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Staff Profiles

Dr Susanna Phillippo

Senior Lecturer in Classics

  • Address: School of History, Classics and Archaeology,
    University of Newcastle upon Tyne,
    Newcastle upon Tyne,
    NE1 7RU

    Office: Armstrong 1.40
    For office hours see under 'Teaching' tab
Background

Introduction

BA (Oxon), PhD (St. Andrews)

Personal Tutor and Research modules leader: Classical Studies and English QQ83

Teaching Strands: Greek literature & language, Classical Tradition

Research Interests: Greek tragedy; Greek literary influence on European literature and culture, especially in 16th—18th-C French drama (and other European drama) and in 18th-C opera.

Belsay Hall (with English Heritage): Classical inspirations and the travel diaries and other writers of Sir Charles Monck

  • The Inspiration for Belsay: Monck's Grand Tour Diaries    
  • Online exhibition 2020–2021 with Sally Waite & Andrew Parkin: Greece Recreated (link currently in process of being restored!)

New approaches to Greek beginners' language teaching.

To see examples of the Greek/Latin in Action approach pioneered by Dr Phillippo, you can look at the following: 'Greek in Action' post (31/8/2018):

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/susannaphillippo/


Research supervision areas: Greek tragedy (especially Euripides); the later influence of Greek literature in western literature, music and art, especially with regard to Greek tragedy, Homer, and Plutarch; Homeric epic. 


After teaching and research posts in St. Andrews and Oxford, Dr. Phillippo moved to Newcastle in 1997, where she has pursued research interests in the Classical Tradition; taught widely in Greek literature and developed courses on the Classical Tradition, as well as the innovative 'Greek in Action' modules; and moved into the house where Alan Shearer grew up in Gosforth.



Background

Having taken her first degree in Classics and Modern Languages (Classical Greek and French) at Oriel College, Oxford, Dr. Phillippo then moved to the University of St. Andrews in 1989 to pursue doctoral research on the influence of Euripides on 17th-century French tragedy. Her first post, as Teaching and Research Fellow in Greek at St. Andrews (1992-1995) introduced her to teaching Greek at beginners' level, an area which has become of great interest as, drawing on her experiences in St. Andrews, Oxford and Newcastle, she has pioneered new approaches to such teaching. After another spell in Oxford as a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow (1995-1997), she was offered a post as Lecturer in Classics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where she moved in September 1997. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2015.

Roles and Responsibilities

Dissertation Co-ordinator for all Classics degree programmes; Classical Studies and English

Organiser of extra-curricular ‘Exploring Classical and Historical Northumbria’ programme of trips for School of History, Classics and Archaeology:

https://clahnewcastle.wordpress.com/

Details of this semester's programme will be posted on School website and social media in due course.

Qualifications

BA (Oxon), PhD (St. Andrews)

Memberships

Member of the editorial board for Verlag Antike's ‘Rezeption der Antike’ series.

Informal Interests

Casual references in lectures and other tell-tale signs reveal that outside interests include football, Shakespeare, detective novels, classical music, Star Trek, penguins, Playmobil and cake-decorating (not necessarily in that order).

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/susannaphillippo/

https://www.mixcloud.com/Plebcast/plebcast-4-with-special-guest-dr-susanna-phillippo/

Also creative writing! The following short story inspired by Homer's Iliad was awarded a 'Highly Commended' in the 2022 Stephen Fry Classical Association creative writing competition:

https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/susannaphillippo/2022/09/22/classical-creative-writing/

Teaching

Feedback, consultation and guidance ('Office') hours 2024/25

Armstrong room 1.40 (1st floor) 

Semester 2 2024/25 : 

In person (office: Armstrong 1.40) – contacting me beforehand is unnecessary, but could help avoid clashes:

  • Monday 2-3 p.m. (except weeks 10 and 11, after Easter)
  • Wednesday 12–1 p.m. (except week 9)

Online by Zoom: Friday 3–4 p.m. : please contact me beforehand to set up a meeting

You can also ask for an online consultation via Zoom within 'in-person' office hours but you must let me know about this in advance!


https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/susannaphillippo/

Undergraduate Teaching

CAC2054/3054 Epic Journeys: The Odyssey and Homeric Epic

CAC2037/3037: The Classical Inheritance in Western Culture

CAC2052/3052 Foundations of European Drama: Tragedy in Greece and Rome

CAC1014 Tragedy, Comedy, History: the world of Greek literature

CAG1001 & CAG1002 Beginners' Greek in Action 1 & 2

CAG1011 & CAG1012 Intermediate Greek Language and Literature 1 & 2

Postgraduate Teaching

CAC8010 Masterclass in Classics

I am available to teach the following module on subjects relating to my research interests, in particular: Greek & Roman Tragedy; the reception of Homer; the Classical Tradition. 

CAC8106: Independent Study Project in Classics and Ancient History 1 


Research

Ongoing project on Belsay Hall (with English Heritage): Classical inspirations and the travel diaries and other writers of Sir Charles Monck: developing material for EH website, alongside articles on Monck's writings. 

  • The Inspiration for Belsay: Monck's Grand Tour Diaries    
  • Online exhibition 2020–2021 with Sally Waite & Andrew Parkin: Greece Recreated (link currently in process of being restored!)

See also link from English Heritage Belsay Hall website: English Heritage Belsay Hall History — under 'Monck's Grand Tour Diaries' section

Publications