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Faculty
Faculty

Shana O'Connell

Master Instructor

shana.oconnell@Howard.edu
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https://twitter.com/SDOConnell

Department/Office

  • Interdisciplinary Studies

School/College

  • College of Arts & Sciences

Additional Positions

  • Classics

Biography

I am an archaeologist specializing in ancient wall painting and my ongoing work focuses on painting at three sites: the Huqoq Excavation Project and Tel Kedesh Excavations in Northern Israel and the rock-cut tombs at the ancient city of Blaundos in Western Turkey. My research has been supported by the International Catacomb Society, the Loeb Classical Library Foundation and the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.

At Howard, the two main courses that I teach are Classical Art and Classical Mythology. I have presented on pedagogy at national conferences, particularly Redefining Classics held at Catholic University. I am preparing a publication on the classroom practice of formal analysis as a tool of empowerment.

I encourage students who are interested in archaeological field work or careers in the arts to reach out to me.

Education & Expertise

Education

History of Art

PhD
Johns Hopkins University
2015

History of Art and Classics; (Minors: Latin and Studio Art)

BA
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2007

Expertise

Ancient Painting

Antiquity

Archaeology

Academics

Academics

Classical Art

What is “Classical” Art? Broadly it refers to the art of ancient Greece and Rome and more specifically, to a style of realistic visual representation developed between 480-323 BCE in ancient Greek city-states. As this course will explore, however, the art identified as Classical reflects a complex and pan-Mediterranean tradition of visual culture. This course focuses on visual culture from the Greek, Etruscan, and Roman centers of the ancient world between 600 BCE - 138 CE. It will also include study of textual sources on art, artists, and contemporary world views.

Classical Mythology

Myth is ever-present; whether its medium is oral, textual, visual, or a combination thereof, it reflects the interests, perspectives, dreams, and more of historic individuals and communities. This course focuses on the myths of ancient Greece and includes lessons on earlier traditions from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and reception by authors and artists of Africa and the African Diaspora.
The first half of the course is devoted to creation stories and major god/desses from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece; the second half focuses on epic tales of heroes and heroines. Put another way, the first half of Classical Myth examines natural and universal phenomena and the second, human societies and journeys.

Research

Research

Specialty

Ancient Wall Painting

Funding

The W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research