Dr Sam Newington

Biography

This is my 11th fantastic year here in the Divinity department at the University of Aberdeen. I am delighted to announce too that I have recently been promoted to Senior Lecturer which will take effect in August 2021.

I studied Classics at King's College (University London) where I read for my MA. In 2006, I graduated from Durham University, St John's College, with a PhD. My PhD research involved exploring creation myths from ancient Greece and the ancient Near East.

Research Overview

Although my teaching centres on Greek and Roman language, culture and history, my research area includes Near Eastern Studies. I am currently researching cross-cultural influences between the Near East and Greece.

I am able to supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students looking to research within the following areas:

• Greek literature (in particular epic, lyric and drama)
• Ancient Greek religion, in particular, mystery religion

Current Research

Current publications include:

• Currently working on a commissioned volume: Stuckenbruck, L.T. & Newington, S. (eds), Animals and Monsters in Ancient Greek Religion and Culture (London: Taylor and Francis Group, forthcoming).
• Currently working on an academic journal article for publication on the following topic: Monstrous Metamorphosis in Creation Narratives.

Current research projects include the following:

• A seminar series - Visualising the Divine (2022-2023)
• An international conference (May 2023) Sacred Landscapes.
  

Past Research

Recently, summer 2022, I steered a symposium on Theology, Ecology and Climate - past and present.

Knowledge Exchange

Throughout the year, I offer a range of outreach event in collaboration with CAS. More recently, providing online international workshops on ancient languages and providing talks on a range of ancient history and classical studies topics. Further details are also located on the CAS webpage: https://cas.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2020/10/29/euge-latin-for-absolute-beginners/

I am currently the Director for the CAS: Ancient Voices Summer Workshop, which is an annual event. Further details area located here: https://cas.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

Collaborations

I have collaborated with Dr Sian Lewis (St Andrews University) on two workshops: Sacred Animals and Monsters in Greek and the Near Eastern Religions (22nd-23rd January 2014) and Animals, Monsters and Demons: a Comparative Approach (22nd-23rd January 2015). We are now working towards an edited volume publication drawn from both events.

Teaching Responsibilities

I am the course co-ordinator for a number of undergraduate and postgraduate modules (unless otherwise stated below):

Level 1 and Level 2

• DR1039/DR1078: New Testament Greek I
• DR101Z/DR101Y/DR201Z/DR201Y: Atheism and Atheisms (contributor)
• DR101E/DR101F/DR201E/DR201F: What it Means to be Dead
• DR101C/DR101B/DR201C/DR201B: Religions of Ancient Greece and Beyond
• DR151A/DR151B/DR250A/DR250B: Ancient Empires: Religion, Power and Politics
• DR151W/DR251W: God, Sexualities and Identity (contributor)
• DR1538/DR1578: New Testament Greek II
• DR1596/DR2596: Mysticism (contributor)
• DR153G/DR253G: Wine, Revelry and Dangerous Women: Followers of Dionysus
• DR152C/DR152D/DR252C/DR152C: Magic, Mystery, Spells and Potions
• LT1009/LT1010: Latin 
• LT1507/LT1508: Latin

Level 3 and Level 4 

• DR301P / DR351P / DR355C: Special Subject
• DR4046/DR4543: Senior Honours - Special Subject
• DR351Y/DR351Z/DR451Z/DR451Y: Cosmos and Creation in the Ancient World
• DR352X/DR352Y/DR452Y/DR452X: Animals and Monsters in the Ancient Greek World and Beyond
• DR4544: Dissertation

Level 5 and Postgraduate:

• Dissertation and Research supervision

PhD Supervision

Current lead supervisor for the following PhD topics:

• Goddesses in Ancient Greek performance texts
• Ancient Greek attitudes towards death
• Ancient Greek Magic
• Revisiting Norse Mythology