Joshua Jacobs, presenting his paper at the UTK Undergraduate Classics Conference

Author: Joshua Jacobs | Major: Classical Studies | Semester: Spring 2022

During my trip to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Undergraduate Classics Conference, I was able to present a paper analyzing some aspects of the conception of the afterlife present in Genesis 38, comparing the narrative to Tablet XII of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Specifically, I argued that Judah’s motives in the text are primarily founded in his concern to preserve his children that they may care for him in his postmortem existence. This conclusion is based, in part, on previous research by biblical and ancient Near Eastern scholars on the ancient Levantine conception of death and the afterlife, as well as other features of ancient Israelite society, like the levirate marriage.

This trip constituted my first to a conference, and the experience was helpful to learn about this portion of academic work. One thing that became quite apparent as I listened to other papers and talked with professors and students is the fact that I am not a Classicist. Moreover, there does indeed seem to be a large gap between the historical study of the Mediterranean and that of the Near East. This struck me as especially interesting, considering the fairly large overlap between the two geographical regions (e.g., the Persian Wars and Alexander the Great). Yet, if it must be this way, I am even more certain that I desire to study the Near East. Although I will be sent notes made by the presider over my presentation, I do not have these yet; however, I am eager to see what was written about my work and how I could improve it. Professionally, I was able to meet several professors, some of whom were familiar with Dr. Daniel Levine here at the University of Arkansas. Moreover, I was able to see great work on the part of many students, some of whom may eventually be colleagues.

As far as the actual presentation of my work is concerned, it seemed generally to have gone well. However, there were several different formats of presentations given: some used slides, others a handout, and still others none of these things. I am interested in consulting with my research mentor about whether this differentiation is found at fully professional conferences, and if so, which he has found most compelling to the audience. To those who may not have had the experience to present at a conference like this one, I certainly recommend it. Overall, the event was relaxed enough to not feel as if every detail of your work would be scrutinized by experts on that same topic. Indeed, most of those listening to my presentation were first timers, too.

For anyone who is on the fence about an academic career, I strongly encourage seeking out the opportunity to present at a conference like this; it can only help to lend clarity, experience, and attractiveness on a resume. Using this experience as a launching pad, I hope to write and submit another paper to a larger conference in my field: the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. All of this research will constitute a portion of my honors thesis.