Get to Know Kate Melberg
Kate joined our department in Fall 2025. Two books that she really enjoyed recently were Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures and Hernán Diaz’s Trust.
What drew you to studying the ancient Greeks and Romans?
I have always loved Greek and Roman mythology, and once I got to college, I finally had the chance to study Latin. I was hooked on Classics from the first day of classes!
What classes or types of classes are you / will you be teaching at SCU?
So far I’ve taught Gods and Mortals, Mythology, and the Legacy of Rome.
What research or professional development projects are you currently working on?
My biggest project so far has been my dissertation, which focused on relationships between authors and audiences in the works of Seneca the Younger. I’m also currently working on a piece on Sophocles’ tragedy Philoctetes.
Who / what is your favorite Greek or Latin author / text, and why?
My favorite author is Seneca the Younger, and my favorite text of his is the play Hercules Furens. Hercules has everything you could want from an ancient tragedy: critique of tyranny and ambition, grotesque and suffocating descriptions of death and the underworld, and a truly heartbreaking recognition scene.
What excites you about teaching undergraduates?
I like teaching undergraduates because they have an innate curiosity about the world and because they have a great tolerance for new and surprising information. Teaching classical languages and cultures often involves confronting our own biases and preconceptions. Undergraduates are the perfect people to work with in that endeavor.