Faculty Bios: Rachel Friedman
Assistant Professor of Classics
Contact Rachel Friedman
Phone: 437-5602
Office: Eleanor Butler Sanders Hall 120
Rachel Friedman started teaching at Vassar in 1997 after receiving her Ph. D. in Classics from Columbia University and her B.A. from Barnard College. She is a Hellenist who specializes in the literature of the Archaic and Classical periods. Of particular interest to her is the figure of the poet in ancient literature and the way that he positions himself in relation to his inherited traditions. She has explored various aspects of this interest in articles on Homer, Herodotus and Euripides and is currently at work on a monograph on Herodotus' authorial persona in the *Histories*. In addition to classes in Greek and Latin language and literature, she also enjoys teaching courses that situate classical texts in a broader context such as the College Course (Civilization in Question), a Freshman course comparing the study of Greek and Hebrew mythology, and a course on the writings of Caribbean poet Derek Walcott and his relationship to Homer. She plans in a future work to explore the nature of this relationship and the ways that Walcott's poetry and that of other post-colonial poets can give us a productive lens through which to read and understand ancient texts.
More faculty bios
- Robert Brown, Professor on the Sarah Miles Raynor Chair, Department Chair for 07-08
- Rachel Friedman, Assistant Professor
- Christopher Lovell, Assistant Professor
- Bruce King, Visiting Assistant Professor in Classics
- Rachel Kitzinger, Professor on the Matthew Vassar, Jr. Chair
- Bert Lott, Associate Professor, Department Chair for 08-09
- Rosemary Moore, Blegen Research Fellow of Classics
- Barbara Olsen, Visiting Assistant Professor
- Robert Pounder, Professor
- Sonia Sabnis, Minority Fellow in Classics