Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies

Research and Writing in GLAM: General Resources

• Research Help
  • Library Research Guide: The Reed Library maintains a GLAM Library Research Guide that can help you get started on background research with reference works, accessing primary texts, finding and evaluating scholarly books, and searching and accessing scholarly databases and articles in journals.
• Writing Help
  • The Reed College Doyle Online Writing Lab: The Writing Lab offers online resources as well as in-person support and tutoring for projects ranging from Hum 110 papers to senior theses.
  • Typing in Greek: Computer User Services (CUS) has compiled this helpful guide to typing in Greek, whether on a Mac or PC. 
• Formatting and Citation Guide: The GLAM Department uses a common set of formatting and citation guidelines.

For Juniors

• The Junior Qualifying Exam, written in an upper-level course during a student’s junior year, tests students’ ability to execute in-depth, independent research in the discipline as preparation for Senior Thesis.
  • The full requirements for the Junior Qualifying Exam can be found in the GLAM Department Junior Qual Guide.

For Seniors

• The Senior Thesis, a year-long research project on a topic of the student’s choice, is a challenging academic endeavor, but a rewarding one. Both the department and college offer plenty of support:
  • The full departmental requirements for the Senior Thesis can be found in the GLAM Department Senior Thesis Guide.
  • The Reed College Senior Handbook produced by the Registrar’s Office contains all the information, requirements, and deadlines for the Senior Thesis.
  • The Writing Center offers weekly one-on-one support for seniors writing theses.
  • Funding for research expenses for theses is available from the the department’s Walter Englert Student Opportunity Fund and from Reed College’s Initiative Grants in Undergraduate Research.
  • Past theses can be a great source of inspiration and ideas. These and other past GLAM theses are housed in the Thesis Tower in the Reed Library and in the GLAM/Religion student lounge on the second floor of the ETC. Reed community members can browse the Reed Electronic Theses Archive.

• Become a tutor! Every year, the Office of Academic Support hires peer tutors for language courses (both Latin and Greek) as well as peer writing tutors.
• Occasionally, departmental job opportunities will come available. To ensure equity in hiring, these opportunities will be advertised on Handshake.

Original research and creative inquiry are central to the study of GLAM at Reed. All GLAM students will complete two sustained research projects, the junior qualifying exam and the senior thesis, during their course of study in GLAM. Students may also have other opportunities to work with faculty members on faculty-led or collaborative research projects in GLAM depending on the availability of funding. Such work comes in various forms, from proof-reading and editing to bibliographic or archival work to shared research projects that produce jointly authored conference papers or publications. Students occasionally also assist faculty with syllabus and course material preparation over the summer.

In recent years, student-faculty projects have included publications on Xenophon, reception, victory odes, and Bacchylides; editing and proofreading a book on lyric poetry and working on a grant proposal for an archaeological excavation. Several of these projects were funded by the college’s Ruby-Lankford Grant. Students can also pursue their own research questions and/or creative projects with funding from the college. See College-Wide Funding Sources below.

Research is also not the only way to apply your GLAM skills: students are encouraged to engage in any kind of further study or personal or career development that is useful to their academic trajectory or their plans beyond Reed, whether that is further language study or archaeological fieldwork, internships or career experience, or creative endeavors.

The GLAM Department wants to ensure equitable access to research and other development opportunities for its students. Funding and financial support is available from a range of sources to help Reed GLAM students undertake a variety of academic, creative, or career-development opportunities.

• Departmental Funding Sources
• College-Wide Funding Sources
• External Funding Sources

Departmental Funding Sources

The GLAM Department is pleased to be able to offer funding to support majors’ research activities and/or further study, both within the US as well as abroad:

• The Walter Englert Student Opportunity Fund, created in honor of Professor Walter Englert’s retirement from Reed College in 2018, is meant to enhance research and educational opportunities for GLAM majors by providing modest support for attendant expenses. The funds may be used to support:
  • the study of ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern languages in the US and abroad, or
  • research trips to ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern sites, or
  • costs involved in these research or faculty-student research, or
  • participation on a dig or in a field school focused on the study of ancient Mediterranean or Near Eastern material
• The Rumpakis/Dussin GLAM Research Fund is funded by the Department of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (GLAM) Rumpakis/Dussin endowment and is meant to enhance research and educational opportunities for GLAM majors by providing modest support for attendant expenses. The funds may be used to support:
  • the study of ancient Greek both in the US and abroad, or
  • participation on a dig or in a field school focused on the study of Greek material

College-Wide Funding Sources

In addition to these departmental sources of funding, funding for research projects, summer study, internships, and other opportunities, whether GLAM-related or not, is available from the college. Those of greatest utility and interest to GLAM students are listed below. For further information and further funding opportunities, see the Center for Life Beyond Reed’s Fellowships and Awards Page.

• Opportunity Grants support academically valuable and pertinent opportunities, which can include, but are not limited to activities such as presenting work at conferences or attending exhibitions, seminars, or workshops.
• Initiative Grants in Undergraduate Research provide funding for seniors undertaking research for their thesis.
• Student Opportunity Subsidy (SOS) Grants, administered by the Reed Student Senate, are intended to provide a more equitable college experience and can fund a range of needs and opportunities.
• Summer Internship Awards allow students to gain valuable career development experience by supporting students financially while they engage in unpaid or underpaid internship opportunities, or internships with not-for-profit or public sector organizations. 
• Summer Opportunity Fellowship Awards provide funding for a student to pursue academic work with a mentor at another institution or organization. 
• The Ruby-Lankford Grant Program funds student-faculty collaborative research projects in the humanities. GLAM students and faculty have been frequently successful in receiving these grants to fund summer projects.
• The President’s Summer Fellowship funds 8-10 week academic, creative, and/or service-based summer projects.

External Funding Sources

The major professional and scholarly organizations in the discipline also offer some nationally-competitive sources of funding to support summer travel and study opportunities:

• The Jane C. Waldbaum Archaeological Field School Scholarship (Archaeological Institute of America) supports juniors and seniors participating in archaeological fieldwork for the first time.
• The Frank M. Snowden, Jr. Undergraduate Scholarship (Society for Classical Studies) is designed to support undergraduate students from historically-underrepresented groups and funds participation in opportunities not available to them during the academic year: this can include, but is not limited to, summer language study or archaeological fieldwork. 
• Excavation and Field School Awards (Classical Association of the Middle West and South) fund student participation in archaeological field schools or excavations.

The Student Life Office maintains The Reed College Student Hub, a one-stop shop that can help guide you to the resources you need.

Academic Support

• The Office of Academic Support offers online resources for developing study and time management skills, peer tutoring in a wide variety of subjects, one-on-one academic coaching, and resources for English-language learners.

• Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR) can help customize a plan for accommodations for disability-related needs. Any student is welcome to consult with DAR to learn more about the accommodation process and whether DAR is an appropriate resource for them.

Health and Wellbeing

The Student Life Office offers a number of resources and services to ensure students’ academic success as well as health, safety, and overall well-being. 

Community and Solidarity at Reed

The Reed College Office for Inclusive Community offers a number of student-support initiatives, including the Multicultural Resource Center and a peer-mentoring program for incoming first-year students.

Community and Solidarity in GLAM

A number of national or international organizations, coalitions, and networks provide resources, community, mentoring, and mutual support for students and scholars of the ancient world who come from marginalized groups or groups underrepresented in the discipline:

• The Asian and Asian-American Classical Caucus
• CripAntiquity
• Eos
• Hesperides
• Lambda Classical Caucus
• The Mountaintop Coalition
• Trans in Classics
• The Women’s Classical Caucus

Financial Assistance

• The Reed College Financial Aid Office can help connect students experiencing financial hardship or constraints with emergency funds and other financial assistance.
• Reed College Students for Education, Equity, and Direct Service (SEEDS) maintains a Community Food Pantry open to all Reed community members.
• Reed community members whose needs cannot be met by the Financial Aid Office’s emergency funds can request aid from the Reed Community Mutual Aid Fund. 
• Two mutual-aid collectives provide material support for GLAM students from low-income backgrounds, working GLAM students, and GLAM students from marginalized communities: for students of ancient studies generally, The Sportula, and, for students of archaeology, The Black Trowel Collective provide micro-grants (no questions asked!) and can connect students with mentors of similar backgrounds. The Sportula also hosts a free textbook and book exchange.

GLAM encompasses not just a wide geographical range and time scale, but it also draws on approaches and analytical tools from a wide variety of disciplines and fields of study. While some GLAM graduates go on to graduate school in the field, given the inherently interdisciplinary nature of GLAM, majors and minors will complete their course of study equipped with skills and perspectives applicable not just to one specific career, but to many. These have included:

• teaching (e.g. high school English, history, literature, social studies, and Latin). 
• communications
• law
• accounting
• marketing
• library science
• creative arts
• college administration.

The Department of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies supports students fully exploring the wide variety of career paths open to them. Students are encouraged to meet with a career adviser in their first year at Reed and regularly thereafter. The department also works to connect current students with alumni both formally and informally by hosting regular career sessions and symposia with alumni. For further information on what Reed GLAM graduates can do, see:

• The Center for Life Beyond Reed
• The Society for Classical Studies (SCS) “Careers for Classicists” (featuring Reed GLAM alum Aaron Smith)