Draft:Joel Christensen


A seated Joel Christensen giving a lecture on Homer.
Joel Christensen giving a lecture on Homer.

Joel Christensen is the Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs within the School of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis University.[1] He writes on language, myth, literature, and Homer, and translation of ancient texts, particularly through the blog Sententiae Antiquae. He is a regular contributor to the newspaper Neos Kosmos. He received his BA and MA (2001) from Brandeis University, where he was a major in Classics and English. His 2007 PhD is in Classics from New York University. While at NYU, he also received an Advanced Certificate in Poetics and Theory. Professor Christensen was a Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies in 2013 and in the same year received the Society for Classical Studies’ Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Collegiate Level.[2] He focuses on ancient myth, Homer, folklore, and epic.

Biography

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Christensen was born in Maine and educated at Brandeis University and New York University. He teaches at Brandeis University and lives near Boston. He taught previously at the University of Texas at San Antonio from 2007-2016. He then returned to Brandeis University to become a Professor of Classical Studies. He was promoted to Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, School of Arts and Sciences, at Brandeis University, in 2024.

Academic Publications

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Christensen publishes on Greek epic and myth. His 2007 dissertation at NYU was titled, “The Failure of Speech: Rhetoric and Politics in the Iliad," as advised by David Sider.[3] In addition to articles on language, myth and literature in the Homeric epics, he has published a Beginner’s Guide to Homer[4] with Elton Barker, and also Homer’s Thebes with Barker.[5] He published A Commentary on the Homeric Battle of Frogs and Mice with Bloomsbury in 2018 with co-writer Erik Robinson. His book The Many-Minded Man: the Odyssey, Psychology, and the Therapy of Epic came out in 2020 with Cornell University Press.[6][7] In 2023, he contributed to the edited volume The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer's Iliad.[8] He has published numerous journal articles, including those in Classical World[9] and Arethusa.[10]

Public Facing Work

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Christensen has a Classics blog that provides original translations and analysis of ancient texts called Sententiae Antiquae. He has done numerous radio spots, including WNPR’s The Colin McEnroe Show, [11] and a podcast for the Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness show called "What Were The Very First Olympics Like?" with Professors Sarah E. Bond and Joel Christensen.[12] He has written for Inside Higher Ed[13] and other public media. He writes regularly for Neos Kosmos[14] and The Conversation.[15] He has written for the Los Angeles Review of Books[16] and done numerous webinars on Homer.[17] In partnership with Out of Chaos Theatre, the Center for Hellenic Studies, and the Kosmos Society, he served as the host and faculty consultant for Reading Greek Tragedy Online, a series that performs Greek tragedy online through YouTube.

References

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  1. ^ "For New Faculty". www.brandeis.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  2. ^ Moderator (2014-01-22). "Dr. Christensen awarded the 2013 American Philological Association Award for Excellence in Collegiate Teaching". The Center for Hellenic Studies. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  3. ^ "The failure of speech: Rhetoric and politics in the "Iliad" - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. ProQuest 304829479. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  4. ^ "Homer: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides) (Paperback) | Parnassus Books". www.parnassusbooks.net. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  5. ^ Barker, Elton; Christensen, Joel P. "Homer's Thebes: Epic Rivalries and the Appropriation of Mythical Pasts". The Center for Hellenic Studies. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. ^ "The Many-Minded Man by Joel Christensen | Hardcover". Cornell University Press. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  7. ^ "Review of: The many-minded man: the Odyssey, psychology, and the therapy of epic". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. ISSN 1055-7660.
  8. ^ Ready, Jonathan L. (27 June 2024). The Oxford Critical Guide to Homer's Iliad. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198920533. Retrieved 2024-07-08. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Christensen, Joel (2021). "Beautiful Bodies, Beautiful Minds: Some Applications of Disability Studies to Homer". Classical World. 114 (4): 365–393. doi:10.1353/clw.2021.0020. ISSN 1558-9234.
  10. ^ Christensen, Joel P. (2018). "The Clinical Odyssey: Odysseus's Apologoi and Narrative Therapy". Arethusa. 51 (1): 1–31. doi:10.1353/are.2018.0000. ISSN 1080-6504.
  11. ^ "Part I: The History Of How We Think About Truth". www.wbur.org. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  12. ^ "GETTING CURIOUS | What Were The Very First Olympics Like? with Professors Sarah E. Bond and Joel Christensen - Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness". Jonathan Van Ness. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  13. ^ Beth Teitell. "How we got to 'Omicron,' a previously obscure, D-list letter - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  14. ^ "Professor Joel Christensen". NEOS KOSMOS. 2024-05-04. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  15. ^ "Joel Christensen". The Conversation. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  16. ^ "Joel Christensen". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  17. ^ "Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing". Zoom. Retrieved 2024-07-08.