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Maria Kovalchuk
Â鶹Æƽâ°æing Assistant Teaching Professor
Office:
Boswell 331
Email:
mkovalchuk@wm.edu
Research Interests:
Hellenistic Greek poetry, Homer, Medieval Latin and Byzantine Greek receptions of classical texts
I am a classicist working on the poetics and politics of ignorance in Egyptian Alexandria during the Hellenistic period. My first monograph project argues that the poet Theocritus’ frequent thematizations of ignorance constitute artistic reactions to the Ptolemies’ political missteps. I make this argument through an analysis of Theocritus’ reception of Euripides, which has never received a book-length treatment. While demonstrating the significant influence of Euripides’ tragedies on the Idylls, I show how Theocritus develops the cognitive capacities of young mythological characters who are not only prominent in Euripides’ plays but are also key to the Ptolemies’ imagined ancestry and identities. The mythological characters’ ignorance of such topics as academics, relationships, and hardship makes them vulnerable to critique but leaves room for the possibility that they will mature and evolve. This duality makes the characters effective stand-in figures for the Ptolemies (and their subjects). My other research contributes to religious, translation, and reception studies.
Teaching is near and dear to my heart. I strive to inspire all of my students (majors and non-majors alike) to become lifelong learners, readers, problem-solvers, and defenders of the humanities. In the classroom, I consciously practice the pedagogy of kindness to provide my students with an inclusive and psychologically safe learning environment that is conducive to taking risks, trying new readings, and being rewarded for growth over time. I regularly teach Greek and Latin at all levels as well as in-translation courses, such as the Voyage of the Hero and the Ancient Greeks.
I hold a Ph.D. in Classical Studies (with a certificate in Global Medieval Studies) from the University of Pennsylvania as well as an M.Phil. from Cambridge and a B.A. from Northwestern, both in Classics. I also spent a year at the University of Heidelberg in Germany as a Fulbright fellow.
Teaching is near and dear to my heart. I strive to inspire all of my students (majors and non-majors alike) to become lifelong learners, readers, problem-solvers, and defenders of the humanities. In the classroom, I consciously practice the pedagogy of kindness to provide my students with an inclusive and psychologically safe learning environment that is conducive to taking risks, trying new readings, and being rewarded for growth over time. I regularly teach Greek and Latin at all levels as well as in-translation courses, such as the Voyage of the Hero and the Ancient Greeks.
I hold a Ph.D. in Classical Studies (with a certificate in Global Medieval Studies) from the University of Pennsylvania as well as an M.Phil. from Cambridge and a B.A. from Northwestern, both in Classics. I also spent a year at the University of Heidelberg in Germany as a Fulbright fellow.