Dr. Amy Norgard
Associate Professor of Classics, MAE Latin. Interim Chair of Communication and Theatre Arts
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)
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About Me
I earned my Master's and Doctorate degrees in Classical Philology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since coming to Truman in 2015, I have taught a range of classes in the Latin and Greek languages, along with Ancient Mediterranean mythology, literature, and culture. I serve as co-advisor to Truman's chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the undergraduate Classics Honors Society, which has just hosted the organization's National Convention in Spring 2026. 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.
At Truman, I am the Latin disciplinary liaison for Truman's Latin MAE program. I am the chair of the Film Studies Minor Committee and Classical Studies Minor Committee. I am the Immediate Past President of the organization Antiquity in Media Studies and serve on its Board of Directors.
I am also the co-PI of a grant through Wake Forest's Educating Character Initiative, which will facilitate campus-wide discussions about how to embed character education into Truman's curricular and co-curricular experiences.
For the 2026-2027 academic year, I am the Interim Chair of Communication and Theatre Arts. As I step into this role, I'm looking forward to exploring new ways to advocate for the arts and humanities. You can find me in one of two offices: BH 242 (x 7642) or BH 232A (x 4512).
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My Research
I'm co-editing a volume entitled Star Trek and the Ancient Past (under contract with Routledge) that features 15 scholarly essays on the Star Trek franchise's engagement with the ancient, Classical past. I have published elsewhere on how Star Trek employs narrative frameworks from mythology to unpack the complex relationships between humans and artificial beings (androids, supercomputers, and holograms).
In 2025, I co-wrote a two-part blog series on how we can use Ovid's Pygmalion myth and its receptions in film and TV to interrogate the current rise in AI companions, co-authored with Dr. Josh Nudell (ancient historian here at Truman). I recently published a chapter in Animation and the Ancient World (Oxford) that observes how YA animated film and TV reimagine ancient utopic fantasy worlds, particularly Cloud Cuckoo Land, to facilitate the interplay between escapism and coming-of-age narratives. And I have another recent chapter in the volume Amazons in the Digital Era (Bloomsbury IMAGINES) that analyzes warrior women in table-top and role-playing games. I'm working on another analog game project that observes the mechanics and playability of divine powers and representations of the gods in table-top games.
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Publications
"Utopias and Cloud Cuckoo Land in Coming-of-Age Animated Fantasy", in Animation and the Ancient World. Eds. Chiara Sulprizio and C.W. Marshall. Oxford University Press. 2026.
"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. 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. Sylvie Magerstädt. 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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Public Scholarship
"Pygmalion in the Age of AI Companions," co-authored with Dr. Josh Nudell (Truman, History). Society for Classical Studies Blog. Part 1 of a 2-part series: https://www.classicalstudies.org/scs-blog/torilee/scs-blog-part-1-2-pygmalion-age-ai-companions. 10 October, 2025
"Gender, Purity, and Artificial Women," co-authored with Dr. Josh Nudell (Truman, History). Society for Classical Studies Blog. Part 2 of a 2-part series: https://www.classicalstudies.org/scs-blog/torilee/scs-blog-part-2-2-gender-purity-and-artificial-women. 13 October, 2025.
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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 300: Greek Epic Poetry - Homer
GREK 302: Greek Prose - New Testament
JINS 320: Development of the Book
LATN 150: Elementary Latin I
LATN 151: Elementary Latin II
LATN 250: Intermediate Latin I (Fall 2026)
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 120: Better Self, Better World (Fall 2026)
TRU 310: Transfer Self & Society Seminar: You've Entered the Twilight Zone