UCLA Department of Classics

Odyssey blog 2 is now published on the Classics department website.

This entry is written by Sander Goldberg and titled, "'I am become a name': Odysseus for better, for worse, and for everything in between"

You will find it here: https://classics.ucla.edu/blog/the-odyssey-files-2-i-am-become-a-name-odysseus-for-better-for-worse-and-for-everything-in-between/

The Department is proud to announce the promotion of Ella Haselswerdt to the role of Associate Professor with tenure.

Professor Haselswerdt joined the department in 2020 and currently serves as the Co-Director of Graduate Studies. She teaches classes in Greek language and Greek culture and has published widely on tragedy, archaic Greek poetry, and q***r studies.

Her book, Thinking with Tragic Chorality: Lyricism, Affect, and Anachrony in Greek Tragedy, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press in February 2027.

Congratulations Ella!

In the wake of the extraordinary success of and broad engagement with Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey, the Classics Department at UCLA has invited its members to reflect on how the Odyssey (both film and epic) intersects with their own work with and thinking about the ancient world.

We plan on publishing a new blog every week or two, so be sure to revisit this page and follow us on Facebook/Instagram for further episodes.

Check it out here: https://classics.ucla.edu/blog/blog-a-complicated-man-and-complicated-myths/

The UCLA Department of Classics is delighted to announce Professor Kelly Nguyen's new book, Critical Classicality in Vietnam and the Diaspora, has been published and is available now!

You will find it here: https://academic.oup.com/book/63209

Congratulations Professor Nguyen!

Critical Classicality in Vietnam and the Diaspora Abstract. This is the first book to study Vietnamese classicisms. Drawing on decolonial theory, critical refugee studies, and q***r of color critique, Nguy

Congratulations to Professor Kelly Nguyen, whose book Critical Classicality in Vietnam and the Diaspora, has just been published by Oxford University Press!

Critical Classicality in Vietnam and the Diaspora Abstract. This is the first book to study Vietnamese classicisms. Drawing on decolonial theory, critical refugee studies, and q***r of color critique, Nguy

Professor Alex Purves appeared on KPCC's Air Talk today to discuss the Odyssey and its adaptations. You can check out this conversation on the LAist website here: https://laist.com/news/sheriff-civilian-oversight-commission-lax-people-mover-socal-surf-dining-solo-odyssey-classics

Congratulations to Moses Basil Perkins, incoming graduate student in Classics, for this important and compelling article on Greece and Rome in the Epstein files. Thank you also to Curtis Dozier, of the Pharos: Doing Justice to Classics project, who mentored Moses on the initiative.

Ancient Greece and Rome in the Epstein Files The Epstein files reveal Epstein's deep fascination with Greco-Roman antiquity, making this notorious s*x criminal a sobering illustration of how easily the prestige of

We are delighted to announce the UCLA Classics Summer Newsletter for 2026! Inside, you will enjoy reading about the achievements and news of our Classics community.

Check it out here: https://classics.ucla.edu/about/newsletter/

Christopher Nolan's Odyssey opens today -- join us on July 30th for an online discussion of the film. All welcome!

https://classics.ucla.edu/event/odyssey-book-club-july-30-5-6-pm/

RSVP here for zoom link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSda6taKxE9K5zLoGfqi6ytpkLbu_w2peFylUVS15UmnzmcsJQ/viewform