Academic CV
Current Post
Stipendiary Lecturer in Classics – Queen’s College, Oxford
In this role, I have delivered eight hours of weekly teaching for Classics and Joint Schools undergraduates at Queen’s College. This includes leading tutorials on a range of Greek and Roman modules, and hosting reading classes in Greek and Latin for experienced and beginner language learners. I share organising tutor duties, and took on the role as lead tutor for Classics admissions within college.
Education
Oct. 2018 – Mar. 2023: Jesus College, Oxford
DPhil in Classical Languages and Literature
Thesis: ‘πολὺν γέλων: Laughter, Humour & Greek Tragedy’
I was supervised by Dr Scott Scullion (Worcester College), and fully funded by the Faculty of Classics in addition to a Humanities scholarship from Jesus College, Oxford.
Oct. 2017 – June 2018: Worcester College, Oxford
MSt in Greek & Latin Languages & Literature
Sept. 2013 – June 2016: Durham University
First Class BA (Hons.) in Classics
Academic Awards
Oxford:
Jesus College Graduate Scholarship (2020–)
Jesus College Postgraduate Humanities Scholarship (2018–)
Durham:
Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence (2014-15)
Forster prize for language (2014)
Maltby prize for academic performance (2014)
Norton prize for academic performance (2014)
Publications
‘Homer’ Tackles Aeschylus: Theatrical Adaptation as Process in Anne Washburn’s Mr Burns and Robert Icke’s Oresteia (Skenè Vol. 7 No. 1, Summer 2021)
Teaching
Tutor of ‘Greek Tragedy in Translation’, a bespoke undergraduate Classics module (2021-2022)
Tutor of ‘Stand Up Comedy: Theory & Methods’, a bespoke interdisciplinary undergraduate module (2021, 2022, 2023)
Teacher of Greek intercollegiate language classes at Oxford Classics Faculty (2020-21)
Tutor of ‘Greek Tragedy’ undergraduate module at Jesus College, and Herodotus at Worcester College (2020-21)
Guest speaker at ‘Classical Receptions and Contemporary Culture’ undergraduate module at Durham University. My lecture was titled: ‘Mr Burns by Anne Washburn – A post-apocalyptic play on The Simpsons and Greek Tragedy’ (2020)
Conferences & Symposia
Administration
July 2020 – Co-organiser at Oxford/Royal Holloway Postgraduate Symposium on Ancient Drama for the 20th anniversary symposium, themed ‘Performing the Archive’ (postponed due to COVID-19).
June 2019 – Co-organiser and panel chair at Oxford/Royal Holloway Postgraduate Symposium on Ancient Drama, on the topic ‘Communities and Contexts in the Theory and Practice of Greek and Roman Drama’.
In this role, I have been part of the team responsible for the curation and smooth running of events, including selecting speakers from abstracts. I also successfully secured funding from SPHS (Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies) to contribute towards the event costs.
Papers Delivered
June 2021 – Speaker at AMPAL (Annual Meeting for Postgraduates in Ancient Literature) at which the theme is ‘fear’, and my paper titled: ‘Fear of γέλως (laughter) in Euripides’ Medea’. I consider the interplay between laughter and fear on the motivation of the tragic protagonist, and its role in the justification of her actions.
April 2020 (forthcoming) – Speaker at Università de Cassino e del Lazio Merdionale international conference ‘Comic Traces on the Tragic Stage’, focusing on the comic elements of two recurring characters across the Euripidean corpus. My paper is titled: ‘‘Functioning of the dysfunctional’: Euripides’ Depictions of Helen and Menelaus’ (postponed due to COVID-19).
March 2020 – Speaker at Oxford ‘Protest Theatre/Theatre and Climate Change’ symposium, on the direction and performance practice of the Oxford Greek Play ‘Orestes’ – a project I co-directed, which premiered in April 2021 . This paper introduced our directorial principles of movement, accumulation and incongruity, and their theoretical backgrounds in dance, translation and humour theories.
June 2018 – Speaker at Oxford/Royal Holloway Postgraduate Symposium on Ancient Drama, at which the theme was ‘Misdirections and Misconceptions in the Theory and Practice of Greek and Roman Drama’. I presented the paper ‘‘Homer’ Meets Aeschylus: Theatrical Adaptation as Process’ on the limits of traditional adaptation theory when conceptualising classical theatre.
Committee & Administration Roles
Social Secretary, Jesus College
Member of the small social secretary team responsible for the organisation and running of all MCR social events through Michaelmas and Hillary terms 2019-20.
Undergraduate Admissions Assistant, Jesus College
Throughout virtual undergraduate admissions, I assisted the Classics admissions team with timetabling and running interviews online.
Alison Middleton 