“Why Classics?”
By Olivia Wells
When people ask me what I’m studying, I often find that they don’t understand what I mean by “classics,” and in the rare case that they do, they sometimes can’t wrap their head around why I’d want to major in it.
Sadly, it’s not hard to see why I, as well as other classics majors, often find ourselves defending our discipline. Once regarded as a foundational precept of humanities, classical studies has since seen a decline in popularity over the past century…
Either Language
By Jinna Han
What was that word again? It’s there just at the edge of my mind, hovering, waiting, expecting me to be able to grasp it while I’m still too busy stumbling over the other words that are falling out of my mouth in a room full of people who wait and listen. It’s a lot of pressure, getting these words just right. Every day is a performance, and not just in English, either…
“When You Set Out for Ithaka…”
By Margaret Dunn
When I was ten years old, my grandfather gave me a copy of Mary Pope Osborne’s Tales from the Odyssey as a birthday present. He was an English professor, so gifts such as this one were not uncommon. Every year I’d receive a new paperback or two, plowing through each title so that I could answer his questions at Christmas…
Confronting the ‘Cis’ in ‘Classicist’: Advocating for a More Gender-Inclusive Discipline
By Y. James Aykit
My journey in Classical Studies was sparked by homophobia. I was two weeks into my freshman year of high school when I confronted my Spanish teacher for having an anti-LGBTQ poster in his classroom. It was an incredibly bold move that had major—but not punitive—consequences: namely, transferring into Latin class…
Everything Old Is New Again
Returning Translations to Their Original Meanings
By Olivia Wells
Have you ever wondered what’s lost in translation? Now, I could mean this literally or figuratively—here, I ask it literally, in a Classical sense. Is there a straight path from Ancient Greek or Latin to English? Does the context or background of a translator matter? How much faith should we put into a particular translator’s work…
Minute-Long Myths – CLST 100 Crash Course
By Alicia Lopez
Your time in Classical Mythology may be coming to a close, but preparing for the final exam doesn’t have to feel like a Herculean labor. Welcome to your CLST 100 crash course, featuring memorable minute-long renditions of each myth on the syllabus…
The Discobolus of Qin 秦
By Millie Huang
The Discobolus of Qin is a multimedia piece by Chinese-Canadian Millie Huang. It is an encapsulation of the scholarly dialogue speculating that Greek and Hellenistic artwork inspired the creation of China’s terracotta army. Consisting of over 8000 soldiers, the army was sculpted in the late 3rd century BCE under the rule of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang…
A Check-In with Classics Students about Remote Learning
By Cecelia Heintzelman
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, life has looked different for most people. For Penn students, it meant online classes and learning from home. Remote learning meant adjusting to online meetings, online clubs, and distance from friends. We, at Discentes, were curious about how our fellow students were fairing this year, so we surveyed our Classics undergraduate students about their experiences with online learning in the Fall 2020 semester…
Eclipse
By Millie Huang
This video essay by Millie Huang was created for CLST 143, “Great Books of Ancient Greece and Rome.” It is a response to a class project asking for a presentation-style analysis of any work of classical scholarship. The central topic of the essay is a passage titled “Theoclymenus’s Prophecy” in book 20 of the Odyssey, which has been purported to describe a total solar eclipse since antiquity…
The Stages of Grief through the Lens of Catullus 101
By Lily Nesvold
There is no easy way to cope with the death of a loved one. Regardless of the circumstances, the devastation that those affected must face is seemingly insurmountable. Personally, I have dealt with the unfortunate passing of my grandfather and great aunt, both of which were great losses for my family. What provided me comfort in these difficult times, however, was turning to those who understood my situation for consolation and support…
