Ph.D. Classical Philology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015)
Teaching Certification in Latin, grades K-12, Illinois Council on Teacher Education (2012)
M.A. Classics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009)
B.A. Classical Languages, Marquette University (2007)
Since coming to Truman in 2015, I have taught a range of classes in the Latin and Greek languages, and Classical mythology, literature, and culture. I serve as co-advisor to Truman's chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the undergraduate Classics Honors Society, and led our chapter as we hosted the virtual national convention in Spring 2021. I have overseen student research in Classics that has been presented at national venues and recently advised a student paper published in the undergraduate research journal, Philomathes. My research interests include Augustan Age literature, Roman satire, reception and film studies (particularly sci-fi and cinematic horror), and game studies.
I recently published an article on how narratives from mythology can help unpack the complex relationships between humans and AI in Star Trek (androids, supercomputers, and holograms). This is part of a larger book project that is just getting underway on Star Trek's engagement with the ancient, Classical past, a collaboration with Dr. Natalie Swain from Acadia University. I am also writing a chapter for an edited volume that observes how kids' animated film and TV reimagine ancient fantasy worlds, particularly Cloud Cuckoo Land, to interrogate the interplay between escapism and coming-of-age narratives. And I have two new projects in the realm of game studies, one that analyzes warrior women in table-top and RPG games, and another that observes the mechanics and playability of divine powers and representations of the gods in table-top games.
I am currently collaborating with Truman faculty in Computer Science and Art Design to develop an interdisciplinary Game Design program. I am also developing an elementary Latin curriculum based on Neo-Latin science and education texts from the Enlightenment to attract students in STEM fields to the study of Latin.
At Truman, I am the Latin disciplinary liaison for Truman's new Latin MAE program. I am a member of the Film Studies Minor Committee and the First-Year Experience Committee. I currently serve as the president of the organization Antiquity in Media Studies.
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Publications
"Playing the Amazons and Warrior Women in Tabletop Games", in Amazons in the Digital Era: The Reception of the Warrior Woman Image. Ed. Arturo Sanchez Sanz. Bloomsbury. Publication day: September 4, 2025.
"Artificial Life, Divinity, and Mythology in Star Trek" in Religions 15.4, Special Issue: "The Digital and the Divine: Cyber-Spirituality in Contemporary Science Fiction Film and Television." Ed. Silvie Magerstaedt. 2024. OPEN ACCESS.
"Bloody Brides: Helen, Iphigenia, and Ritual Exchange" in Screening Love and War in Troy: Fall of a City. Eds. Antony Augoustakis and Monica Cyrino. Bloomsbury. 2022.
"Bringing Down the Divine Patriarchy through Deicide in Apotheon" in Women in Classical Video Games. Eds. Jane Draycott and Kate Cook. Bloomsbury. 2022.
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Courses Taught at Truman:
CLAS 310: Classical Antiquity on Screen
CLAS 311: Ancient Medicine
CLAS 352: Roman Civilization
CLAS 361: Greek and Roman Mythology
CLAS 461: Classics Capstone Experience
CML 200: Service Learning - Latin
GREK 302: Greek Prose - New Testament
JINS 320: Development of the Book
LATN 150: Elementary Latin I
LATN 151: Elementary Latin II (currently teaching - Summer 2025)
LATN 250: Intermediate Latin I
LATN 251: Intermediate Latin II
LATN 350: Readings in Latin Lit: Petronius and Apuleius
LATN 350: Readings in Latin Lit: Lucretius
LATN 351: Vergil, Aeneid: Book 6
LATN 354: Readings in Latin Poetry: Horace's Satires
LATN 450: Latin Prose Composition
TRU 110/111: Classical Foundations of Self & Society
TRU 310: Transfer Self & Society Seminar: You've Entered the Twilight Zone