Classics Commons^™

The Sustainable Anthropocentrism, Sebastian L. Brana

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

A paper focusing on sustainability and remedying the problem presented by climate change through the unusual approach of Enlightened Anthropocentrism.

Skyscrapers Of Rome, Elizabeth B. Condie

Young Historians Conference

After the death of his mentor, Julius Caesar, in 27 B.C.E., Caesar Augustus scrambled to establish his power over the people. One of the tactics he used to exert his power was architecture. Throughout the years, succeeding emperors followed his example to use architecture as a means to control public image, maintain military and political authority, and display their divine power. The Roman forum, the Coliseum, and the Arch of Titus give insight into the control of the Roman Emperors. From these buildings sprang many different types of architecture, that are still used to display the power of states and …

Women In Power: The Unique Position Of Vestal Virgins In Ancient Rome, Elizabeth D. Walker

Young Historians Conference

The Vestal Virgins, priestesses in Ancient Rome, were placed in an atypical position of power. They were given many religious responsibilities that replaced the traditional expectations for women of Antiquity. This cult of the goddess Vesta lasted for the majority of Roman civilization, seemingly serving as an argument for an advancement in the rights of ancient women. Though the Vestal Virgins seem to be an outstanding exception to the rule of female oppression throughout history, further examination suggests that the role of Vestal priestess was simply another mode through which Roman men could control their female counterparts.

Slavery: The Main Ingredient To An Ancient Greek Polis' Military Dominance, Steven T. Tran

Young Historians Conference

Spartan and Athens' victories against the Persians and their eventual military dominance cannot be attributed to military strategy or government alone. The social acceptance of slavery provided the foundation for Greek poleis' social and economic spheres, leading to the development of slave deployment during the Persian Wars and Peloponnesian War. An in-depth analysis of Classical Greece slavery shows that its prevalence is much greater than what previous historians have thought, and more notably, that it was one of the most massive slave usage in history, allowing for the development of a dominating western world.

The Rise And Fall Of Human Dissection In Hellenistic Alexandria, Ellie H. Barany

Young Historians Conference

Classical and Hellenistic Greece were known to be a hub of scientific research. However, the potential for scientific discovery was limited by dominating religious beliefs. Advancements in the study of human anatomy were inhibited by religious taboos that prevented the practice of human dissection. These taboos took hold of Greek society, with a consequence of exile to anyone who violated them. The exception however, is in Hellenistic Alexandria under the rule of the Ptolemaic Kings, Soter and Philadelphus. This paper examines the factors under which the Greek scientist Herophilus was allowed to practice systematic human dissection, as well as the …

What’S Your Temperament: The Humoral Theory’S Influence On Medicine In Ancient Greece, Riley Sebers

Young Historians Conference

Prior to the birth of Hippocrates of Cos in 460 BCE, medicine in ancient Greece revolved around the gods and magic. During Hippocrates lifetime, he remastered an old practice called the humoral theory: an idea stating that every individual person has a unique balance of substances called humors in their body. The balance of these humors is what keeps a man healthy, and if a specific amount is disturbed, sickness sets in. This theory allowed physicians in ancient Greece to move away from dominantly using magic to treat illness and start using the humoral theory instead.

Plato's Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Emmanuelle M. Mckinney

Young Historians Conference

Plato is undeniably one of the most influential men in the history of Western philosophy, and he deeply examined a remarkable number of diverse fields. However, in the attempt to understand his various writings, scholars too often over-categorize Plato’s work without recognizing that there are no partitioning lines between subjects: they are all blended together to form a complex body of thought. This paper summarizes Plato’s philosophy of ethics, with a focus on its inclusion of many contrasting disciplines.

Finding The Truth: An Examination Into The Use Of Rhetoric In Thucydides, Eryn Pritchett

Scholars Week

For centuries, scholars have looked to Thucydides as truth--a factual and accurate account of the Peloponnesian War--due to his thorough use of critical analysis and logical deduction. Unlike his predecessor, Herodotus, Thucydides dodged the critical and literary analysis that has plagued Herodotus for years. However, in the past few decades historians have began to realize that Thucydides is far more than facts on paper. This research project will show that Thucydides use of Athenian rhetoric transforms his work from that of historical accuracy into a "possession for all time," redefining the way other historians would construct their own narrative. (Thucydides, …

Constitutional Utopianism, Susan N. Herman

UTOPIA500

The sixth and final UTOPIA500 presentation was April 21, 2016. Professor Susan Herman, Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and President of the American Civil Liberties Union, received the official "Me and Tommy More" polo shirt from Dr. Michael P. Malloy, organizer of the UTOPIA500 project. Professor Herman delivered a presentation on Constitutional Utopianism. She explored the literary devices that More employed as narrative strategies in Utopia, and argued that his intention may have been to give focus to discussion about important issues of governance and societal structures, rather than to provide definitive answers. Professor Herman also compared …

2nd Place: "Tattered Fiction", Murphy Studebaker

John and Margaret Class Student Book Collection Contest

This is Murphy Studebaker's submission essay, annotated bibliography, and annotated wishlist for the 206 John and Margaret Class Student Book Collection Contest, which won second place.

Murphy is a freshman at Chapman University, majoring in Film Production.

Monuments And Monumental Sculpture From Aphrodisias, Maryl B. Gensheimer, University Of Mississippi. Department Of Classics, Archaeological Institute Of America

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

1st Place: "The Art Of Storytelling" Literature Collection, Lauren Cruz

John and Margaret Class Student Book Collection Contest

This is Lauren Cruz's submission essay, annotated bibliography, and annotated wishlist for the 2016 John and Margaret Class Student Book Collection Contest, which won first place.

Lauren is a graduate student at Chapman University in the War and Society program.

Feral And Isolated Children From Herodotus To Akbar To Hesse: Heroes, Thinkers, And Friends Of Wolves, Karl Steel

Publications and Research

"In 1304, a small child of Hesse was taken by wolves, and lived with them for a while, eating well, learning to run on all fours, perhaps joining them in their raids on sheep and humans, until he was taken by hunters and forced to live, unhappily, in human society, compelled to learn to walk upright, and exhibited as a spectacle. This account, almost certainly legendary, belongs to a small set of similar stories of feral children from roughly the same time, which, unlike so many modern accounts of wild children, are not about isolation, deprivation, or a catastrophic separation …

St. Thomas More And His Utopia In Antebellum American Lawyer's Thought, Michael H. Hoeflich

UTOPIA500

The fifth UTOPIA500 presentation was April 7, 2016 about St. Thomas More and his Utopia in Antebellum American Lawyers' Thought. A former dean at Kansas Law and a renowned historian of colonial and pre-Civil War America, Professor Michael H. Hoeflich is also a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He explored the publication history of More's UTOPIA, and the extent to which editions of the book were available in antebellum America. Professor Hoeflich noted that the novel, as a work of "politics," was well known by the likes of Jefferson, Madison, and John Adams, but its influence thereafter ebbed and …

A Reflection On God And Sex: What The Bible Really Says, Howard Wagner

Best Integrated Writing

Wagner uses humor and honest self-appraisal to discuss the contrast between his burgeoning academic knowledge of the Bible and what he had been previously taught, and he determines that faith is an ongoing process.

In Search Of God’S Path, Ann Brake

Best Integrated Writing

Brake weaves personal response and critical analysis into a discussion of Sikhism from the perspective of a western observer.

Shiva As Nataraja Vs. Mahamaya And Buddha Dakini: A Comparision Study, Angelina Mclaughlin

Best Integrated Writing

McLaughlin uses a course textbook, personal observation, and scholarly sources to compare a Tibeto-Chinese gilt bronze statue made during the Quing dynasty in the 18^th century with a bronze figure of the Hindu god, Shiva created in the 11^th or 12 century.

Medical Journal Of Leontius, Slave Of Vitus Aelianus: A First-Person Historical Fiction Written From The Perspective Of A Roman ‘Doctor’, Amanda Bucher

Best Integrated Writing

Bucher conveys the attitudes towards gender and sexuality in the Roman world through the use of first person historical fiction.

A Gray Area, Lindsay Smith

Best Integrated Writing

Smith conducts a close reading of Homer’s Odyssey and presents the gender dynamics that subvert, through the depiction of a powerful Circe, prevailing attitudes of male superiority.

Best Integrated Writing 2016 - Complete Edition

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University. The journal is published annually by the Wright State University Department of English Language and Literatures.