Contents / Sommaire

[1] Association Announcements & News / Annonces et nouvelles de la Société

From: Alison Keith

The Classical Association of Canada is pleased to announce the creation of a new prize for the best PhD dissertation by a member of the CAC/SCEC in Classics, Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, or Ancient Philosophy accepted for a doctoral degree at a Canadian university.

The prize will be awarded biennially at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the outstanding dissertation in Classics, Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, or Ancient Philosophy written by a paid-up member of the CAC/SCEC and accepted for a doctoral degree at a Canadian university. The first award will be made in May 2013 at the Association’s Annual Meeting for the best dissertation accepted during the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2012. The value of the prize will be $500.

Departments should send nominations to the Chair of the CAC/SCEC Doctoral Dissertation Prize Committee, Professor Alison Keith, Department of Classics, University of Toronto (akeith@chass.utoronto.ca), before November 30, 2012.

Each nomination must include the following: 

• an electronic copyof the dissertation in PDF format;
• a letter from the university’s Faculty of Graduate Studies attesting that the dissertation was accepted for the doctoral degree during the period under consideration; 
• a letter of nomination from the Department Head, Chair, or Graduate Programme Director, explaining the specific merits and originality of the dissertation. Where a department submits more than one dissertation, the Department Head, Chair, or Graduate Programme Director should forward a separate memorandum addressing the relative merits of the various submissions.

The adjudication committee will consist of five members: the immediate Past President (as Chair of the committee); one other member of Council (co-opted by the Past President); and three members-at-large of the Association nominated by the Nominating Committee for election by the membership in the year that nominations are due.

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La Société canadienne des Études classiques (SCEC/CAC) est heureuse d’annoncer l’institution d’un nouveau prix pour la meilleure thèse de doctorat soumise par un(e) membre de la SCEC en lettres classiques, en histoire ancienne, en archéologie classique, ou en philosophie antique et acceptée pour le doctorat dans une université du Canada.

Le prix sera décerné tous les deux ans à l’assemblée générale de la Société pour la thèse la plus remarquable en lettres classiques, en histoire ancienne, en archéologie classique ou en philosophie antique écrite par un(e) membre en règle de la SCEC/CAC et acceptée pour le doctorat dans une université au Canada. Le premier prix sera attribué en mai 2013 au congrès annuel de la Société pour la meilleure thèse acceptée au cours de la période allant du 1er juillet 2010 au 30 juin 2012. En 2013 la valeur du prix sera de 500 $.

Les départements devraient envoyer les candidatures à l’attention de la présidente du Comité du Prix Thèse de Doctorat : Mme Alison Keith, Department of Classics, Université de Toronto (akeith@chass.utoronto.ca), au plus tard le 30 novembre 2012.

Chaque candidature doit comprendre les éléments suivants:

• une copie digitale de la thèse de doctorat en format PDF 
• une lettre officielle de la Faculté des études supérieures attestant que la thèse a été acceptée pour l’obtention du doctorat au cours de la période sous considération
• une lettre de nomination du directeur du département ou du programme d'études supérieures, en expliquant les mérites spécifiques et l’originalité de la thèse. Lorsqu’un département fait valoir plus d’une thèse, le directeur du département ou du programme d’études supérieures doit joindre une note explicative supplémentaire sur les mérites relatifs des diverses thèses mises en nomination.

Le comité de sélection sera composé de cinq membres : le président sortant de la SCEC/CAC (en tant que président du comité), un(e) autre membre du Conseil co-opté(e) par le président sortant, et trois membres à titre individuel de l’Association nommés par le Comité des candidatures pour élection par les membres de la Société dans l’année de la demande de candidatures.

From: Kathryn Simonsen (Eastern Tour), Ben Kelly (Central Tour), & James Chlup (Western Tour)

CAC ATLANTIC LECTURE TOUR
DR JUDITH FLETCHER (WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY)

For details about exact location and time, please contact the Tour Organizer, Dr. Kathryn Simonsen (kathryns@mun.ca). The Schedule is as follows:

Sept. 24 — Memorial University, St. John's — Myths of the Underworld in Contemporary Film and Fiction

Sept. 25 — Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Corner Brook — Myths of the Underworld in Contemporary Film and Fiction

Sept. 26 — St. Mary's University, Halifax — Myths of the Underworld in Contemporary Film and Fiction

Sept. 27 — Dalhousie University, Halifax — Religion in Euripides

Oct. 1 — Mount Allison University, Sackville — Myths of the Underworld in Contemporary Film and Fiction

Oct. 2 — University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown — Myths of the Underworld in Contemporary Film and Fiction

Oct. 3 — Acadia University, Wolfville — Myths of the Underworld in Contemporary Film and Fiction

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CAC CENTRAL TOUR / TOURNÉE CENTRALE DE LA SCÉC
DR SUSANNA BRAUND (UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Wednesday, October 17 — University of Toronto — The meaning of metre in European translations of the Aeneid
Contact: Regina Höschele <regina.hoschele@utoronto.ca>

Thursday October 18 — York University — Women Ventriloquizing Women: Explorations and Extensions of Classical Myth
Contact: Jeremy Trevett <jtrevett@yorku.ca>

Friday October 19 — University of Ottawa — TBA
Contact: Jitse Dijkstra <jdijkstr@uottawa.ca>

Monday October 22 — Université Laval — Oedipus Rex according to Stravinsky and Julie Taymor
Contact: Anne-France Morand <anne-france.morand@lit.ulaval.ca>

Tuesday October 23 — McGill University — Women Ventriloquizing Women: Explorations and Extensions of Classical Myth
Contact: Hans Beck <hans.beck@mcgill.ca>

Thursday October 25 — University of Waterloo — Snarling Satyres, Porcupines and the 1599 Bishops' Ban
Contact: Brigitte Schneebeli <bschneeb@uwaterloo.ca>

Friday October 26< — University of Western Ontario — Women Ventriloquizing Women: Explorations and Extensions of Classical Myth
Contact: Aara Suksi <asuksi@uwo.ca>

Monday October 29 — McMaster University — Women Ventriloquizing Women: Explorations and Extensions of Classical Myth
Contact: Spencer Pope <spope@mcmaster.ca>

Tuesday October 30 — Brock University — Women Ventriloquizing Women: Explorations and Extensions of Classical Myth
Contact: Michael Carter <mjcarter@brocku.ca>

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CAC WESTERN LECTURE TOUR 2012
DR KELLY OLSON, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERM ONTARIO

Monday, 15 October — University of Manitoba — Celluloid Cleopatras 1899-2005

Monday, 15 October — University of Winnipeg — Celluloid Cleopatras 1899-2005

Friday, 19 October — University of Calgary — Clothing and ritual in Roman antiquity

Monday, 22 October — University of Alberta — Celluloid Cleopatras 1899-2005

Thursday, 25 October — University of British Columbia — Clothing and ritual in Roman antiquity

Monday, 29 October — University of Victoria — Roman toga and Greek pallium: male dress and ancient identity

Report of the Equity Committee / Bilan des activités du Comité sur l'équité

From: Patrick Baker

Bilan des activités du Comité sur l'équité de la SCEC/CAC Equity Committee, pour l'année 2011/12, tel que présenté à l'assemblée générale des membres, tenue à l'Université de Western Ontario, en mai 2012.

Le questionnaire préparé par Fanny Dolansky (Brock), présidente du Réseau des femmes, et Patrick Baker (président) pour sonder les chercheurs et chercheuses en études classiques au Canada sur le taux de succès des demandes de subventions soumises tant au CRSH (SSHRC) qu'au FQRSC (Québec) a été envoyé grâce à un numéro spécial du BCÉA-CCB avec un lien renvoyant à un document à télécharger sur le site de la Société. Pour mémoire, il comptait neuf questions et avait pour objectif de recueillir des informations sur le nombre de dossiers soumis sur une période de 5 ans, le sexe des postulants, le champ disciplinaire concerné, la proportion d'études qui portaient sur des questions de genre, sexualité ou histoire des femmes et les autres; le questionnaire devait enfin permettre de distinguer les chercheurs membres des chercheurs non-membres de la SCEC. Quelques rappels ont été envoyés, également par le BCEA-CCB.

Malgré cela, seuls 16 questionnaires remplis ont été acheminés à F. Dolansky, ce qui ne permet guère de tirer des conclusions statistiques significatives; en revanche, le faible taux de réponse pose de nouvelles questions sur lesquelles la prochaine vice-présidente de la SCEC, alors présidente du Comité sur l'équité, devra peut-être se pencher.

La SCEC doit-elle persister dans l’idée d’effectuer de tels sondages, et spécifiquement celui-ci dans l’espoir d’obtenir plus de réponses?

Si oui, cela devrait-il se faire par une application du type Survey Monkey? Celle-ci serait-elle susceptible d’attirer davantage de réponses du fait de la confidentialité?

Le faible taux de réponse indique-t’il que la question est considérée de peu d’intérêt par les membres de la Société?

Voici l’évaluation des réponses effectuée par Fanny Dolansky:

« A total of 16 individuals submitted surveys; some provided data for more than one competition year. Responses concerned competitions from 2006 to 2010.

« Successful applications:

« There were 14, evenly divided among men and women. Four of the successful applicants were at the rank of assistant professor of which 2 were women. Of the remaining 10, 5 were associates, 4 were full professors, and one rank is not clear to me (a colleague in Quebec designated "31" as rank). Half indicated archaeology as field of study, 2 literature, the remainder history. Only 1 of the successful applications specified gender/sexuality/women's history as the subject of their proposal.

« Unsuccessful applications:

« There were 9 responses, of which four were from women and five from men. Gender, then, in this small sample, doesn't seem to be the issue nor topic since only 2 of the applications concerned a topic on gender/sexuality/women's history. More telling, I think, is the fact that of the 9, 6 were at the rank of assistant professor, 2 at associate, and one was an adjunct. My interpretation of this is that rank sometimes translates to limited publication record and that not enough publications or not enough items already published (rather than in press or forthcoming) isgiven considerable weight and thus compromises the success of the application. It's hard to say how much the now defunct "new scholar" status was actuallya benefit for applicants at the assistant rank or adjuncts.

« One respondent offered the following thought on 4-A status (i.e., being put on the list of those who would have been funded had there been funding available): "Having served as both a member and the chair of a peer review committee, I have the impression that the success rate tends to be higher with second or third applications, proposing revised versions of the same project. If you undertake another such survey, it might be worth adding a question about this. In my case, an earlier version of the application that succeeded (in the 2007 competition) had been submitted in the preceding year (2006), when it received 4A classification."

« While F. Dolansky thinks there is some logic to this, the data collected doesn't really reflect it. Of successful applications, two indicated that they had received 4-A status previously. However, of the unsuccessful applicants, four indicated receiving 4-A status but this was not followed by success in the competition the following year.

« Another interesting comment came from a colleague who works on classical tradition and offered the following: "Incidentally, switching committees from Classics to English improved my ranking and the quality of the refereeing enormously but not enough to get me to the old 4-A category."

« So in the end, F. Dolansky and P. Baker don't know that there is much of use in this but they have done their part and it was a learning exercise at least in terms of our membership's response to such things. Perhaps the survey was sent at what some might say was a busy time (March) but there were many reminders and an entire month to complete it. Either lack of interest or lack of anonymity may have been bigger obstacles. »

[2] CCB Announcements / Annonces du BCÉA

No announcement this month / Rien à signaler ce mois-ci

[3] Positions Available / Postes à combler

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO, NZ
DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS
LECTURER IN CLASSICS

From: Arlene Allen

Vacancy: Lecturer in Classics, University of Otago, New Zealand

The University of Otago is the oldest university in New Zealand. The Chair in Classics was one of the three foundation chairs established in 1869, and the Department is known for its excellence in research and teaching. Our academic staff are recognised internationally for their scholarly contributions in the broad fields of classical literature, history, and archaeology, and are well represented in leading journals and on editorial boards.

We particularly seek a new colleague who will augment and bolster our existing research strengths and innovative teaching programme. This lectureship is a permanent, full-time (confirmation-path) position. Applicants will be qualified at PhD level, and will show clear evidence of, or at least strong potential for, internationally rated publications, and a willingness to seek external research funds. (Please attach a sample of recently written research.)

While applications will be considered from candidates whose research interests lie in any branch of classical studies, teaching expertise in art/archaeology, mythology or philosophy or film/reception is desirable, plus the ability to teach Greek language (preferably both Greek and Latin) to a high level. Previous teaching experience (especially of large classes) is also desirable, as well as a demonstrated ability to enthuse and inspire students. (Please attach teaching evaluations.)

The successful appointee will be required to teach both language and classical civilisation courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels; to supervise research at Honours, Masters and PhD levels; to develop and maintain a strong research profile; and to undertake administrative roles and community and professional service activities which contribute to the overall effectiveness and standing of the Department.

Specific enquiries prior to application may be directed to Associate Professor Jon Hall, Convener of the Selection Committee (email: jon.hall@otago.ac.nz); or to Dr Patricia Hannah, Head of Department (email: pat.hannah@otago.ac.nz).

Applications are to be submitted online. Please consult the following webpage (the job number is 1201112): http://www.otago.ac.nz/humanresources/careers/index.php.

Applications will close Friday, 12 October 2012. Starting date for the appointment will be 1 July 2013.

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS
ELIZABETH A. WHITEHEAD VISITING PROFESSORS
One or Two Positions (pending funding)
Deadline: October 31st, 2012

From: Mary Darlington

Term: Early September 2013 to June 1, 2014.

Qualifications: A senior scholar with a significant record of publication and teaching in a North American institution; Managing Committee Member or faculty/staff from a Cooperating Institution. Preference will be given to those who have not received recent support from the School. Candidates who have held the Whitehead Professorship may apply if the previous term was at least five years prior.

Mission: Advancing research on a project, which utilizes the facilities of the School and enriches the academic program of the School. Whitehead Professors are encouraged to present a seminar during the winter term on the subject of their expertise and to contribute to the academic program in other significant ways, such as mentoring or advising students at the School.

Compensation: Stipend of $35,000, plus round-trip coach airfare to Athens, board at Loring Hall for the Whitehead Professor (one-half senior rate for spouse, and one-half student rate for dependents) and School housing. Hotel and transportation on all fall trips and transportation on all winter Attica excursions. Residence permit and limited amount of office supplies.

Application:
a) Curriculum vitae including list of publications
b) Statement of current and projected research
c) One page description of proposed seminar and other contributions to the academic program
d) Account of the frequency and length of earlier visits to Greece
e) Three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the address below
f) Applicants may be invited to an interview at the annual AIA/APA meetings or by telephone

E-mail application to: application@ascsa.org
Committee on Personnel
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
6-8 Charlton Street
Princeton, NJ 08540-5232

The appointments will be announced by January 15, 2013.

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, religion, ethnic origin, or disability when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment

Ms. Mary Darlington
Executive Associate
American School of Classical Studies at Athens
6-8 Charlton Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
med@ascsa.org
609-683-0800 Ext 11
FAX 609-924-0578

[4] Calls for Papers; Conference & Lecture Announcements / Conférences; appels à communications

AENEID SIX AND ITS CULTURAL RECEPTION
THE VILLA VERGILIANA, CUMAE, ITALY
JUN 25–27, 2013

From: Bill Gladhill

Outside of the Bible, no text has had as profound an impact on Western Culture as the Aeneid, and within the Aeneid, no book has been as influential as Aeneid Six. Ovid was perceptive enough to recognize its profound novelty, when his Sibyl refers to Vergil's underworld as novissma regna mundi (Met. 14.111). By the time of Servius the novissima regna had been arranged according various intellectual disciplines such as historia, philosophia, and theology with numerous scholiasts commenting on the many cruces posed by the text. The novelty and intellectual expansiveness of the Book allowed the text to have a number of reincarnations and afterlives. As Aeneas moves through the underworld Vergil constructs a literary space that has spawned countless literary and artistic responses. The ecphrastic program of the journey offered to later generations a storehouse of images, which could be articulated in painting, relief and literature. The philosophical and theological incorporation of Orphism, Pythagoreanism, Platonism, and Stoicism raises important considerations about the ontology of the soul and the poetics of eschatology, which could be harnessed by Christian Theologians for their own ends. The blurring of genres in Aeneid Six—of Epic, Tragedy, Comedy, Ethnography—along with the movement from fabula to historia during Aeneas' journey inaugurated a new poetic aesthetic. It changed how cultures evaluated and understood poetic inspiration. Its ambition and scope changed what literature was and what it would become. Vergil responds to the entirety of Greek and Roman literary and intellectual achievement as he circumscribes it within the domain of the Aeneid and in so doing he provides a roadmap for later artists, poets and thinkers to achieve similar ends, but for different purposes. It is not an overstatement to suggest that Western Culture and significant aspects of its development hinge and pivot along the literary, religious, and philosophical lines of Aeneid Six.

The central problem of the text is how do researches confront the scale of this work and its various iterations? It is a humble truth to recognize that Aeneid Six as an act of cultural reception is beyond the knowledge and scholarly skill of a single individual. Its reception necessitates scholarly conversation and investigation in an interdisciplinary and international context. From this perspective Aeneid Six is a perfect test case for theoretical and practical applications of reception, and it allows scholars to think about the underlying causes for the rise of reception studies over the last two decades. It is the primary aim of the conference to come to a new understanding of reception as a process of continuity and change from the Classical era to the present. How does conceiving of Aeneid Six as a product of reception as well as a catalyst for other receptions illuminate receptions studies? How does Vergil channel the vast complex of prior literature, philosophy and religion into his poem and how does this contribute to the meaning of the Aeneid? Does Vergil create a coherent eschatology or does the polyphony of traditions result in contradictory stances? How do later thinkers and artists respond to Vergil's artistic vision? How and why was Aeneid Six established as a central text for reception, and just as importantly why has it been displaced within the last few generations?

Participants include: Alessandro Barchiesi (keynote speaker), Philip Hardie, Joseph Farrell, Alison Keith, David Quint, Alessandro Schiesaro, Damien Nelis, Maggie Kilgour, Miguel Herrero, Renaud Gagné, and Sarah Spence.

Under the auspices of the Vergilian Society scholars and students are invited to submit abstracts of 300-500 words on Aeneid Six and its reception. In particular, abstracts on following issues will be especially welcome:

*The reception of prior Greco-Roman art and thought.

*The meaning of Aeneid Six within Vergil's poetic output and its immediate impact on Roman literature and culture.

*Studies on the scholastic tradition from Servius to Norden.

*The reception of Aeneid Six from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern period.

*Papers on the place of Aeneid Six in religious, philosophical and intellectual history.

*Analyses of Aeneid Six in light of archaeological findings, material culture and art history.

*Discussions on the theoretical underpinnings which inform reception studies.

Papers should aim to be no more than 30 minutes in length. Papers in languages other than English are more than welcome. Abstracts should be submitted no later than November 30th 2012. Notification of acceptance will follow soon after. Please send abstracts as a PDF attachment to Bill Gladhill: charles.gladhill@mcgill.ca.

REMINDER: CALL FOR PAPERS
CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE CANADIAN WEST
2013 CONFERENCE: ON THE MARGINS OF ANTIQUITY
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, EDMONTON, MARCH 22-24, 2013

From: Steven Hijmans

Call For Papers

The Classical Association of the Canadian West invites proposals for papers for its annual conference, to be held in Edmonton on March 22-24, 2013. Papers on any topic within Classics will be considered, but we particularly encourage paper- and session-proposals on topics which, in the opinion of the presenters, are on the margins of our discipline. Presenters are free to choose which 'margins' those are. Besides topics at the chronological or geographical edges of Classical Antiquity, one could think of marginally preserved materials (e.g. wooden objects), the margins of society (e.g. transhumant shepherds), regional languages, little-read ancient texts (e.g. papyri), the margins of scholarship (e.g. historical fiction) or, indeed, scholarship in the margin (marginalia), to name a few possibilities. Exploring such topics will not only broaden our horizons, but also, we hope, bring into focus internalized boundaries that separate the marginal from the mainstream in our field. That in turn, we trust, will inspire debate on the scope of our discipline, both in the margins of this conference and beyond.

We welcome proposals from scholars and graduate students of all nationalities. We also invite undergraduates to submit abstracts for a special undergraduate session in the afternoon of March 22nd. At this session, undergraduate students will present papers, selected through a standard peer-review process. After the session, the presenters will get individual feedback and suggestions from a faculty member of the host department.

Abstracts for individual papers should not exceed 400 words and may be submitted to Steven Hijmans (shijmans@ualberta.ca) no later than October 1st, 2012. All paper proposals will be peer-reviewed after the deadline, and the decisions will be communicated by October 15th.

Proposals for panel-sessions of three to five papers should not exceed 600 words and may be submitted to Steven Hijmans, shijmans@ualberta.ca, no later than September 15th, 2012. Panel-session proposals will be peer reviewed as soon as they are received, and proposers will receive notification within 30 days.

In the subject line of your email, please write, as appropriate:

  - CACW individual abstract
  - CACW panel abstract
  - CACW undergraduate abstract

[5] Scholarships & Competitions / Bourses et concours

No announcement this month / Rien à signaler ce mois-ci

[6] Summer Study, Field School, Online Courses / Cours d'été, écoles de terrain, cours "en ligne"

No announcement this month / Rien à signaler ce mois-ci

[7] Varia (including members' new books / dont les nouveaux livres des membres)

No announcement this month / Rien à signaler ce mois-ci