Denzey Wins NEH Grant

Assistant Professor of Religion Nicola Denzey will travel to the American Academy of Rome this summer for an intensive summer seminar on Roman Religions, with support from a National Endowment for the Humanities summer study grant.

In preparation for the seminar, Denzey is currently working on an article that examines the Capella Graeca in the catacombs of Priscilla, under Rome’s ancient Via Salaria. The project had its genesis from an independent study and senior thesis that Denzey directed in 1999-2000 for Sarah Madole ’00, who is currently pursuing post-baccalaureate work in classics at UCLA. Denzey reports, “Sarah and I interpreted the chapel as a rare example of early Christian women’s sacred space.

“By focusing on the rather unusual iconography and physical layout of the Capella Graeca, we can draw some interesting conclusions about the nature of ritual experience for a community of heterodox (‘heretical’) Christians in the beginning of the third century,” Denzey continued. She hopes to emphasize elements in a Roman ritual culture that Christians and pagans shared, drawing on material from such areas as burial chambers and other forms of sacred space.

Denzey will present her research during the seminar and hopes to publish a paper on the project. She is also working on a book on Christians in the Roman Empire.
In addition, material from the summer study will be incorporated into current courses that Denzey teaches, including those on “Women and Religion,” and “Christian Scriptures,” and an advanced interdisciplinary seminar titled “Roman Death.” She hopes to teach a future course on “Religions in Ancient Rome.”

Academic Festival Around the Corner

Skidmore’s fourth annual Academic Festival -- a celebration of the richness of the College’s academic program -- is scheduled Wednesday, May 1, throughout the campus.

A kickoff celebration and reception will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in the atrium and on the roof of the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. The event will include refreshments and entertainment by the Rust Brothers. All are welcome.

This year’s festival will involve approximately 125 students representing a wide range of disciplines and presenting a variety of activities: theater, dance, and music performances; fiction and poetry readings; and papers, panels, and poster presentations. Presentations will include a typical ancient Roman household, to be displayed in the Intercultural Center; “Dressed to Express: Costume in Victorian Illustration,” in the Pohndorff Room of Scribner Library; a presentation on beliefs and attitudes about math held by elementary-school students, in the lobby outside of Gannett Auditorium; and “The Musical Mural,” a therapeutic experience on the healing power of art, to be presented in the Tisch Learning Center.

Associate Professor of English Linda Simon, a member of the Academic Festival’s Planning Committee, said that the committee was "really impressed" by the range and quality of the program. “Many of the presentations are senior projects and represent sophisticated work,” she explained.

Academic Festival was launched to provide an opportunity for students to share their work with others and for the entire College community to reflect upon the achievements of the student presenters. This year’s festival begins at 9 a.m. May 1 at locations around the campus and wraps up at a reception to start at 5:30 p.m. in the Tang. Schedules with detailed information are available in the Admissions Office.

Sponsors of Academic Festival are the Honors Forum, Periclean Honor Society, SGA, and the Office of the President.

Skidmore Intercom
Skidmore College
815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518.580.5000
intercom@skidmore.edu