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American Philological Association/Thesaurus Linguae Latinae

Supported by a Generous Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

 

 

 

The American Philological Association invites applications for a one-year Fellowship, tenable from July 2009 through June 2010, which will enable an American scholar to participate in the work of the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae Institute in Munich.  Fellows at the TLL develop a broadened perspective of the range and complexity of the Latin language and culture from the classical period through the early Middle Ages, contribute signed articles to the Thesaurus, have the opportunity to participate in a collaborative international research project, and work with senior scholars in the field of Latin lexicography.  The Fellowship carries a stipend in the amount of $50,400 (please note the new, increased, amount of this stipend) and is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The incumbent Fellow may re-apply for a second year, but all applications will be judged on an equal footing. 

Applicants must (i) be United States citizens or permanent residents and (ii) already have the Ph.D.  or anticipate the award of the degree by July 1, 2009.  The opportunity to be trained in lexicography and contribute articles to be published in the lexicon may be of special interest to scholars who are already established in tenure-track positions, as well as those who are just entering the profession.  The Fellowship offers valuable experience for scholars in a variety of specialties (e.g., Latin language and literature, Roman law, Roman history, the literature of early Christianity); although it is not limited to individuals working in Latin philology, applicants should possess a thorough familiarity with and a special interest in the Latin language, as well as advanced competence in Greek.  It is anticipated that applicants will already have a reading knowledge of German and will be willing to work toward proficiency in spoken German.  Women and members of minority groups underrepresented in Classics are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a statement of what benefits the applicant expects to derive from the Fellowship for his/her research and teaching, and the names of three referees, whom the applicant should ask to send supporting letters to the Executive Director without further notice.  It will be in the candidate’s interest if at least one letter can specifically address the candidate’s suitability for the Fellowship.  Candidates will be considered by the APA’s TLL Fellowship Committee, which serves as the selection committee.  The committee will choose a short-list of candidates to be invited for interview at the Annual Meeting in January 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the name of the successful candidate will be announced shortly thereafter.  Applications must be received by the deadline of Monday, November 17, 2008. 

Applications should be sent to: Dr. Adam D.  Blistein, Executive Director, American Philological Association, 292 Logan Hall, University of Pennsylvania, 249 S.  36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304.  For additional information about the Fellowship, contact the Chairperson of the APA’s TLL Fellowship Committee, Professor Kathleen Coleman, Department of the Classics, Harvard University, 204 Boylston Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138.  Telephone:  617-495-2024.  E-mail:  kcoleman@fas.harvard.edu.

 

Testimonials from Previous APA TLL Fellows

The work at the Thesaurus fundamentally changed my professional life. I had been striving to develop a methodology to use words in order to understand implicit assumptions about Roman institutions.  The training at the Thesaurus gave me the skills to analyze word usage and the connection between grammar and semantics. There is nothing I do in my current work that has not been facilitated and improved by my post-doctoral work at the Thesaurus. It was truly a foundational intellectual experience for my career in Classics.

Roberta Stewart, Associate Professor of Classics, Dartmouth College

APA TLL Fellow, 1988–89

My time at the TLL allowed me to reflect in new ways on how the continuities of Roman civilization can be investigated through careful attention to vocabulary. Because of the insistence at the Thesaurus on viewing Latin as a language without artificial boundaries of genre or period, marginalized authors such as grammarians, antiquarians, and medical writers have become central spokespersons in my scholarship. I am confident that this maturity in my own research would not have developed so rapidly without my twelve-month fellowship from the APA.

Anthony Corbeill, Professor of Classics, University of Kansas

APA TLL Fellow, 1990–91

My experience at the Thesaurus has heightened my awareness of Latin context in two dimensions: horizontal and vertical. By ‘horizontal’ I mean the other words used in the neighborhood of the one or ones I am presently reading, the words that have influence on the one I’m reading, which in turn has influence on them. By ‘vertical’ I mean all the layers of meaning that a single word has accumulated in all its long history; they are unseen, lying deep in the meaning of the word as I read it, but now I can perceive them.

Peter Cohee, Program Director in Classics, The Public Latin School of Boston

APA TLL Fellow, 1995–96

When people ask what I got out of the Thesaurus Fellowship, I say that it made me a Latinist. I use the skills I learned there every day; they inform everything I do as a scholar.

Gregory Hays, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Virginia

APA TLL Fellow, 1996–97

My year at the TLL in Munich was a formative one in every sense of the term. From a professional standpoint it enabled me to acquire a much richer and more highly developed background in Latin philology. This has had a lasting impact on my scholarship. On the interpersonal level the collegiality at the TLL was unsurpassed. To be surrounded by professionals who love what they do in a city like Munich makes for a very memorable experience that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone.

Mark Beck, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of South Carolina

APA TLL Fellow, 2000–01

My year at the TLL has proven to be indispensable to my development as a scholar, teacher, and citizen of the international Classics community. I was able to begin my teaching career with a deeper understanding of the Latin language and literary history, fluency in German, and memories of delightful weekends spent hiking in the Bavarian Alps with my TLL colleagues. I also made amazing contacts; I am struck by how many of the opportunities that have come up in recent years go back in some way to my year in Munich.

Jennifer Ebbeler, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Texas at Austin

APA TLL Fellow, 2001–02

There are so many reasons to recommend the TLL—the work, the people, the city—but of prime importance is the library. Surely the best of its kind in the world, the TLL’s collection is arranged chronologically rather than alphabetically, and thus to the sweep of the eye it offers a vivid image of over 800 years of Latin. It is an edifying experience simply to be there every day, and the rigorous philological work I did at the TLL has proved invaluable both in my research and in my teaching.

Matthew McGowan, Assistant Professor of Classics, Fordham University

APA TLL Fellow, 2002–03

What does the APA/NEH fellowship at the TLL offer? A stimulating intellectual environment, a year away to get a different perspective on American academia, and a great chance to work on one of the most important projects for scholars of the Latin language and Roman culture.  Munich is a brilliant city, among the most livable in Europe: museums, theater and opera, beer gardens, the Alps. The colleagues are friendly and welcoming, and it’s a great chance to improve your German skills.

Christopher S. van den Berg, Lecturer in Classics, Dartmouth College

APA TLL Fellow, 2006–07