Michiel Van Veldhuizen
Assistant Professor, Department of Classical Studies, and Associate Director of HNAC
Classical Studies
Email Address: mcvanveldhu@uncg.edu
Education
Ph.D. Classics, Brown University
M.A. Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, Brandeis University
B.A. Liberal Arts and Sciences, University College Utrecht
Courses Taught
- CCI 100: The Greeks
- CCI 205: Mythology
- CCI 328: Gates of Horn and Ivory: Dreaming in the Ancient World
- CCI 331: Cuts, Curses and Cesareans: Medicine in the Ancient World
- CCI 490: Ancient Oracles
- GRK 101-2: Elementary Greek I-II
- GRK 2XX: Intermediate Greek (Herodotus, Homer, Lysias, Euripides)
- GRK 3XX: Advanced Greek (history, epic, oratory, tragedy)
Research
Michiel Van Veldhuizen’s research focuses on the literature and culture of the ancient Greek world, with an emphasis on religious and intellectual history. His current book project, “Divining Disaster: Signs of Catastrophe in Ancient Greek Culture,” analyzes the ways in which the ancient Greeks gave meaning to such disastrous events as plagues, famines, and shipwrecks, and the lessons it may hold for a hermeneutic disaster management today. He has published articles and chapters on the use of abductive reasoning in deciphering oracles, on the reception of Circe’s island as a place of becoming-animal, and on the disaster agency of Poseidon in ancient thought. His research draws on such fields as semiotics, ecocriticism, and animal studies to illuminate ancient mentalities and modern receptions. With many years of experience as a writing consultant, he is also passionate about teaching writing at all levels.