Department of Classical Studies
Hello, my name is Sam. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Classical Languages and Literature in Spring 2018 and enrolled at Penn in the Fall. My undergraduate honors thesis, “Threatening the Patriarchy: Socio-Religious Anxiety and Abortion in Classical Athens,” argued against scholarly conclusions that religion was not particularly critical of abortion and showed by analyzing language surrounding the topic of abortion in various ‘literary’ genres such as tragedy, philosophy, forensic speech, and an oath, that religious anxiety correlates with socially constructed gender norms promulgated within a patriarchal society.
In general, my interests tend to lean toward the social historical, and I am always eager to research topics concerning women, religion, religious networks, and numismatics. I encourage future applicants to the program to contact me with any questions they may have, especially first-generation or underrepresented students. I look forward to hearing from you!