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Spring 2026 Colloquium
This week, majors in CLST presented their capstone projects at a student-faculty colloquium. The colloquium was entirely designed, planned, and organized by students - if you are interested in the "themes", take a look at them below. We also reached out to a couple of students to see if they could tell us more about what their papers and projects have meant to them, as their college careers are coming to a close.
We interviewed Nia Dowling ('26) about her project.
What is your paper about? Can you tell us how your coursework to this point inspired the project?
My paper focuses on infamia in the Roman world and its effects on gladiators, actors, and prostitutes. The goal of my paper is to highlight the discrepancy between the legal and social status of individuals in these professions and add more nuance to our scholarly understanding of infamia in Roman society. I first got the idea for this paper in my Pompeii and Herculaneum class with Professor Swetnam-Burland when we looked at graffiti of gladiators and women in Pompeii. I was immediately intrigued by the way material culture can be used to complicate and challenge current beliefs in the field of Classical Studies.
How has your capstone experience helped you deepen your understanding of the ancient world?
The capstone has been a wonderful opportunity for me to deepen my understanding of Roman history and culture through independent research. My appreciation for material culture extends beyond this particular project. I have also researched goddess statuary in Greece and its effect on the formation of female identity during the Classical period.
Panel topics:
Panel #1: What Makes an Athenian?
Panel #2: On the Margins of the Ancient Mediterranean
Panel #3: Social Constructions of Identity
Panel #4: Entertainment & Identity
Panel #5: Imperial Identities
Panel #6: Gender in the Ancient Mediterranean
Panel #7: Origins & Belief