Christopher Francese
Asbury J. Clarke Professor of Classical Studies, Dickinson College
office: 717-245-1202 | francese@dickinson.edu | @DCComm
Education
University of Texas at Austin Ph.D. in Classical Studies 1993
University of Texas at Austin M.A. in Greek 1989
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio B.A. in Greek 1987
Teaching Positions
Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Asbury J. Clarke Professor of Classical Studies 2014 – pres.
Professor of Classical Studies 2011 – 2014
Associate Professor of Classical Studies 2002 – 2011
Assistant Professor of Classical Studies 1996 – 2002
Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Visiting Assistant Professor of Classical Studies 1993 – 1996
Books
Christopher Francese, Giovanni Pietro Maffei: Historiarum Indicarum Libri XVI. Leiden: Brill, estimated date 2026. Latin text, English translation, and notes. Published in 1588, the work is a history of the Portuguese seaborne empire.
Christopher Francese, Core Latin and Ancient Greek Vocabularies. Carlisle, PA: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2020. 176 pp. ISBN: 978-1947822061. The most common words in Latin and Ancient Greek, based on large hand-analyzed data sets. 2020
Christopher Francese and R. Scott Smith, Ancient Rome: An Anthology of Sources, Edited and Translated, with an Introduction. Indianapolis/Cambridge, MA: Hackett Press, 2014. 548 pp. ISBN: 978-1-62466-000-9. Co-authored collection of newly translated primary sources with notes and introductions.
Christopher Francese, Ancient Rome in So Many Words. New York: Hippocrene Press, 2007. 248 pp. ISBN: 978-0-78181-153-8. Examination of nearly 100 culturally significant Latin words and their histories. Reviews: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2008.07.30. Scholia Reviews ns 17 (2008) 23. Digressus 7 (2007) 14–18.
Christopher Francese, Parthenius of Nicaea and Roman Poetry. Bern/Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, Studien zur klassischen Philologie no. 126, 2001. 264 pp. ISBN: 978-3-631-37844-1. Monograph on the influential first century BC Greek poet and friend of Vergil and Cornelius Gallus.
Digital Projects Directed
Dickinson College Commentaries (DCC) (Project Director)
Founder, director, and lead editor of series of classical texts for reading with media, vocabulary, essays, and grammatical, historical, and stylistic notes. Oversees two senior editors and 20-member editorial board. 14,000 users per month, as of January 2017. http://dcc.dickinson.edu 2010 – pres.
Dickinson Classics Online (DCO) (Officer)
Co-founder and co-director with Marc Mastrangelo and Jinyu Liu of site for Chinese students and scholars of the ancient Greek and Latin classics. http://dco.dickinson.edu 2015 –pres.
Digital Projects Authored
Core Latin and Greek Vocabularies
Collected and analyzed large datasets and supervised editing team to create lists of the thousand most common words in Latin and the 500 most common words in ancient Greek. Supervised translation into various languages. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/vocab/core-vocabulary 2012
Dickinson College Commentaries Blog
Short essays on digital editions, technology and pedagogy. http://blogs.dickinson.edu/dcc/ 2012 – pres.
Sulpicius Severus, Life of St. Martin
Wrote an original commentary on the Latin text, with images, audio recordings, and maps. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/sulpicius-severus/preface 2009
Latin Poetry Podcast
Discussed, translated, and read aloud short passages of Latin poetry. http://blogs.dickinson.edu/latin-poetry-podcast 2006 – pres.
Leonard Euler, Proof of some notable properties with which solids enclosed by plane faces are endowed (Co-translator)
Wrote with David Richeson the first English translation of Leonard Euler’s “Demonstratio nonnullarum insignium proprietatum quibus solida hedris planis inclusa sunt praedita” (Euler, Opera Omnia vol. 26, pp. 94-108). http://www.eulerarchive.org/ 2006
Digital Projects Edited
Jerome, Malchus the Captive Monk (2019)
Supervisory editor for William Turpin’s multimedia edition. Edited introduction, Latin text, vocabulary, and notes. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-iliad/intro/preface
Homer, Iliad 6 and 22 (2018)
Supervisory editor for Thomas Van Nortwick and Geoffrey Steadman’s multimedia edition. Edited introduction, Greek text, vocabulary, and notes. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/homer-iliad/intro/preface
Pseudo-Demonsthenes, Against Neaira (2018)
Supervisory editor for Deborah Kamen’s multimedia edition of 4ht century BC speech about the noted courtesan Neaira. Edited introduction, Greek text, vocabulary, and notes. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/against-neaira/intro/preface
Bede, Historia Eccelsiastica Selections (2017)
Supervisory editor for Rob Hardy’s multimedia edition of this chronicle of early Anglo-Saxon history. Edited introduction, Latin text, and notes. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/bede-historia-ecclesiastica/intro/preface
Society for Classical Studies Blog (2016 – 2017)
Supervisory editor for blog of the principal learned society in North America for the study of ancient Greek and Roman languages, literatures, and civilizations. https://classicalstudies.org/scs-blog
Society for Classical Studies Digital Project Reviews (2016-pres.)
Supervisory editor for series of reviews of digital project reviews published under the auspices of the SCS blog. Led development of guidelines for digital project reviews. https://classicalstudies.org/publications-and-research/scs-digital-project-review-guidelines
Tacitus, Agricola (2016)
Supervisory editor for Cynthia Damon’s multimedia edition of this Latin biography. Edited Latin text and notes, contributed audio recordings. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/tacitus-agricola/preface 2016
Vergil, Aeneid Selections (2016)
Lead editor of a commentary on selections from Vergil’s Aeneid (about 2000 lines at first release). Edited notes selected from older school commentaries, supervised creation of original maps, video, and other multimedia content, edited scholarly essays, created audio files, and added links to online grammars. 1,500 users per month as of Jan. 2017. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/vergil-aeneid/preface 2016
Allen and Greenough’s Latin Grammar (2016)
Lead editor of multimedia edition of this classic Latin grammar. 3,000 users per month as of Jan 2017. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/grammar/latin/credits-and-reuse
Callimachus, Aetia (2015)
Supervisory editor for Susan Stephens’ multimedia edition of this Greek poetry collection. Edited Greek text, English translation, vocabulary lists, and introductory matter. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/callimachus-aetia/toc
Digital Humanities at Dickinson College Blog (2012-2015)
Lead editor. Solicited and shared news of digital projects at Dickinson, edited Mellon grant reports for public sharing, and publicized grant guidelines and deadlines. http://blog.dickinson.edu/digitalhumanities
Goodell’s School Grammar of Attic Greek (2014)
Lead editor of multimedia edition of Thomas Dwight Goodell’s, A School Grammar of Attic Greek (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1902). http://dcc.dickinson.edu/goodell/chapters/Chapter-001.html 2014
Ovid, Amores Book 1 (2012)
Supervisory editor for William Turpin’s multimedia edition of this Latin poetry collection. Edited Latin text, notes, vocabulary lists, and introductory matter; contributed audio recordings. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/ovid-amores/epigram-0
Caesar, Gallic War Selections (2010)
Lead editor of commentary on selections from Caesar’s Gallic War. Edited notes selected from older school commentaries, supervised creation of original maps, video, and other multimedia content, created audio files, and added links to online grammars. 2,500 users per month as of Jan 2017. http://dcc.dickinson.edu/caesar/caesar-introduction 2010
Articles and Book Chapters
“Parthenius of Nicaea” Chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Mythography, Stephen Trzaskoma and R. Scott Smith, eds. Oxford University Press. Forthcoming 2020
全球化古典主义的新方向 (“New Directions in Global Classicism”), transl. Qizhen Xie, in Jinyu Liu, ed., 全球视野下的古罗马诗人奥维德研究前沿 (The New Frontiers of Research on the Roman Poet Ovid in the Global Context), pp. 384–389. Beijing: Peking University Press, 2020.
“A Forgotten Masterpiece of Latin Prose: Maffei’s Historiae Indicae.” Classical Outlook 94.4 (2020): 192–197.
With Bret Mulligan, “Flight of the Concordances: Resurrecting the Classical Concordance Online.” Society for Classical Studies Blog, April 22, 2018. https://classicalstudies.org/node/28877
“A Podcasting Approach to Orality,” Teaching Classical Languages 6.1 (Spring 2015): 51–71. Essay on the use of podcasting in teaching intermediate Latin poetry classes. TCA is the leading American journal focused on classics pedagogy.
“Catullus’ Ariadne in the Twenty-first Century,” Classical Outlook 85 (2008): 97–100. Essay on the figure of Ariadne in Catullus 64. CO is the journal of the American Classical Association, aimed mainly at Latin teachers in secondary schools.
“L’érotisme dans les Erotica Pathémata de Parthénios,” in Arnaud Zucker, ed., Littérature et érotisme dans les Passions d’amour de Parthénios de Nicée. Actes du colloque de Nice, 31 mai 2006 (Grenoble: Jérôme Millon, 2008), pp. 163–174. On the eroticism of Parthenius’ mythological handbook, Erotika Pathemata.
“The Flaw in Euler’s Proof of His Polyhedral Formula,” co-authored with David Richeson, American Mathematical Monthly 114 (2007): 286–296. This is almost entirely David Richeson’s work. I helped on reading and interpreting the Latin of Euler’s original paper.
“Daphne, Honor, and Aetiological Action in Ovid’s Metamorphoses,” Classical World 97.2 (2004): 153–157. A new reading of the Daphne episode in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. CW is the quarterly journal of The Classical Association of the Atlantic States.
“Parthenius Grammaticus,” Mnemosyne 52 (1999): 63–71. Argues that the term grammaticus when applied to Greek scholar/poet Parthenius of Nicaea means that he helped Roman poets read Hellenistic literature, not that he was a primary school teacher.
Op-eds
“A Degree in English,” editorial page, New York Times, May 15, 2009. Arguing against the use of Latin in college diplomas.
“Rancorous College Rankings,” editorial page, Wall Street Journal Nov. 19, 1996. Critiquing the mania for college rankings.
Courses
Public Speaking: Secrets from the Classical Tradition (CLST 200) An introduction to the ancient art of public persuasion, with examination of more recent examples of effective speeches at crucial junctures in American history, insights from the Greek and Roman theorists and practitioners, and practice putting these ideas and techniques to use.
Greek and Roman Mythology (CLST 100) An introduction to the texts and narratives of the chief myths of Greece and Rome and their impact on music, sculpture, painting, and literature.
Ancient Worlds on Film (CLST 140/Film Studies 210) An introduction to ancient Greek, Persian, and Roman history and civilization through primary sources and film portrayals. Emphasis on critical interpretation of film and text.
Introduction to Latin Poetry (LAT 202) An introduction to Latin poetry, focusing on Catullus, with some works by Ovid and other authors. Emphasis on close reading, reading aloud, and cultural and literary context.
Introduction to Greek Poetry (GRK 202) An introduction to Greek poetry through selected readings from Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad in Greek and English, along with selected critical readings on various aspects of Homer and Homeric society.
Roman Historians: Caesar (LAT 233) An introduction to the life and writings of Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BC). Emphasis on sight reading and research skills.
Vergil (LAT 234) An introduction to the poetry of P. Vergilius Maro (70–19 BC), with a focus on the Aeneid. Emphasis on close reading and research on later uses of the Aeneid.
Roman Satire (LAT 352) Readings from the satires of Horace, Martial, and Juvenal with study of social life in the early Principate. Emphasis on close reading and research skills.
Grants and Awards
Society for Classical Studies Pedagogy Award, 2018
Won with Bret Mulligan (Haverford College). This $1,300 award supports the work required for the digitization of Index Apuleianus by William Abbott Oldfather. The work will convert it into a fully lemmatized text and database. https://classicalstudies.org/scs-news/2018-scs-pedagogy-winners
Professional Service
Society for Classical Studies
Chair, Communications Committee 2016 – 2018 Inaugurated a series of critical reviews of digital project in classical studies, supervised creation of guidelines for such reviews, supervised revival of the SCS blog, and oversaw policy for the social media presence. SCS is the main classical studies professional association in North America (formerly the American Philological Association).
The College Board
Advanced Placement (AP) Latin Curriculum Review Committee Member 2009 – 2012 Participated in comprehensive course and exam redesign and writing of new Curriculum Framework.
AP Latin Exam Development Committee Member 2006 – 2012 Wrote essay and multiple choice questions AP Latin Exams; participated in meetings of the development committee three times yearly.
AP Latin Exam Reader 1996 – 2011 Graded AP Latin Exams at week-long summer meetings.
Dickinson College
Member, Faculty Personnel Committee 2016 – 2018 Served as an elected member of the committee which carries out all personnel reviews of faculty.
Organizer, Dickinson Latin Workshops 2001 – pres. Organized and led annual week-long professional development seminars for Latin teachers held in summer on Dickinson’s campus, and occasional Saturday workshops.
Co-organizer, DCO Shanghai Seminar 2015 – pres. Helped organize annual 3-day meetings of collaborators on the Dickinson Classics Online project, held at Shanghai Normal University.
Chair, Department of Classical Studies 2014 – 2015. Also chair 2003–06, 2007–08, and 2011–12. Oversaw budget of approximately $60,000 annual income from the Roberts Fund for Classical Studies endowment.
Chair, Digital Humanities Advisory Committee 2013 – 2016 Supervised the disbursal of $700,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of digital humanities initiatives; worked with faculty and information technology staff to develop faculty-led projects; supervised budgets and expenditures, and wrote reports.
Co-organizer, Latin Club 2011 – 2018 Organized a weekly Latin exploratory program for about 60 children in grades K–8, taught by Dickinson students and local Latin teacher Ashley Roman.
Member, Faculty Salary Subcommittee of the Faculty Personnel Committee 2010 – 2011 Consulted with Dean of the College and members of Personnel Committee on revision of faculty salary schedules.
Member, Research and Development Committee 2002 – 2005 Elected member of the committee which evaluates applications for research funds by Dickinson faculty. Chair ’04-’05.
Member, Academic Program Committee 1997 – 2000 Elected member of committee which vets proposed changes to curriculum.
Faculty Advisor, Alpha Lambda Delta 1998 – 2015 Advised chapter of the national sophomore honor society
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Member, Committee to draft World Language Standards for Pennsylvania 2000 Worked with modern language teachers and Dept. of Education officials to draft standards.
Various Presses
Reviewer
Reviewed book proposals and articles for Oxford University Press, University of Michigan Press, Classical Outlook
Pennsylvania Classical Association
President 2001 – 2002 Oversaw the program and logistics for the annual meeting.
Book Reviews
M.G. Hopman, Scylla: Myth, Metaphor, Paradox (Cambridge UP, 2012), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.08.53
Karl Galinsky, Augustus: Introduction to the Life of an Emperor (Cambridge UP, 2012), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2012.11.48
M.B. Ryan and C.A. Perkins, Ovid’s Amores: Book One (Norman, OK, 2011), New England Classical Journal 30 (2011): 219–220.
Clive Brooks, Reading Latin Poetry Aloud (Cambridge UP, 2007), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.01.18
Stratis Kyriakidis, Catalogues of Proper Names in Latin Epic Poetry. Lucretius – Virgil – Ovid (Cambridge UP, 2007), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.01.08.
Roy Gibson et al., eds. The Art of Love: Bimillennial Essays on Ovid’s Ars Amatoria and Remedia Amoris (Oxford UP, 2006), Classical Outlook 85 (2008): 166.
Sophia Papaioannou, Epic Succession and Dissension. Ovid, Metamorphoses 13.623-14.582 and the Reinvention of the Aeneid (De Gruyter, 2005). Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2006.03.11.
William Fitzgerald, Slavery and the Roman Literary Imagination (Cambridge UP, 2000), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2001.04.20
J.L. Lightfoot (ed.), Parthenius of Nicaea: The poetical fragments and the Erotica Pathemata (Oxford UP, 1999), Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2000.04.14
Talks (2008-pres.)
“Your Personnel Committee Has Questions” Paper presented at the panel Evaluating Scholarship, Digital and Traditional organized by the Digital Classics Association at the Society for Classical Studies meeting 2020
“Digital Annotation of Classical Texts and Effective Digitization” Invited talk, Cornell University 2019
“Humanizing Digital Humanities” Paper presented address at: Ovid and Latin Classics in Chinese Translation Conference at the Columbia Global Center Beijing 2019
“New Directions in Global Classicism” Concluding address at: Globalizing Ovid: An International Conference in Commemoration of the Bimillennium of Ovid’s Death, Shanghai Normal University 2017
“Creating a Digital Commentary for Teaching” 3-hour pre-institute workshop with Bret Mulligan and Peter Anderson at the American Classical League Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan 2017
“Classicists without Borders” Paper presented at the Society for Classical Studies, Toronto 2017
“Sebastian Brant: An Early Modern Editor of Vergil and Multimedia Text Annotation” Paper presented at the Shanghai Normal University Guangqi International Center for Scholars 2015
“Explain, Translate, Perform: A Podcasting Approach to Greek and Latin Orality” Paper presented at the American Philological Association, Chicago 2014
“Et tu, Caesar? Julius in the Electronic Age and the Active Latin Classroom” 6-hour workshop with Terence Tunberg and Milena Minkova, American Classical League 2013
“Greek Core Vocabulary Acquisition: A Sight Reading Approach” Paper presented at the American Philological Association, Seattle 2013
“Digital Pedagogy for Latin and Greek” Keynote address at Texas Classical Association (2013); also given at Stanford University (2013), Classical Association of Virginia (2012), and University of Pennsylvania (2012)
“Digital Commentary on Classical Texts: Problems and Prospects” Paper presented at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Sept. 2012), University of Virginia (September 2012), and Northeast Conference for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (April 2012)
“The New AP Latin Course: Objectives, Strategies, and Assessment” Paper presented at the Northeast Conference for the Teaching of Foreign Languages 2012
“Veni Vidi Wiki: Mediawiki and the Latin Classroom” Paper presented at the Northeast Conference for the Teaching of Foreign Languages 2011
“Resources for Teaching Caesar” Paper presented at the California Classical Association (2011) and NECTFL (2010)
“New Developments in AP Latin” Paper presented at the American Philological Association, Anaheim, CA 2010
“Latin Podcasting” Paper presented at the Pennsylvania Classical Association 2008