Derek Smith is a fourth year graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Classics, with a focus on early Greek poetry and philosophy. He attended Swarthmore college, where he majored in Ancient Greek and graduated in 2004 with high honors.
He wrote his M.A. thesis on Xenophanes, the Presocratic philosopher, and on the implications of his theological pronouncements. This project allowed Derek to pursue several of his interests, including Greek religion, the development of Greek thought from Homer to Plato, and philosophical poetry composed before the (alleged) schism between the two genres.
Derek is an avid lover of the Greek language and enjoys initiating others, whenever possible, into the wonderful world of Greek grammar and syntax. His favorite authors include Homer, Plato, Sophocles, Herodotus, and Aristophanes.
When he is not studying, Derek is usually busy watching movies. Derek is the co-founder of the Classics Film Society, which periodically presents screenings of films in the Murphey lecture hall. The Film Society has tried to include a wide variety of film genres, including film noir, early samurai features, and fantasy epics.
E-mail: dereksh@email.unc.edu
Curriculum Vitae (Currently N/A)
