To celebrate the SPBS Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, enjoy free access to a special collection of articles from Cambridge’s Classics journals.
Where not already Open Access, content is free to read and download until the end of April 2023. The articles include:
Did the Byzantines call themselves Byzantines? Elements of Eastern Roman identity in the imperial discourse of the seventh century – Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies
Law, custom and myth: Aspects of the social position of women in classical Athens – John Gould, The Journal of Hellenic Studies
A lead figurine from Toprakhisar Höyük: magico-ritual objects in the Syro-Anatolian Middle Bronze Age – Murat Akar and Demet Kara, Anatolian Studies
WHITHER OUR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS? A Conversation and Q&A with Daniel Weiss Thursday, March 23 | 5:30 p.m. Wolfensohn Hall
Daniel H. Weiss, president and chief executive officer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a scholar of art history and former president of Lafayette College and Haverford College.
Hear him in conversation with IAS Director David Nirenberg as they discuss Weiss’s latest book, his work, and the state of culture and higher education in the world today.
On Wednesday, March 22nd at 5:30 pm in Room 108 of Rhode Island Hall, Brown University, Dr. William Fitzhugh (Smithsonian Institution) will deliver a talk entitled:
“Climate Change in the Arctic: It’s Happening Fast, and It’s Happened Before.”
Arctic archaeology reveals how patterns of climate change have both facilitated migrations and extinguished cultures and animals beginning when humans first began to live in Arctic regions 40,000 years ago. We follow these developments in northern Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland as environments and cultures changed, new technology and adaptations developed, and Arctic peoples interacted with each other and with southerners. The story of the Greenland Norse serves as an example of how humans have failed to observe signals of their impending disaster, what they could have done to avoid it, and what we should do now to avoid a similar, but global, fate.
The talk is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a brief reception. Additionally, Dr. Fitzhugh and the AIA Narragansett Society board will be going out to dinner following the lecture – members are welcome to join!
If you are planning to attend the lecture/reception, and if you are interested in joining the dinner, please fill out this RSVP form by Friday, March 17th.
The Professional Grant Proposal Writing Workshop is an intensive and detailed introduction to the process, structure, and skill of professional proposal writing. This course is characterized by its ability to act as a thorough overview, introduction, and refresher at the same time.
Through the completion of interactive exercises, live online lectures and discussions, question and answer sessions, and virtual instructor feedback, participants will learn the entire proposal writing process. Students will complete the course with a solid understanding of not only the ideal proposal structure, but a holistic understanding of the essential factors, which determine whether or not a program gets funded. Through the completion of interactive exercises and activities, participants will complement expert lectures by putting proven techniques into practice. This course is designed for both the beginner looking for a thorough introduction and the intermediate looking for a refresher course that will strengthen their grant acquisition skills. This class, simply put, is designed to get results by creating professional grant proposal writers. This course will be identical in content coverage to our award winning in-person workshops, but will follow a module format that will allow students to both follow the program live on the day of launch, and complete the program at their own pace, anytime thereafter.
Program Overview
Participants will become competent program planning and proposal writing professionals after successful completion of the Grant Proposal Writing Workshop. Through this online program, students will be exposed to the art of successful grant writing practices, and led on a journey that ends with a masterful grant proposal.
The Grant Proposal Writing Workshop consists of three (3) subject areas that will be covered during this online course:
(1) Fundamentals of Program Planning
This session is centered on the belief that “it’s all about the program.” This intensive session will teach professional program development essentials and program evaluation. While most grant writing “workshops” treat program development and evaluation as separate from the writing of a proposal, this workshop will teach students the relationship between overall program planning and grant writing.
(2) Proposal Writing Essentials
Designed for both the novice and experienced grant writer, this component will make each student an overall proposal writing specialist. In addition to teaching the basic components of a grant proposal, successful approaches, and the do’s and don’ts of grant writing, this workshop is infused with expert principles that will lead to a mastery of the process. Strategy resides at the forefront of this course’s intent to illustrate grant writing as an integrated, multidimensional, and dynamic endeavor. Each student will learn to stop writing the grant and to start writing the story. Ultimately, this class will illustrate how each component of the grant proposal represents an opportunity to use proven techniques for generating support.
(3) Funding Research
At its foundation, this course will address the basics of foundation, corporation, and government grant research. However, this course will teach a strategic funding research approach that encourages students to see research not as something they do before they write a proposal, but as an integrated part of the grant seeking process. Students will be exposed to online and database research tools, as well as publications and directories that contain information about foundation, corporation, and government grant opportunities. Focusing on funding sources and basic social science research, this course teaches students how to use research as part of a strategic grant acquisition effort.
Registration $398.00 tuition includes all materials and certificates.
Each student will receive:
Access to the Online Classroom Platform which includes live lectures,assignments, class discussion boards, and resources
The Funding Foundation’s Certificate in Professional Grant Proposal Writing
The Guide to Successful Grant Proposal Writing
The Grant Writer’s Workbook with sample proposals, forms, and outlines
By Phone – Call (626) 385-8211 to register by phone. Our friendly Program Coordinators will be happy to assist you and answer your questions.
By E-mail – Send us an e-mail with your name, organization, and basic contact information and we will reserve your slot and send your Confirmation Packet.
The Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Harvard Museum of Natural History is hosting a hybrid lecture on iron harvested from meteorites in Ancient Egypt.
In this lecture, Almansa-Villatoro will discuss Egyptian texts, iconography, and religious writings that associate iron with the sky and stars, indicating that ancient Egyptians were aware that meteorites came from space. This knowledge—most likely shared with other ancient civilizations that connected iron and sky in their texts—was lost in modern times, as it was only until the eighteenth century that meteorites were confirmed to be of extraterrestrial origin.
The Fellowship in Peer Review is a two-year paid fellowship. The Fellow will play a pivotal role in helping Wenner-Gren in advancing its mission. The Foundation receives around 1,500 applications per year. As an integral member of a small, hardworking team, the Fellow will assist the Foundation in supporting our applicants and identifying the most exciting, innovative projects to fund. The Fellow will take part in identifying and recruiting reviewers, vetting feedback, and tracking trends in the research Wenner-Gren supports. The ideal candidate will have an advanced degree in anthropology, be intellectually curious, discerning, and strongly committed to inclusion and racial justice, and have an expansive vision of the discipline. This individual will also be exceedingly well-organized and collegial and have experience assessing academic work. The Fellow in Peer Review must be an extraordinary writer, have excellent interpersonal skills, and enjoy serving and collaborating with a diverse community of scholars and professionals.
Key Responsibilities
Participate in reviewer recruitment for Wenner-Gren’s Dissertation Fieldwork Grants, Post-PhD Research Grants, and Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowships:
Keep track of turn-over in the reviewer pool and assess current needs.
Research candidates and build pool of potential reviewers.
Contact and follow-up with prospective reviewers.
Participate in producing training materials for new reviewers.
Take part in reviewer meetings and onboarding.
Maintaining and improving the quality of peer review:
Assist in assigning reviewers.
Monitor feedback from reviewers for bias.
Edit feedback for clarity where appropriate.
Participate in instructional meetings with the reviewers pre- and post-review season
Evaluate the work of individual reviewers and suggest areas for improvement.
Serve as a back-up reviewer as needed.
Advancing funding equity:
Assist with the collation and analysis of demographic data on our reviewers and applicants.
Report on funding trends relating to geographical areas, methods, themes, and modalities of work.
Expand Wenner-Gren’s networks to attract reviewers from a diversity of backgrounds and intellectual traditions.
Participate in long term planning to build and sustain our community of reviewers.
Qualifications and Experience
PhD or ABD in anthropology or closely aligned discipline
Track record of service to anthropology
Track record of success in networking across diverse groups
Proven commitment to an inclusive vision of anthropology.
Peer review experience
Editing experience
Ability to work independently with careful attention to detail
Ability to creatively solve problems, with a strong ability to multi-task
Exceptional oral and written communication skills
Exceptional interpersonal skills
Excellent social media skills
A high level of professionalism and demonstrated good judgement.
Superb organizational and time management skills.
Proficiency or advanced skill in Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook).
Proficiency or a willingness to learn Salesforce
Compensation
The salary range for this position is $70,000 – $80,000. The Foundation provides a generous benefits package, which includes 401(k) plan, health insurance, group term life and disability insurance, paid time off and flexible work arrangements.
Applications will be accepted until April 14, 2023. Due to the expected high volume of applications for the fellowship, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. The anticipated start date of the fellowship is on or before June 1, 2023.
Please note that candidates must be authorized to work lawfully in the United States. Wenner-Gren cannot provide visa sponsorship for employment.
The San Gemini Preservation Studies is accepting applications to their summer 2023 field school in Italy. Now in its 23rd year, with alumni from over 170 colleges and universities worldwide, SGPS is dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage. We offer students the opportunity to study and travel in Italy where they acquire hands-on experience in restoration and conservation.
A ten-day trip visiting Siena, Florence and Rome: places of cultural interest, with emphasis on the urban and historical development of each town, including specialized visits to places of interest to restorers.
Applications are due March 15, 2023. Students can apply here.
Registration for the ARCE 2023 Annual Meeting is now open, with special Early Bird pricing for ARCE members!
It has been a year since we gathered to celebrate and explore the latest research and discoveries in Egyptology. We want to see you in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis), Minnesota from April 21-23, 2023, at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center in Minneapolis, MN.
And, you won’t want to miss our Keynote Speakers, Dr. Betsy Bryan, and Dr. Fayza Haikal, who will be presenting “Women in Egyptology: Long Career Reflections” at our off-site event at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on Friday, April 21, 2023.
Registration is just $280 for ARCE members until March 6th. Meeting registration includes free and unlimited access to all recorded sessions and access to the Virtual Meeting May 20-22, 2023. Please visit www.arce.org to register and learn more.
BF Summer 1 will be available to students in both May and June 2023. Students will be introduced to excavation, post-excavation and survey methods. The course is divided between excavation within the friary/friary precinct, post-excavation, recording and survey. Each student will typically spend one week on each element. The excavation, post-excavation and survey sections will be directed and supervised by Finola O’Carroll and Laura Corrway.
The objective of this course is to train students in setting out a cutting and tying it to the site grid, the use of various tools, methods of excavation, feature recognition, recording using feature sheets, photography, planning and survey. All students take part in post-excavation processing, including the formation of the written record. The research strategy and previous results which inform the overall excavation plan will be discussed with students, so they can set their work in the overall context of the research framework. Field trips and lectures will introduce the student to the wider landscape and historical context of the Black Friary, and the town of Trim. This course is an accredited program from Dundalk Institute of Technology (https://courses.dkit.ie/index.cfm/page/course/courseId/1321).
Field trips and in-house and guest lectures will introduce the student to the wider context of the Black Friary, and the town of Trim.
At the end of the four-week course students will:
Understand the theory and practice of archaeological excavation, including the single context recording system, site grid, stratigraphy, and the Harris Matrix.
Have excavated an archaeological feature.
Understand how to fill in context sheets, do scaled drawings, take properly set up photographs, take levels, co-ordinates and document these.
Have received an introduction to the digitisation of site plans and drawings
Know how to excavate, retrieve, bag and record archaeological objects (artefacts and ecofacts).
Have carried out basic environmental sampling.
Understand the process of post-excavation analysis by participating in the work.
Have processed archaeological finds and know the correct procedures for cleaning and labelling artefacts.
Applications close March 10, 2023. Students can apply here.
The Joukowsky Institute recognizes the invaluable contribution that Black and African American archaeologist have made to the field, and the world at large. This February, we highlighted the work of six Black anthropologists, archaeologists, and explorers that have revolutionized how we study and practice archaeology.
The display can be found in the alcove nearest to the East entrance, surrounding the portrait of John Wesley Gilbert, known as the first Black anthropologist and the first African American to graduate with advanced degree from Brown University. It was created by Christina Miles (`25) with contributions from Erynn Bentley (Ph.D, expected May 2025).
John Wesley Gilbert (1864-1923) John Wesley Gilbert is considered the first African American archaeologist. He earned a BA (1888) and an MA (1891) from Brown University. The topic of his MA thesis was “The Demes of Attica”. He was the first African American to earn an MA from Brown. He also conducted fieldwork in Eretria, Greece, and spent the 1890-91 academic year at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, on a scholarship awarded by Brown. He subsequently became a Professor of Greek and English at Paine Institute, Augusta, Georgia, a historically black, liberal arts college.
Dr. William Montague Cobb (1904-1990) Born in October of 1902 in Washington D.C., Cobb was the first ever African American to receive a PhD in anthropology from Case Western Reserve University, becoming a renowned physical and medical anthropologist. He spent much of his career dispelling myths of racial pseudo-science, as well as highlighting the medical racism that Black Americans faced. He was one of the first “activist scholars” of anthropology who used the tools of the field to dismantle white supremacy, and became the first African American President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Over his career he would publish thousands of articles in academic journals and teach over 6,000 African American anatomy students at Howard University, changing the face of medical anthropology and medicine.
Matthew Henson (1866 – 1955) Born in Maryland one year after the end of the Civil War to two freeborn sharecroppers, Henson would become one of America’s most famous Arctic explorers, totaling 7 expeditions over the course of 23 years. In 1909, he and Robert Peary worked alongside Inuit men, women, and children in an attempt to reach the Geographic North Pole. While later explorers would reveal that they had missed their mark by 10 miles, it was still an impressive feat, and Henson was rewarded with a Congressional Medal of Honor in 1936. In 1912 he would publish the book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, chronicling his expedition as well as the moment he, a Black man, placed the American flag down on what was widely thought as the top of the Earth.
Zora Neale Hurston (1891 – 1960) Born in Notasulga Alabama in 1891, Hurston was an anthropologist, filmmaker, and author. Her anthropological research started at Barnard College in New York (where she was the only Black student), conducting ethnographic research on African American and Caribbean folklore. She studied under famed linguistic anthropologist Franz Boas, whom she would later study with as a graduate student at Columbia. Her work explored themes of racial identity, sexual violence against Black women in north Flordia lumber camps, and Jamaican and Haitian folk culture. She was also a famous literary author during the Harlem Renaissance, publishing revolutionary work such as the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her literary and anthropological talents combined in the nonfiction book Barracoon: The Story of the Last black Cargo, where she chronicled the life of Oluale Kossola (later named Cudjoe Lewis) from the Middle Passage to freedom.
Alicia Odewale Dr. Alicia Odewale is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. As the first person to graduate from the University of Tulsa with a PhD in anthropology, her work specializes in African Diaspora archaeology as it appears throughout the Afro-Caribbean and Southeastern United States. Her most recent project discusses resilience of the Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she analyzes historical evidence excavated from the 1921 Tulsa Race massacre. She continues to advocate for increased diversity and accessibility in the field, leading her to co-found the Estate Little Princes Archaeological Field School in St. Croix, which gives students the opportunity to train in archaeological methods for free.
Pearl Primus (1919 – 1994) Born in Trinidad in November 1919, she emigrated with her parents to New York City in 1921. Originally having a passion for the sciences, she received a BA in biology and pre-medical sciences in 1940, only to be unable to find lab technician work due to racial discrimination. This led her to work backstage in the wardrobing department for America Dances, where she found her love for dance as well as her natural talent. She studied formally at the New Dance School in New York City, where she was the first Black student to do so—it was here that she ignited her love for artistic activism that would eventually lead to a career in anthropology. Having received her PhD in anthropology in 1978, she would go on to meld ethnographic research and dance to interpret the lives of African Americans and Liberians. In 1991, she received the National Medal of Arts for her contribution to American dance.
Theresa A. Singleton (1952) Born in April of 1952 in Charleston, South Carolina, Singleton is currently a professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University, where she focuses on historical archaeology and museology. Her debut into the field of archaeology was groundbreaking, with a complex study on the Gullah-Geechee people of Coastal Georgia, who are descendants of enslaved Africans. A trailblazer, Singleton was the first African American woman to receive a PhD in historical archaeology and African American history and culture from the University of Florida. She is currently a curator for the National Museum of Natural History.
Mark Hanna Watkins (1903 – 1976) Born in Huntsville, Texas as the youngest of fourteen children, Watkins quickly found a love for language. As there were no linguistic departments at the time, he would pursue a Masters in anthropology from the University of Chicago under Edward Sapir, writing about language exchange across indigenous Mexican language groups such as Zapotecan and Tarascan. For his PhD he turned his attention to African languages, writing A Grammar of Chichewa: A Bantu Language of British Central Africa between 1930-1932, one of the only complete grammars of the language, and the first grammar of an African language written by an American. He would later become a professor of anthropology at Fisk University, a Historically Black College, where he was one of 6 faculty members in the first ever African Studies program in the United States. Prior to his retirement in 1972, he worked at Howard University promoting language exchange programs between African and American students.
