Part-time Faculty
B.A. 1974, Harvard University; Ph.D. 1978, Harvard University
Richard Sacks' research and teaching interests revolve around the poetic, mythic and linguistic traditions of ancient and medieval cultures, as well as the ways in which such traditions reemerge in the "modernities" of later periods. His work focuses especially on the traditions of Homeric Greek, Old English, and Old Norse, but has also ranged into areas such as biblical narrative, Celtic myth, classical myth in English poetry, form in poetry, and modern epic poetry (especially Derek Walcott's Omeros, on which he is currently writing), as well as the field of information technology. Since 1978, he has been teaching at Columbia where he also served terms as Director of Academic Information Systems, and as Executive Director of Information Technology and Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems at the Columbia Business School. Awards he has received include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, as well as a Distinguished Teaching Award from Columbia's School of General Studies. His publications include The Traditional Phrase in Homer: Two Studies in Form, Meaning and Interpretation, as well as articles on Greek, Old English and Old Norse poetry and linguistics, and on technology issues in higher education.
