UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN CLASSICS

Link to UNC-A Undergraduate Research Homepage
for Calendar, Deadlines, and Grant Opportunities

Opportunity for a semester of Study Abroad in Sofia, Bulgaria: http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/arcs/index.asp?page=programs. If you are interested in applying for this program, please contact Dr. Holland at lholland at unca dot edu

Watch this space for photos and other updates from the exciting summer research conducted in Classics and Philosophy described below!

Jennifer Gray, Senior Philosophy major and Classics minor, was invited to participate in the 12th annual Posters on the Hill Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR) poster session on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2008. The title of her poster was "A Gradual Improvement of the Second Exemplar of Henry of Ghent's Quodlibet IV." Sixty competitively selected students from colleges and universities around the nation displayed their research in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol during a late afternoon reception. In the morning of the same day, there was an orientation session, followed by visits from students and their faculty mentors to their Representatives and Senators' offices. Jennifer's was one of only handful of Humanities proposals accepted, and she is the first UNC-Asheville student ever to win this honor. She has been working for the past two years on six manuscripts of the medieval philospher Henry of Ghent in collaboration with Dr. Gordon Wilson, the General Editor for a new critical edition of this author. Jennifer has been awarded funding from various sources around campus. Jennifer spent this summer studying the original manuscripts in Europe under the supervision of her faculty mentor, Dr. Gordon Wilson. Jennifer gained these opportunities through her participation in the joint Classics-Philosophy Latin Paleography Undergraduate Research Collaboration.Her study abroad in Europe was funded by a Summer 2008 Faculty-Student Partnership Award for Undergraduate Research and the UNC-Asheville Humanities Program, along with other sources.

Alejandra McCall, Senior Classics and History double major and member of Eta Sigma Phi (Classics Honor Society), was invited to study Latin manuscripts and other documents concerning the expulsion of the Jesuits from Chile that are housed in restricted access collections in Spain and in Rome this May. In June and July, she traveled to Chile where she was given permission to study collections and pursue research on the influence of the Jesuit presence on the Classical Tradition in Chile. Ally has been awarded funding from various sources around campus, including a Summer Research Award from the UNC-Asheville Undergraduate Research Program and the UNC-Asheville Humanities Program. Ally gained this opportunity through her participation in the joint Classics-Philosophy Latin Paleography Undergraduate Research Collaboration. Ally also recently received the History Department's PHILIP WALKER AWARD in recogition of her "outstanding research and work in foreign languages." This award comes with a cash prize of $250.00. Well done, Ally!

Megan Miller, Senior Classics major and President of Eta Sigma Phi (Classics Honor Society) and President of NSCS (Honors Program Honor Society), was invited to attend the second Lincoln College International Summer School in Greek Palaeography (GPSS) at the University of Oxford, England, from Sunday, 27 July to Saturday, 2 August 2008. The school offered participants the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the fascinating world of Greek manuscripts in the unique setting of Oxford University and the Bodleian Library. GPSS 2008 offered lectures, special classes and tutorials on Greek palaeography and textual criticism. Megan has been awarded funding from various sources around campus, including the UNC-Asheville Humanities Program and, along with her faculty mentor, Dr. Sophie Mills, a Summer 2008 Faculty-Student Partnership Award for Undergraduate Research. Megan gained this opportunity through her participation in the joint Classics-Philosophy Latin Paleography Undergraduate Research Collaboration. Megan was also recognized as Outstanding Student Organization president for herleadership in Eta Sigma Phi and as co-president of the NationalSociety of Collegiate Student at the snnual Academic and Leadership Awards Ceremony Thursday, April 17, 2008. Each year UNC Asheville recognizes those students and student organizations that have excelled in their contributions to the University community. Strong student leadership at UNC Asheville is marked by a balance between the rigors of academic life and the citizenship of co-curricular and community involvement. Well done, Megan!

Congratulations to Nikki Espie, whose paper "The Classical Education of African Americans: The Unexplored Classical Tradition in Asheville, North Carolina" has been accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, April 18, 2008 in Tucson, AZ! Click here for a link to the program (scroll down to the twelvth paper session, Section C).

Spring 2008 Undergraduate Research Symposium at UNC-Asheville

Papers of particular interest to Classics students:

Session V D Literature and Language
3:20 – 4:20 KH 033

Sappho: Western Lesbian Icon and Eastern Lesbian Disgrace?
Alejandra L. McCall (Sophie Mills), Classics Department

Session IV F Philosophy & Humanities
1:30 – 3:10 NH 118

The Aesthetics of John Duns Scotus
Jennifer Gray (Gordon Wilson), Philosophy Department

Session IID Education
10:20 – 12:00 CH 132

Semantic Word Maps in the Latin Classroom: Effects on Reading
Comprehension
Nicholas Mauriello (Jim McGlinn), Education Department

 

http://www.unca.edu/urp/Fall2007SymposiumSchedule.html

link to Fall 2007 Symposium Schedule

Papers of particular interest to Classics students:

Session I B New Hall 119, 1-1:20pm, Hannah Fuller, "Out of Context: the Cubiculum from Boscoreale" (this is an Art History paper on the frescos taken from the Roman villa at Boscoreale and put on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York)

Session III B New Hall 119, 3:45-4:05pm, Nikki Espie, "The Classical Education of African Americans: The Unexplored Classical Tradition in Asheville, North Carolina" (this is a Classical Studies paper taken from Nikki's senior thesis on the Allen School here in Asheville)

Summer 2007 Awards

Nikki Espie has won a Summer Student Creative Projects Program award for her project entitled, "The Classical Education of African-Americans: The Unexplored Classical Tradition in North Carolina"

Jennifer Gray has won a Summer Student Creative Projects Program award for her project to work on the manuscripts of Henry of Ghent. She has been invited to present the results of her research at the Workshop in Editing Medieval Texts at Georgetown University in July.

Megan Miller has been selected as one of twelve participants in a Workshop in Editing Medieval Texts to be held from July 9 to August 3 at Georgetown University with instruction by the distinguished editors of medieval philosophical texts, Girard Etzkorn and Gordon Wilson.

Spring 2007 UR Symposium Presentations Click HERE for photos.

Jennifer Gray, "The Evolution of Manuscripts and their Models Found within the Henrici Opera Omnia Series, Quodlibet IV" Directed by Gordon Wilson

Megan Miller, "The Trials of the Modern Editor: Decoding and Deciphering the Medieval Manuscripts of Henry of Ghent" Directed by Gordon Wilson

Grant Awards Recipient for Presentation at NCUR 2007 and Publication in NCUR Proceedings 2007

Megan Miller, "THE TRIALS OF THE MODERN EDITOR: DECODING AND DECIPHERING THE MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS OF HENRY OF GHENT" to be presented at the 21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA, April 12-14, 2007. Megan is one of 23 UNC-A students whose abstracts were accepted (the most of any of the UNC system universities, and the only acceptance in the category Classical Languages and Literature).

Summer, 2006 UNC System Undergraduate Research Opportunity Expansion Initiative Award under the UNC Research Development Initiative ($3, 500)

Megan Miller, "Latin Paleography/Editorial Work on the Henry of Ghent Project" Directed by Gordon Wilson (Philosophy) and Lora Holland (Classics)

Grant Awards Recipients for Presentation at NCUR 2006 and Publication in NCUR Proceedings 2006

Landon Bellavia, "Archaeological Excavation of Ancient Roman Pottery from Palazzaccio, Italy, and Analysis by Mössbauer Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction" Chemistry research directed by John Stevens. Classics research directed by Laurel Taylor

Allyson Blomeley, “An Inventory Of Ghosts: Cultural Attitudes Toward Helen Of Troy As Observed By Aphrodite” Directed by Lora Holland

Kristina Robinson, “The Process Of Editing Henry Of Ghent's Article 53, Question 1 Of His Quaestiones Ordinariae” Directed by Lora Holland

Suzanne van Duym, “A Diachronic Study Of Some "Sacred" Terms In Latin” Directed by Lora Holland

2005 UNC-A UR Symposium Presenters

Dan Burrello, “How Marriage Sinks Ships and Love Shatters Rank” Directed by Lora Holland
Rachel Ersoff, “Mighty Aphrodite: the flame of love and destruction” Directed by Sophie Mills
Kristin Holcombe, "Catullus and bisexuality" Directed by Sophie Mills
Erin McDonald, "Gender and the Gods in Greek Tragedy" Directed by Sophie Mills
Meredith Ritchie, “Juno and Neptune: The Battle of the Sexes In the Aeneid, Virgil Attributes the Gender Roles of His Own Society” Directed by Lora Holland
Kristina Robinson, “Editing Medieval Latin Manuscripts in the Twentieth Century” Directed by Lora Holland

Summer 2005 UNC-A UR Research Award Recipient ($2,000)

Landon Bellavia, "Archaeological Excavation of Roman and Etruscan Pottery for Analysis and Comparison by Mössbauer Spectrometry" Directed by Laurel Taylor

Summer 2004 UNC-A UR Student-Faculty Partnership Award Recipients ($3,000)

Meredith Ritchie, "Pre-Colonial Cherokee Pottery and the Greek Pottery of Boeotia, Greece" Co-awarded wtih Dorothy Rohner

Kristina Robinson, "Editing Medieval Latin Text in the 21st Century" Co-awarded with Lora Holland and in collaboration with Gordon Wilson (Philosophy)

Further info on these projects

2004 UNC-A UR Symposium Presenter

AJ Calvillo, "Plato's Defense of Socrates: A Dissenting Opinion" Directed by Sophie Mills

1997 UNC-A UR Symposium Presenters

under construction

UNC-A GLBT Conference (3/31/05-4/2/05) "Classic Sex" session (4/1/05)

Christina Harlow, “Gender and Metamorphosis in Ovid” Directed by Sophie Mills
Jessie Harne, “Ancient and Modern Stereotypes of the Lesbian” Directed by Sophie Mills
Jillian Shank, “Sexuality and its Social Context” Directed by Sophie Mills
Jame Tierney, “Pederasty Ancient and Modern” Directed by Sophie Mills

Additional Undergraduate Research Project

Fall 2005, Nikki Espie won an UR award to help catalogue and set up the new Classics Department Library in New Hall. Directed by Lora Holland

2007 Senior Theses

Allyson Blomeley, "One for All: Purifying the City Through the Use of Human Conduits" Directed by Sophie Mills

Rhonda N. Espie, “The Classical Education of African-Americans: The Allen School in Asheville, North Carolina” Directed by Lora Holland

Daniel Kostin, "Opening up the Silenus: Finding Plato's Dualism in Socrates' Strangeness" Directed by Brian Hook

2006 Senior Theses

Jennifer M. Dorich, "Reading the Avernus episode in Ovid's 'Aeneid': a structured response for accelerating the approachability of unadapted Latin texts" Directed by Lora Holland

Christina Harlow, "Gender, Identity, and Reality in Ovid's Metamorphoses: A Study" Directed by Brian Hook

Sophie Knowles, "Justifications of Slavery in Athenian Democracy" Directed by Sophie Mills

Kristina Robinson, "An Excursion into Manuscript Studies: Editing Article 53, Question 1 of Henry of Ghent's Quaestiones Ordinariae" Directed by Lora Holland

Vanessa Sullivan, "The Medical Treatment of Women in Antiquity" Directed by Dorothy Rohner

Leah Suzanne van Ameyden van Duym, " 'Sacred' Terms in Latin" Directed by Lora Holland

2005 Senior Theses

Dan Burrello, "Mithras and the Authorities of Rome" Directed by Kathleen Peters

Joseph Paul DeVeaugh-Geiss, "The Pragmatics of Constituent Order: Cicero and First Position" Directed by Lora Holland

Jessica Harne, "Clarifying Confusion in Early Christianity: Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa on the Trinitarian Debate" Directed by Brian Hook

Vanessa Alexandria RisingMoon, "Color Connotation in Early Greek Poetry" Directed by Sophie Mills

Meredith Ritchie, "Brave New Word: Structure and Intent in Herodotus' Histories" Directed by Sophie Mills

2004 Senior Theses

Missy Barrett, "The Divinity of Alexander the Great" Directed by Dorothy Rohner

Christina Calhoun, "Is the Speaker Horace? An Analysis of Sermones I Based on Progressive Revelation" Directed by Brian Hook

AJ Calvillo, "Plato's Defense of Socrates: A Dissenting Opinion" Directed by Sophie Mills

Brooke Marcellino, "Supernatural Events in Herodotus' Text" Directed by Dorothy Rohner

Jeremy David McFalls, "The Emphatic Use of Divination in the Bellum Civile and its Relationship to Cato" Directed by Lora Holland

Jessica Reek, "The Living Dead: Propertius' Legacy" Directed by Brian Hook

Kaye Sewell, "Euripides' Hippolytus In Light of the Homeric Epic Tradition" Directed by Sophie Mills

2003 Senior Theses

F. V. Piserchia, "Propertius vs. the Gorgon" Directed by Sophie Mills

Lara Weaver, "Rus in Urbe, City Takeover or City Attraction? Reinvestigating the Urban Impact of the Grounds of Nero's Golden House" Directed by Brian Hook

2002 Senior Theses

Matt Deal, "Jerome, Epistula 84: Introduction, Text, and Commentary" Directed by Brian Hook

Robert Simms, "Aspects of Social Unanimity in the Iliad of Homer " Directed by Sophie Mills