Classics prof joins esteemed Athens school
Sarah James, an assistant professor of classics at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been approved as ’s representative to the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
As the university’s representative, James will attend annual meetings, vote on important school matters and eventually serve on sub-committees. She will also be the intermediary for students who wish to participate in ASCSA programs and projects in Greece.
“Becoming a member of the managing committee is not only an opportunity for me to give back to an organization that has furthered my own career immeasurably, but also to highlight the many accomplishments of our faculty, students and program from within one of the most important organizations in the field of classics. I am thrilled to take up this position, and I look forward to serving and the classics department in the esteemed institution of the ASCSA for many years to come,” James reflects.
James’ connection with ASCSA began nine years ago, first as a student in its year-long academic program and then at the field school at the site of ancient Corinth. James served as an assistant field director for the Corinth excavations for seven years, helping to train dozens of students in excavation techniques and ceramic analysis.
James used Hellenistic material from excavations at Cornith to provide the foundation upon which she wrote her dissertation on Corinthian Hellenistic fine wares, receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Texas in classics in 2010. James studied six different Hellenistic deposits, analyzing the fine wares contained in each, and developed an absolute chronology of Corinthian Hellenistic fine wares.
The ASCSA is the pre-eminent center studying the Greek world from antiquity to modern day by training young scholars, sponsoring archaeological fieldwork and providing resources for research and scholarly work. The school also serves as the responsible party for all American archaeological research. The ASCSA provides a productive atmosphere where scholars can work in tandem, solving large questions about Greek society and culture throughout the ages.
Beth Dusinberre, James’ colleague in the classics department, says “Sarah’s close connection with the school will make our long-standing association with this most important institution of classical learning all the more productive. I know this will be a happy collaboration for the school, for Sarah and for our students.”
While co-editing two volumes, working on three books and writing a handful of publications, James is serving as co-director for the planning of a new archaeological survey project to begin in 2014 in the western Argolid.
James began as an assistant professor at -Boulder last fall and was previously a lecturer at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Toronto and also holds a master’s in the history of art from the University of Toronto.