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Classics Faculty Share Expertise in Varied Channels

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Faculty members from the Department of Classics showcase their research and expertise by presenting at and co-organizing conferences, crafting insightful articles, and engaging in academic dialogues and professional exchanges. Following are a few recent examples. 

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Assistant Professor Charles Kuper presented a paper on the text and image in the Menologion of Basil II at a double-panel during the October 2024 Byzantine Studies Conference in New York City. He and his co-organizer won funding for the papers from the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture.

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Associate Professor Justin Arft was a respondent to one of four papers on new computational approaches to the study of Homer and ancient Greek texts. Arft makes his appearance starting at about the 1:40 mark in the video from the Homer and Artificial Intelligence Workshop.

Assistant Professor Sam Blankenship wrote a response for the online Herodotus Helpline, an organization based in Scotland and devoted to the study of the historian Herodotus of Halicarnassus. Blankenship answered the question, “How did Herodotus know so much about what was happening in Persia?”

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Department welcomes Golubović

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The University of Tennessee’s Department of Classics is excited to welcome lecturer, Nikola Golubović. Nikola specializes in Latin literature of the first three centuries AD, with a particular focus on rhetorical education. In his research, he explores how Roman students learned public speaking, a crucial skill for participation in political and civic life at the time. He is also interested in the lives and careers of people who taught in Roman schools. These individuals often came from outside Rome.

Nikola’s own journey into Classics was influenced by teachers and professors; despite knowing little about the ancient world, after taking Latin in high school, he quickly became interested in Classics and decided to pursue a career in the field. While here at UTK, Nikola is looking forward to teaching Latin, Ancient Greek, and a broad array of courses on ancient literature and culture, as well as connecting with students.

Look for Nikola’s article on the ancient use and transmission of a collection of Roman school exercises that will soon appear in the journal Classical Philology. He has also recently written about Horace’s Satires for a publication in his native Serbian.

Learn more about our newest lecturer by visiting his department profile.

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Department co-hosts Translation Symposium

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The department of Classics and World Languages and Cultures co-hosted the first Translation Symposium in April. This event was open to the public and brought together Professor Richard Armstrong of the University of Houston and Professor Lawrence Venuti of Temple University as the keynote speakers. During the symposium, participants were invited to attend workshops and panel discussions related to the power of translation.

Before the symposium began, the keynote speakers were invited to give an interview to WUOT 91.9, about the evolution of literary translation. The interview is available on the WUOT website.

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Even Latin translation can be a friendly competition!

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Each year, The Classical Association of the Middle West and South invites students to compete in its Latin Translation Exam for college/university students. During the 2023-2024 exam, 9 University of Tennessee Students did above average in the exam in one of the two categories: Intermediate College Exam (students with up to 2 years of Latin) or Advanced College Exam (3+ years of Latin).

The exam is open to any Latin student and each year alternates from translating prose or poem to English, within a the time frame of one hour.

The Department of Classics would like to congratulate the following for their success in this year’s competition: Grant Williams, Alexander Wyrick, Joshua Adedokun, Noah Hornback, Lela Flowers, Lauren Shinn, Houston Boyd, Kaitlyn Emler, and Henry Green!

For more information on The Classical Association of the Middle West and South click here.

Salvador Bartera

Bartera Leads New Classics Club at Fulton High School

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At Fulton High School, we have chosen Aequora because we believe in fostering students’ passions for classical studies. Through The Paideia Institute’s Aequora curriculum, we harness the classical languages’ power to improve literacy while making the ancient Mediterranean world fun and accessible to students of all backgrounds. 

Led by independent site coordinators, Aequora envisions Classics as an inclusive, diverse, and socially engaged field. Our textbook, Aequora: Teaching Literacy with Latin, introduces the basics of Latin vocabulary and grammar, Roman culture and mythology, and connections between Latin, English, and Spanish, all through games and activities designed to show students that learning Latin is fun!

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New Options for Students

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In Fall 2022, we have added a fifth concentration: in addition to Latin, Greek, Classical Archaeology, and Classical Civilization, students now are able to major or minor in Classical Languages, combining Latin and Greek. We also have created an Undergraduate Certificate in Classical Languages for students who want to become Latin high-school teachers or go to graduate school. Please look under “Prospective Students” or “Current Students” for more information about these new options.

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Goodbyes and Hellos

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This summer we said good-bye to John Friend, Maura Lafferty, and Sklenar. Friend is returning with his family to New Zealand, and Lafferty and Sklenar have retired. We are sorry to see them leave, but we wish them the best and will stay in touch. We now have two new assistant professors: Salvador Bartera is replacing Chris Craig (retired 2020) as our Latin prose specialist, and Jessica Westerhold is replacing Sklenar as our Latin poetry expert. Lorenzo Del Monte is a new lecturer in the department. You can find out more about them under “People.” We are searching for Friend’s replacement this year.

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Salvador Bartera

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Lorenzo Del Monte