Wednesday, January 27, 2010

2010 ANS Graduate Summer Seminar

The 57th Annual Eric P. Newman Graduate Summer Seminar at the American Numismatic Society will be held from June 7 through July 30, 2010. A stipend of $4,000 is awarded to successful applicants. The application deadline is Feb. 12, 2010.

Details here.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

"The Wicked Which"

Just for fun...

Writing is also a process of learning. I felt that I learned much about English grammar, word structure, and writing from studying Latin and Greek as an undergraduate. But I still have difficulties with my own writing style. These become more apparent to me as I write the remaining chapters of my dissertation and prepare articles for publication.

A few months ago, I showed a draft of the article that I was submitting to the Proceedings of the XIVth International Numismatic Congress to a colleague. He commented that I employ the "Archie Bunker use of 'which'." I did not know what this meant exactly; I never watched the show. That fountain of haphazardly reliable information, Wikipedia, tells me that Archie Bunker was known for peculiar "Archie-isms," and so I suspect that the comment may have referred to my simple misuse of the word.

Since then I have tried to be more cognizant of how I use "which" and "that." At the AIA/APA meetings last week, one of the books I picked up was M. Golden's Greek Sport and Social Status (Austin, 2007). I have recently started reading it and was encouraged to see the following in his preface (p. xii): "At University of Texas Press, Nancy Moore saved me from many errors and obscurities and helped me slay the Wicked Which (that, I know)." It is reassuring to know that senior and well-published scholars have also struggled with grammatical uses as seemingly basic as the use of "which."

Reading this prompted me to see what I could find on the internet about the use of "which." I quickly came across "Which versus that" on the "World Wide Words" website. It is written in an accessible way with many clear examples. It also explains that many people are confused about the proper usage because it has changed over the past century. Essentially, the hard and fast rules have changed and there is some disagreement even among grammarians.

In any case, I hope to be more vigilant when it comes to the "Wicked Which" that plagues my prose.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

CFP - Coinage and Art: Technique and Production

Speakers delivered stimulating papers in the panel on "Memory in Greek and Roman Coins" at the APA/AIA Meeting in Anaheim last week.

The Friends of Numismatics have already announced the theme for next year on "Coinage and Art: Technique and Production" at the San Antonio meeting. The call for papers and submission details can be found here. Deadline for submissions is February 15, 2010. The 2011 APA/AIA Joint Annual Meeting will take place January 6-9, 2011.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Numismatic Events at the 2010 AIA/APA Meeting

The 111th Joint Annual Meeting of the AIA and APA will be held in Anaheim from January 6-9, 2010. As at last year's meetings, several events of numismatic interest will take place. Several individual papers will no doubt make use of numismatic evidence, and there will be a session devoted to "Memory in Greek and Roman Coins" on Friday, January 8.

The session, organized by W.E. Metcalf, will feature five speakers plus a discussant:
1. Dennis Trout, The University of Missouri - "Romulus and Remus in Theodoric's Rome and the Roma invicta Series." (abstract unavailable online)

2. Karen L. Acton, The University of Michigan - "Spes and Imperial Succession: Claudian and Vespasianic Narratives."

3. Clare Rowan, Macquarie University - "Mythical Memory: The 'Commemorative' Medallions of Antoninus Pius and the Temple of Venus and Rome."

4. Kyle Erikson, The University of Exeter - "Remembering One's Father: Paternal Images on Seleucid Coins." (abstract unavailable online)

5. Edward M. Zarrow, Westwood High School - "The Image and Memory of Julius Caesar in the Coinage of the Triumviral Period." (abstract unavailable online)

Discussant: Alain Gowing, The University of Washington

As at past meetings, there will be a Friends of Numismatics reception and also the Friends of Numismatics committee meeting. Details can be found in the respective AIA and APA programs.