PhD: Quantifying Speech Style and Characterization in Greek and Latin Epic

Are you looking for a challenging position in a dynamic setting? The Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH) currently has a vacant PhD position affiliated with the international project DICES (Digital Initiative for Classics: Epic Speeches), led by principal investigators Dr. Berenice Verhelst (UvA) and Dr. C. Forstall (Mt. Allison University, Canada). The main supervisor will be Prof. Dr. Caroline Kroon. The Amsterdam School of Historical Studies is one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR).

You will be part of the Greek and Latin Literature section of ACASA (Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology) and the research groups ‘Digital History’ and ‘Classical (con)texts’. The ‘Digital History’ group is an interdisciplinary initiative focusing on digital methods to explore, understand, explain and represent historical sources. The ‘Classical (con)texts’ group looks at classical texts in their contemporary context combining narratological, linguistic and intertextual approaches. The overarching research theme of the group is currently “style”. It is the central topic of an ongoing seminar series and a common factor in several PhD and Postdoc projects, including this PhD position.

What are you going to do?

A defining feature of epic is the mimetic representation of direct speech alongside narrator text. The role of speech in characterizing the epic heroes was acknowledged by the earliest critics: Aristotle already praised Homer for his skill of finding the fitting words for each character to say. Beyond the individual, speech reflects the social dynamics and power structures in the world of epic. Meanwhile, in the course of Antiquity, epic poets continued to portray speech in diverse ways reflecting cultural and linguistic change.

The brand-new DICES Database of Direct Speech provides a comprehensive reference for epic speech representation from Homer to Late Antiquity, opening up novel possibilities for studying aspects of style and characterization and allowing for wide-angled diachronic and cross-linguistic comparisons. You will explore the possibilities of a combined narratological (Verhelst), computational (Forstall) and linguistic approach (Kroon) to epic speech while working on a research project and epic text corpus (Latin and/or Greek) of your own design. The three main parameters set out for this project are the following:

• Focus on characterization.

A narratological framework allows you to study characterization in direct speech from a variety of viewpoints. You can choose to focus on transtextual characters (characters with a stable identity that make an appearance in multiple literary texts), on social or ethnic groups of characters (e.g. women, slaves, Trojans, …) and/or narrative roles (e.g. the trusted friend or the senior advisor) or relations (e.g. speeches between relatives).

• Focus on style.

We are interested in quantitative, measurable aspects of the speech and conversation style of epic heroes. You will be combining the theoretical frameworks of (socio-)linguistics and conversational analysis and working with state of the art AI-based language models to analyze your corpus. Training opportunities for working with these methods will be provided.

• Focus on diachronicity/broadening the canon.

We aim to broaden the canon of epic poetry and focus on diachronic trends. The DICES Database includes a broad range of postclassical authors as well as epic subgenres and -types (epyllia, hymns, didactic poetry, biblical epic) which are often not considered in surveys of epic poetry. You are invited to choose a diachronic subcorpus in alignment with your research project, taking into account the changing political and social contexts of the relevant time as well as the different conventions relating to the subgenre.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Completion and defence of a PhD thesis within the period of appointment (four years, full time);
• Presentations of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences both in the domain of Classics and in Digital Humanities;
• Publication of at least one single-authored, peer reviewed article and a series of blog posts on the DICES project blog;
• Participation in meetings of the Digital History and Classical Context research groups and the international Epic Speeches Network of the DICES project;
• Participation in the PhD programme of OIKOS, the National Research School in Classical Studies in the Netherlands;
• Participation in the PhD training programmes of the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies and the Favulty of Humanities;
• (co-)organization of knowledge dissemination activities such as training sessions in digital methods for classics;
• Teaching in BA programmes in years 2 and 3 of the PhD project.

What do you have to offer?

Are you keen to develop new skills by drawing on multidisciplinary approaches? Do you have a broad interest in epic poetry and a strong motivation expand your scope to lesser studied authors and subgenres? A problem-solving attitude and the ability to think out of the box are key to the success of this PhD project. Advanced computational skills are not a prerequisite.

Your experience and profile:

Candidates need to have the following qualifications:

• a completed (R)Ma or MPhil degree in Classics (held by time of appointment)
• well-developed research skills including the ability to formulate relevant and creative research questions and hypotheses, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing.
• a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
• enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• excellent command of English, excellent competence in Latin and (or) Greek. Reading competence in French, German and Italian.

Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA.

What can we offer you?

We offer a temporary employment contract for the period of 48 months. The first contract will be for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months, contingent on a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The employment contract is for 38 hours a week. The preferred starting date is 01 September 2024.

Your salary, depending on relevant experience on commencement of the employment contract, ranges from € 2,770 up to a maximum of € 3,539 gross per month on the basis of a full working week of 38 hours. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. Favourable tax agreements may apply to applicants moving from abroad. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What else do we offer?

• PhD candidates receive a tuition fee waiver;
• PhD candidates have free access to courses offered by the Graduate School of Humanities and the Dutch National Research Schools;
• excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• an inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• an enthusiastic and professional academic team.