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Theodora Kopestonsky

Theodora Kopestonsky

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ADDRESS
Department of Classics 1115 McClung Tower University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-0413
Phone
(865) 974-5404

Theodora Kopestonsky

Distinguished Lecturer

Research Interests

Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology, Corinthian Studies, Ancient Cult and Ritual Practice, Coroplastic Arts, Gender in Antiquity

Education

  • Ph.D., University at Buffalo, 2009
    Dissertation: Kokkinovrysi: A Classical Shrine to the Nymphs at Corinth
  • M.A., University at Buffalo, 2003
  • B.A., University of Evansville, 2000

Honors

  • Society for Classical Studies Excellence in Teaching at the Collegiate Level, 2021
  • Kress Publication Fellowship, ASCSA, 2017-2018
  • Finalist, Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Tennessee, 2016
  • Lecturer Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Tennessee, College of Arts and Sciences, 2015
  • Henry S. Robinson Corinth Research Fellowship, ASCSA, Summer 2010
  • Humanities Institute Dissertation Fellowship, University at Buffalo, 2008-2009
  • Doreen C. Spitzer Research Fellowship, ASCSA, 2007-2008
  • Dorothy B. and Homer A. Thompson Research Fellowship, ASCSA, 2006-2007
  • John William White Fellowship, Regular Program, ASCSA, 2005-2006

Presentations

  • Nymphscapes: Watery Sanctuaries and Human Interaction in the Greek World, Society for Ancient Mediterranean Religions conference, Godscapes: Ritual, Belief and the Natural World in the Ancient Mediterranean and Beyond, (Edinburgh, UK), June 2023.
  • The Coroplast’s Perspective: Finding Reflections of Daily Life in Greek Terracottas, AIA/SCS annual meeting (New Orleans, LA), January 2023.
  • From Ancient Greece to Hollywood: Amazons in Wonder Woman (2017), AIMS annual conference: The Kaleidoscope of Antiquity: Shifting Perspectives on the Ancient Mediterranean World and Its Modern Receptions, (America/UK/EU/Austrolasia-online), December 2022.
  • “The Archaeology of Religion” with Erin Darby, UTK Library: For Your Reference/Reviewer 2 (online program), November 2021
  • Origin Story: Contextualizing the Nymphs in the Ancient Greek World, co-keynote lecture paired with Madeline Miller (NYT best-selling author) for Hollins University Classics Symposium, They Called Me Nymph: The Archaeology and Fiction of Lesser Female Divinities, November 2021.
  • with Lee L. Brice, Teaching General Education Classes with Material Culture: Coins, AAH annual conference (online), May 2021
  • “Smelly Sanctuaries: Odor and Experience at the Greek Sanctuary,” AIA/Baltimore Chapter, September 2020 (online)
  • “Adventures in Group Work in the Classics Classroom,” AIA/SCS Annual Meeting, January 2021 (online)
  • “The Sensual Experience of the Graeco-Roman Sacrifice,” Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association annual meeting, November 2019.
  • “…And Some Figurines: Recovering Terracotta Assemblages from the Potters’ Quarter,” AIA, Annual Meeting (San Diego, CA), January 2019.
  • “Dancers, Riders, and Standing Ladies: Leading Figures in Terracotta Assemblages at Small Corinthian Shrines,” International Conference: Terracottas Through Time, II, Haifa, Israel, March 2018
  • “Never Out of Style: Teaching Latin Love Poetry with Taylor Swift,” CAMWS annual meeting (Kitchener, ON) April 2017
  • “The Most Popular Girl at the Shrine: Reconsidering the Classical Corinthian Standing Female Figurine” AIA Annual Meeting (Toronto, Canada) 2017.
  • “Little Gifts: Dedications at the Sacred Spring in Corinth,” AIA annual meeting (San Francisco, CA), January 2016
  • “Smells at the Sanctuary: Scents as Offering to the Gods,” CAMWS, annual Meeting (Boulder, CO), March 2015.
  • “Offerings and Ritual at Corinthian Springs,” HYDROMED: International Conference on Water and Cult (Athens, Greece), July 2015.
  • “Infiltrating the Empire: The Cult of the Nymphs in the Roman World,” CAMWS, Annual Meeting (Waco, TX), April 2014

Employment

  • Distinguished Lecturer 2020-Present
  • Senior Lecturer, Department of Classics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2017-2020
  • Lecturer, Department of Classics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2011-2017
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Humanities, Columbus State Community College, Columbus, 2009-2011
  • Adjunct Professor, First Year Program, Denison University, Granville, 2010
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, 2009
  • Instructor, Department of Classics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, 2003-2005
  • Teaching Assistant, Department of Classics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, 2000-2002