Craig Timothy Jendza
Humanities - ClassicsI received my MA and PhD in Classics from Ohio State University, as well as two undergraduate degrees in Classics and business management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. My research and teaching interests are diverse and interdisciplinary, seeking to analyze the ancient world within a variety of frameworks: Greek drama, mythology, magic, witchcraft, linguistics, humor, and horror.
Education
Teaching
I teach a wide variety of courses at KU in Greek language and literature. Most recently, I developed new undergraduate courses on Ancient Epic Tales, Ethics in Greek Tragedy, and Ancient Magic and Witches, and graduate seminars on Aristophanes and Euripides. In my teaching, I endeavor to create an engaging and collaborative learning environment.
Teaching Interests
- Greek Language and Literature
- Greek Mythology, Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft
- Ancient Epic Tales
- Ethics in Greek Tragedy
- Euripides
- Aristophanes
Research
My book project, Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy (Oxford University Press, 2020), explores the relationship between the literary and performed genres of ancient Greek tragedy and comedy, and to a lesser extent, satyr drama. I examine the previously overlooked practice of paracomedy: how Greek tragedians composed some of their tragedies by appropriating tropes from Greek comedy, such as comic costumes, scenes, and language. While scholars regularly note the way that comedy satirizes tragedy (paratragedy), they have ignored the possibility of appropriations from comedy into tragedy. This book seeks to cross the Classics sub-disciplines of tragedy and comedy and to treat Greek drama holistically by demonstrating that paracomedy was a productive phenomenon and prominent feature in Greek tragedy.
Research Interests
- Greek Drama (especially Euripides and Aristophanes)
- Greek Myth, Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft
- Indo-European Linguistics
Service
I currently serve as the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Classics Department and as the Vice-President of Kansas for CAMWS.
