Faculty

Philip Freeman

Orlando W. Qualley Chair of Classical Languages

Main 115

(563) 387-2144

freeph01@luther.edu

Interests include many aspects of Greek, Roman, and medieval culture, but especially religion, history, and Celtic studies.

Ph.D. Harvard University (1994)

Why should we study languages and cultures that existed two thousand years ago? To me, Greece and Rome are so fascinating not because they were some Golden Age of humanity—they were in fact full of problems—but because we can learn so much about ourselves by looking at them. Have you ever been troubled by love? So was the Roman poet Catullus.Have you wondered what happens to us after death? So did Socrates. If you're interested in how and when military power should be used, you've got to read the Greek historian Thucydides.

Classics covers an immense range of topics and courses, from New Testament Greek and medieval Latin to Bronze Age archaeology and the collapse of the Roman Empire. At Luther, you can take a single course in Classical Mythology to round out a major or you can immerse yourself in the languages and literature of the ancient world.

Aside from teaching in Classics and the Honors program, I also enjoy writing about ancient and medieval times for scholars and the general public. Some of my publications are Julius Caesar (2008), The Philosopher and the Druids (2006), St. Patrick of Ireland (2004), War, Women, and Druids (2002), The Galatian Language (2001), and Ireland and the Classical World (2001). I'm currently working on an edition of Latin and Old Irish material on St. Patrick for the Library of Early Christianity series from the Catholic University of America and a biography of Alexander the Great for Simon & Schuster.

You can learn more about my books at philipfreemanbooks.com

Freeman—CV

Sharilyn Nakata

Assistant Professor of Classics

Main 305

(563) 387-2551

nakash01@luther.edu

Interests include Augustan literature, Greek and Roman comedy, and cultural studies-based approaches to classics.

Ph.D. University of California, Irvine (2004)

What initially got me "hooked on Classics" in college was the study of Latin grammar. These days, I still love grammar, but that's not all there is to Classics. What also excites me about the field is that it's truly interdisciplinary. The archaeological remains of Troy, Athenian religious festivals, the historical and literary figure of Cleopatra, graffiti from the walls of Pompeii--these are the kinds of topics that the study of Classics can open up for you.

Even in Classics courses focused on language and literature, there is room for a wide range of topics. You can read texts by "top ten" Classical authors such as Homer, Plato, Ovid, and Cicero, but you can read other fascinating and important things as well: Greek tombstone inscriptions, the Gospels, a firsthand account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Latin Christmas carols (just to name a few).

My favorite Classical author is the very funny Greek comic playwright Aristophanes, though my research has primarily been on the Latin side. My Ph.D. dissertation, Dum conderet urbem: Colonization Narratives in the Aeneid, examines the ways in which narratives of colonization found in Vergil's canonical foundation myth for Rome establish and yet at the same time problematize authority for both the proto-Roman colonist (and Trojan refugee) Aeneas as well as other colonists whom he encounters. My current work involves revisiting and revising portions of my dissertation for publication. I'm also currently preparing a new Classics and Culture course here at Luther (for Spring 2006), revolving around the theme of travel and tourism in the Greek and Roman world.

Nakata--CV

Anne Bulliung

Preus Library carrel 104

(563) 387-1263

bulliuan@luther.edu

Anne Bulliung teaches Elementary Latin and Paideia. A New Orleans native, she studied Classics at the University of Texas at Austin and completed her M.A. degree at Central Washington University.