Watch all three special sessions here!
At the SASA Virtual Conference this last August, SASA held three special sessions focused on building a community for independent scholars in Ancient Studies. The second of these sessions consisted of a storytelling panel discussion with mini-presentations from five independent scholars with occupations and experiences outside the scope of traditional academia. This sharing of experiences opened up the standard of what is expected from a career in Ancient Studies, giving insight into the myriad of different lifeways that Ancient Studies can lead to for students.
The first of these presenters was Brian Smith, who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Memphis in Ancient Egyptian Art and Archeology. He has excavated in India, Thailand, and Egypt working with the joint University of Pennsylvania-Yale Institute of Fine Arts. He currently teaches classes on Ancient Egypt, Near Eastern Civilizations, and Ancient Religions at the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Smith spoke on the importance of networking, meeting people and exploring opportunities. In the panel, he told the story of how he came to be on excavations at the age of 19 by staying after lectures to ask questions. Smith is an example of what students can become through showing interest and dedication to studying the ancient world.
Second to speak was Dr. Kyle Johnson, who currently works as a data scientist specializing in Natural Language Processing or NLP. His PhD in the Classics helped him start and co-run a software library for ancient languages called the Classical Language Toolkit. Dr. Johnson spoke about the difficulty students face when leaving grad school and concerns surrounding career options in Ancient Studies. His pivoting into Natural Language Processing allowed him to use his knowledge to assist in programming algorithms that are critical in a myriad of digital fields.
Alex Joffe, the editor of The Ancient Near East Today, spoke next. Dr. Joffe took a more personal tone, speaking on his doubts about his career path. Academia is a hard place to be in for many, but some people find it harder to leave behind. Joffe expressed how so much good in his life was brought about through connections in Archaeology and that the writing and speaking skills he developed throughout his many years serve him well to this day.
U.S. Army Archaeologist Dr. Laurie Rush continued Smith and Dr. Johnson’s theme, saying that leaving yourself open to opportunities is the best way to find work as an independent scholar. “[Be] willing to take even the most entry-level job if it looks like it’s going to be valuable to you and offer valuable experience.” Dr. Rush also stressed that independent scholars should take opportunities to work for the government seriously, as archeological experience allows for unique diplomatic perspectives.
The last presenter was Dr. Mitchell Allen, the founder of Scholarly Roadside Service, a scholarly publishing consulting company. Dr. Allen has experience in archeological research, fieldwork, and education, while also having 40 years as an academic publisher. After leaving graduate school, he found himself without a job in Los Angeles. He ended up getting an internship at the then-small Sage Publications, and after working 25 years there he started two independent publishing companies. He went back to school after 40 years in that field of work, finding that by working as both a publisher and an archaeologist, he became
more capable in both fields.
After a short roundtable Q&A, the panel concluded. SASA champions independent scholarship because of its flexibility and cross-field insights. We hope that all the attendees took away inspiration for their career as scholars, traditional or independent. Stories are part of the way Ancient Studies inspires us, and the narratives shared by these presenters are no exception.
This special session was but one of the three special sessions held at SASA’s Virtual Conference 2022. Highlights of the other sessions can be found below.
SASA thanks all our presenters and participants for their attendance at this year’s Virtual Conference. Special Session 2 and all sessions from this year’s conference are posted on SASA’s YouTube channel. [Opening the Ancient World 2022 - An Ancient Studies Virtual Conference - YouTube]