturday night. Monday, November 20: I spoke on the Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis for a Book Club that meets at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, IL (near Chicago). Friday, December 2: I gave a talk on the Spirit of Hellenism to complement a showing of a documentary on Greece shown at the Imax Theater housed in the Museum of Natural History, Houston, 7-10pm. This event was a fund raiser to help establish a Greek Cultural Center in Houston. Sundays, January 7, 14, 21: I offered a three-week seminar on C. S. Lewis at Cypress Creek Christian Church, 6:00-8pm. The topic was C. S. Lewis on the Arts and Education; the three talks were titled: Wrestling with the Arts; The Dangers of a Values-Free Educations; Aslan in the Academy. Friday, January 26, 2:30pm: As part of a conference on Christianity and the Arts held at Houston Baptist University, I moderated a panel discussion on the theme of the conference: The Arts as an Expression of Belief. The panel included Marilynne Robinson and Greg Wolfe. Wednesday, February 7: I was a plenary speaker for a Christian Arts conference (Re:Create) held in Franklin, TN (near Nashville): Tuesdays, March 13, March 20, and April 10, 6:30-8pm: I gave three lectures (one on the history of ancient Rome; one on Rome on film; one on Ovid) as part of an 8-week class on Imperial Rome that was held at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies on the Campus of Rice University. The class was held in conjunction with an exhibit on Imperial Rome at the Museum of Natural History. Saturday, April 14-Sundy, April 22. I was the speaker for a trip to Rome, Italy. I gave a series of lectures on Ancient Rome from Aeneas to Constantine, on the early Church, and on how the Roman Catholic Church was successor to the Roman Empire. Tuesdays, 1-3pm from March 6-May 15 (no class on April 17) I led a 10-week class based on my book, Lewis Agonistes: How C. S. Lewis can train us to wrestle with the modern and postmodern world for the Women's Institute of Houston. Friday/Saturday, May 18-9: I was a plenary speaker for a Christian Arts conference in Washington, DC. Thursday, June 14: I gave a speech on Dante's Pre-Copernican Universe for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as a part of their Artful Thursdays series (preceded by an interview on KUHF) Thursday, June 28: I was a plenary speaker for a conference (Summer Scripture Seminar, June 24-29) held at University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL (near Chicago). The conference theme was the Bible and Ethics; my speech was titled Ethics in Narnia: C. S. Lewis on the Nature of Good and Evil. Speeches for the 2005-2006 Academic Year Sunday Afternoons at 4pm, September 18 & 25: I gave a 2-part lecture series on The Hollywood Studios: Their Birth, their Moguls, and their Styles for the Women's Institute of Houston. Saturday, October 15: I gave the keynote address for the Southern Regional Leadership Conference of AHEPA held at the JW Marriot in Houston. Topic: The Spirit of Hellenism. Saturday, November 5: I gave a speech titled "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at the Borders on 3025 Kirby in Houston. My speech was part of Narnia on Tour, a lecture series held throughout Fall of 2005 in major cities across the nation. Thurday, Nov 17: I gave a luncheon address on Narnia for Dallas Christian Leadership at SMU Weekend of Nov 18-20: I was the plenary speaker for a conference on The Chronicles of Narnia held at Camp Allen (Navasota, TX). Sponsored by CSL Foundation. Tuesday, November 21: I spoke on C. S. Lewis for the chapel service at George Fox Univeristy near Portland, Oregon; I also spoke in several classes, and addressed the wider community that evening on the New Age. Wednesday, November 30: I spoke on Narnia at Friendswood Community Church at 7pm. Thursday, December 29: I spoke on C. S. Lewis in the afternoon for a Barnes & Noble in Sarasota, Florida, and then followed that by an evening talk on Narnia at a local church (Cornerstone Church). Saturday, January 7: I spoke on Narnia for the Heights Church of Christ in Houston. Sundays, January 8, 15, 22: I offered a three-week seminar on C. S. Lewis at Cypress Creek Christian Church,6:00-8pm (I spoke on Narnia and from Chapters 4 and 6 of Lewis Agonistes.) Wednesday, January 18: I spoke on Narnia for Northwest Bible Church in Dallas. Friday, January 20: I spoke on Narnia for Second Baptist Church of Houston. Tuesday, January 24: I spoke for the Italian Cultural Club of Houston (1101 Milford) on the Ancient Myths and Legends of Sicily. Friday, January 27: I delivered two lectures (one on Narnia; the other on Wrestling with Science from Chapter 2 of Lewis Agonistes) for the TMI Daunt Lectures in Religion and Society. The lectures were held at The Episcopal School of Texas in San Antonio. Monday, January 30: I delivered a lecture to the faculty of Montgomery College (North Houston) on Greek Mythology. Weekend of Feb 10-12: I led a CSL weekend for Chapel Hill Bible Church in North Carolina based on four of the chapters from Lewis Agonistes. Friday, February 24: I spoke on C. S. Lewis for the chapel service at Taylor Univeristy in Indiana; on the evening before, I addressed the Lewis & Friends Society. Friday, March 3: I spoke on Dante's Pre-Copernican Universe for McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA. Spring 2006: I taught a 10-week class on Alfred Hitchcock for the Women's Institute of Houston. Saturday, March 11: I gave a speech on the Spirit of Hellenism for St. Basil's Greek Orthodox Church in Houston. Tuesday, March 14: I gave a dinner lecture on Narnia for the English Speaking Union, Houston. Thursday, July 13: I gave a talk titled "Roman Portraits: Virtue and Vice in Ancient Rome" for the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. June 1-4: I returned to Taylor University to be a plenary speaker for a colloquium on CSL. 2004-2005 Academic Year Monday, August 31, 1-3pm: I spoke for the faculty of St. Thomas Episcopal Academy in Houston on the topic of the Byronic Hero. Thursday, Sept 9: I spoke for the Italian Cultural Club of Houston on Dante's Paradiso. Friday, October 1 and Monday October 4: I spoke on two panels discussing the PBS series The Question of God (which contrasts the worldviews of CSL and Freud). The Friday panel was held at West University United Methodist Church; the Monday Panel at the KUHT studios on the U of H campus. Sunday Afternoons, October 3 & 10: I gave a two-part lecture on Dante's Pre-Copernican Universe and his Inferno for the Women's Institute of Houston. First 3 Wednesdays of November: I delivered a 3-part series on the legacy of C. S. Lewis at Friendswood Community Church. Weekend of Nov 19-21: I was one of two plenary speakers for a conference on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien held at Camp Allen (Navasota, TX) and sponsored by the CSL Foundation. Sundays in January: I led a three-part seminar on CSL at Cypress Creek Christian Church. Tuesday, January 18: I spoke on CSL for The Knife & Fork Club of Houston. Friday, January 21: I spoke on CSL for West Univ. United Methodist Church of Houston. Weekend of February 11-13: I led a 5-part conference on CSL for the Episcopal diocese of Savannah, Georgia. Weekend of February 18-20: I was the 44th Annual speaker for the Joseph Fletcher Lawyer’s Conference held at an Episcopal Camp in London, Ohio. Tuesday, February 22: I delivered a talk at the Italian Cultural and Community Center titled "Italy on Film" that included film clips from classic Italian films. Sunday, February 27: I delivered a talk titled “Homer, the War, and the Oral Tradition” for the Women's Institute of Houston; then taught a 10-week class on The Iliad and Odyssey. Saturday, March 12: I delivered a one-day, two-part seminar on C. S. Lewis at Christ United Methodist Church in Farmers Branch, TX (a suburb of Dallas). Saturday, March 19: I delivered a talk on The Odyssey and Why it is a Classic for the North Houston Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Group. Friday, April 1: I spoke on CSL at Second Baptist Church of Houston. Sunday, April 24: I delivered my "Screwtape's Millennial Toast” at Bethel Independent Presbyterian Church of Houston. Weekend of May 20-22: I led a 4-part conference on CSL for Laity Lodge in the Hill Country of Texas (sponsored by a Church in Kerrville). 4th of July Weekend: I delivered a 4-part series on film noir for the Cornerstone Festival held in Bushnell, Illinois (my third year in a row as a plenary speaker). Week of July 25-29: I delivered a plenary address for the Oxbridge Conference in Oxford, England (title of paper: “Rehabilitating Beauty: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the Fiction of C. S. Lewis”). I also offered three additional seminars on CSL during the week. 2003-2004 Academic Year: October 21: I spoke at the Chapel service of John Brown Univeristy (Siloam Springs, AK); I also addressed the faculty on CSL. April 1-3: I was one of the plenary speakers for the 7th Annual C. S. Lewis & the Inklings Conference held at LeTourneau University in Longview, TX. I gave a dramatic recitation of my essay, "Screwtapes Millennial Toast." April/May: I spoke on a panel to discuss the film The Passion of the Christ at Friendswood Community Church; I followed this up by leading a 4-part series on CSL. June 4-5: I was a keynote speaker for a conference on Christianity and the Arts held at Cornerstone Church in Sarasota, FL. Fourth of July Weekend: I gave a series of four lectures on the Blessings and Dangers of Romanticism for the Cornerstone Festival, held annually in Bushnell, Illinois. July/August: I led an 8-day seminar on CSL for St. Hugh’s College in Oxford, England. Over the academic year, I gave four lectures at the Italian Cultural and Community Center: “From Homer to Virgil: The Epic Moves to Rome,” “Rome’s Naughty Poet: An Unexpurgated Tour of Ovid’s Metamorphoses,” “From Pagan to Christian: Why Dante Chose Virgil as his Guide,” and “Dante’s Purgatorio: Journey into Light.” In Houston, I spoke several times on CSL: twice for Grace Presbyterian Church, twice for Second Baptist Church, and once each for Strangeland Books (a ministry of Ecclessia), Bethel Independent Presbyterian, Houston Baptist University, the English Speaking Union, College Park Baptist Church, and Memorial Drive Presbyterian. Highlights of 2002-2003 Academic Year: January: I delivered a weekend conference on The Life and Apologetics of C. S. Lewis for Mattituck Presbyterian Church in Long Island, NY. February 1-2: I led another weekend conference on The Life and Apologetics of C. S. Lewis for the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church near Jackson, MS. April 14-17: I delivered the Staley Lecture series at Multnomah Bible College in Portland, OR. My four speeches elaborated on Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6 of my book, Lewis Agonistes. June 8-14: I delivered a series of lectures on The Chronicles of Narnia to accompany a Spa trip held in Aspen, Colorado. The Spa was coordinated by Global Fitness Adventures. July 4-5: I led a 4-part series (“The Discarded Image: Myth, Wonder & Incarnation”) at the Cornerstone Festival, a Christianity and the Arts festival held annually in central Illinois. August 8-10: I gave a plenary lecture on The Abolition of Man for the New York C. S. Lewis Society Symposium held at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglastown, NY. Highlights of 2001-2002 Academic Year: September: I delivered the paper, “Intimations of Incarnation: Browning’s Cleon,” at the South West Conference on Christianity and Literature, Baylor University, Waco, TX. February: I delivered a plenary address on Christianity and the Arts for Re:Create, an arts conference held in Franklin, TN and sponsored by The People’s Church of Franklin (for which church I spoke again later in the year). April: I delivered three plenary addresses for the 5th Annual C. S. Lewis & the Inklings Conference held at Amarillo College in Texas. August: I led a three-day conference on C. S. Lewis on Education and the Arts, for the faculty of St Thomas Episcopal School, Houston, TX. Highlights of 2000-2001 Academic Year: March: I led a weekend conference on Teaching the Fiction of C. S. Lewis at Grace Covenant Christian School in Austin, TX. Spring: I conducted an 8-part radio interview on The Life and Writings of C. S. Lewis for Kresta in the Afternoon, Ave Maria Radio, Ann Arbor, MI. August: I led a weekend conference on Mere Christianity for Sunset Ridge Church of Christ, San Antonio, Texas. Titles of some of my pre-2001 lectures: "What Price Knowledge: Frankenstein and the Byronic Hero." "Rhythm and Rhyme: How to Decipher the Forms of Traditional Poetry." “Aeneas to Augustus: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic.” “Philosopher as Hero: The Apology of Citizen Socrates.” "Greek Mythology: The Gods, the Heroes, and the Tragic Houses.” "Fine Art of Seduction: Rules for Courtship in Hollywood's Golden Age.” “The Family that Slays Together: The Tragic House of Thebes.” “The Heroes of Greek Mythology: Perseus, Jason, Theseus, Hercules.” "Pressing Forward: Tennyson and the Victorian Spirit of Progress.”“The Rise and Fall of Periclean Athens.” "Shakespeare's Comic Universe: Strategies for Survival in a Fallen World.” "Frankenstein: The Legacy of German Expressionism" “Dracula: The History of Universal Studios" "The Invisible Man: Novel into Film” "Hektor and Andromache: Balance in a World Gone Mad.” "The Visual Medium: A How-to Guide for Viewing Films Cinematically.” "Not a Pretty World: The Origins, Conventions, and Landscapes of Film Noir.” "Redeeming the Signifier: Logocentric Readings of John and Augustine “Strategies for Surviving in the Microcosms of Literature” | ||