Read an interview of our own Classics graduate student and classics PhD candidate, Olga Faccani, who has earned her a spot as a participant in Harvard University’s Institute for World Literature (IWL) this upcoming summer.
News
Classics Graduate Students read Greek Myths to children
Special Guest Storytime Kicks Off at Goleta Valley Library
The Goleta Valley Library is excited to share its newest program, Special Guest Storytime. The library has collaborated with valued community members to record themselves reading a favorite picture book for the library’s young patrons. New readings will be available every Friday beginning today, May 22, on the Goleta Valley Library website at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org
Temporary Part-Time Lecturer in the Classics Department
The Department of Classics invites applicants for possible openings as Temporary Part-Time Lecturer positions for the 2019-2020 academic year at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Appointments are variable in terms of percentage time and appointment may be from one quarter to a year, with the possibility of reappointment.
Areas of specialization:
-Generalists
-Teaching Classics in translation
-Teaching ancient Greek at all levels
-Teaching Latin at all levels
Minimum Qualification: Ph.D. in Classics or related discipline (e.g. Comparative Literature with a specialization in Classics) is required at the time of application. The salary is based on UC’s salary scales. To ensure full consideration, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, syllabi for two upper division GE courses and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent through UC Recruit https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF01525 . The department is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through teaching, research, and service. For information on our department, please visit our website https://www.classics.ucsb.edu/ .
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Aldrich and Civitas Award Winners
The Classics department is pleased to announce the 2018-19 winners of the Aldrich and Civitas Awards:
The winner of the Aldrich Award for Graduate Studies is Julio Vega. During this academic year, Julio has not only shown pedagogical excellence as a teaching assistant; in his significant paper, titled Animating Nature: Trees and Death in the “Iliad,” he has also demonstrated considerable scholarly maturity and originality.
The winner of the Aldrich Award for Undergraduate Studies is Miguel Sanchez Morquecho. In all the courses he has attended, Miguel has distinguished himself for his linguistic ability and his intellectual curiosity.
The winners of the Civitas Award are Donna Blockhus and Christina Barrett. Donna and Christina have been tireless advocates for Classics on the UCSB campus, as well as energizing members of our Classics Club.
Congratulations to all of them!
An interview with alumnus Vincent Shepherd (’17)
Vincent Shepherd graduated from UCSB in 2017 with a BA in Classics and History. He is currently a second-year law student at UC Irvine School of Law, where he serves as a staff editor for the UCI Law Review. Vincent has externed at the US Bankruptcy Court in Riverside and will be a Summer Associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner this summer. During a recent visit to campus, he reflected on how studying Classics has helped him succeed.
How did you decide to pursue a career in law?
I determined I wanted to go to law school during my sophomore year of undergrad. I was weighing career options at that time and I wanted to do something in which I could best apply my undergraduate majors in the professional world. Law school was the perfect option for me because it gave me the opportunity to apply many of the skills developed in undergrad towards a career with direct real-world impact.
What aspect of Classics was most helpful during the application process?
Studying Classics requires a lot of logical analysis and close reading. Latin in particular gave me some practice in detail-oriented analysis, which helped me on different portions of the LSAT.
And now that you’re in law school?
Studying Latin helped me develop the same skills used in legal analysis. When translating, you are asked analyze a passage and translate it according to the different grammatical rules. Likewise, when doing legal analysis, you have a set of rules which you are then asked to apply to a set of particular facts. Similar to how changing one letter in a sentence can yield a different translation, one minor change in a fact pattern can yield an entirely different conclusion. I think these analytical skills developed from studying Latin directly benefit me the most.
How often do you encounter Latin these days?
I might see Latin once or twice a week, depending on what classes I am taking. It helps to know what an antiquated legal doctrine translates to in order to understand what the law is, or how it got to what it is today.
What advice would you give to Classics majors who are planning to apply to law school?
Focus on your undergraduate studies and enjoy your Classics courses while you are in them. Grades are a large part of the application process. So, the more you engage in your studies, the better grades you will likely get, and the better you will likely do in the application process. The LSAT is the other major part of the application process, but you will have time to study that over summer, or when you are no longer in school if you take a gap year. Classics is a fun and interesting major. So, while you are in undergrad enjoy and engage in the material.
What advice would you give to Classics majors who are thinking about law school but aren’t quite sure?
If you are unsure whether being a lawyer is right for you, try a summer legal internship. This will give you some insights into what it’s like to be a lawyer and help you make that determination. Also, you do not need to rush into law school directly from undergrad. Many people take gap years before deciding to pursue a legal career. Take your time and think about if a legal career is right for you. However, as a Classics major, you are developing skills that will situate you for success in law school.
Vincent is available to mentor UCSB Classics majors who are interested in law school. Please e-mail Prof. Rose MacLean (maclean@classics.ucsb.edu) for more information.
University of California and Historically Black Colleges and Universities Diversity Initiative
The Classics Department has been awarded a UC-HBCU grant to create a summer program bringing students from Howard University to study at UCSB and Athens, Greece, this coming summer. This partnership between UCSB and Howard University was forged to promote diversity in graduate education in the UC system. Brice Erickson is the director of the program.
Job Posting: Lecturer in Classics
The Department of Classics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, invites applications for a one-year, generalist part-time lecturer position for the 2018-2019 academic year. Responsibilities include teaching 5 undergraduate courses (two ancient Greek language courses, one larger lecture course, and two smaller lecture courses).
Minimum qualifications: a PhD in Classics or a comparable degree (including Comparative Literature/Classics). Preferred qualifications: 3-5 years of teaching courses using Greek and Latin texts in translation at the college level. The department is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service. For information on our department please visit our website: https://www.classics.ucsb.edu
To ensure full consideration, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a syllabus for a course on The Romans (a class of 130 students, to be taught using texts in translation, and with the support of a graduate student Reader), and arrange for three letters of reference. Documents should be submitted to UC Recruit at https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/
Letters of recommendation must be confidential. Please have your referees upload them directly through UC Recruit at https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/
Apply by August 13th, 2018 for primary consideration. This position is open until filled. Inquiries about the position may be directed to Helen Morales, Chair of the Department of Classics at hmorales@classics.ucsb.edu
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Celebrating the publication of Rose MacLean’s first book, Freed Slaves and Roman Imperial Culture (Cambridge University Press)
A book launch celebration will be held at 4 pm, Tues 29th May, in room HSSB 4080