Greg McMahon

Excellence in International Engagement, 2020

Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies

Gregory McMahon is one of those rare scholar-teachers who stands astride the international crossroads, not only between the ¡°here¡± and the ¡°there,¡± but also between the ¡°now¡± and ¡°then.¡±

His commitment to international engagement is perhaps best exemplified by the archaeological excavation that he co-directs. It is located in modern Turkey but focused on a site (?ad?r H?y¨¹k) that extends from the Chalcolithic to the Byzantine period ¡ª the site in Turkey with the longest continual habitation, some 6,500 years. The excavation itself involves a large international team and requires the diplomatic chops to negotiate with Turkish officials from the local level to the national. Professor McMahon not only navigates that process adroitly, he does so in fluent Turkish.

As his co-director notes, every class that McMahon teaches is international in nature, and he is always careful to insist on understanding other cultures?on their own terms. As one former student who participated in the dig relates, he was ¡°very patient in telling me about Turkish customs, culture, and the language. ¡­ I benefitted from this experience as an opportunity...to embrace a society that functions and presents itself in a totally different way compared to America. As an international student, this experience further broadens my understanding of this world as a diverse and fascinating place.