Penn Professors on Writing in Classical Studies

Dr. James Ker

About the Professor

Dr. Ker received his B.A. in Classics and Linguistics from the University of Canterbury and his M.A. in Greek and Ph.D. in Classics from the University of California, Berkley. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Studies and Undergraduate Chair at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests are Latin literature, Roman culture, and Ancient Philosophy.

James Ker's Homepage

Writing Tips

When writing, students should always “foreground the language of the text in the discussion.” Also, students often miss that the “main purpose is to understand how the text is representing the world.”

Important Criteria for Student Writing

Dr. Ker finds the following criteria extremely important:

Strong Thesis
Clearly signposted structure
Very clear arguments
Strong Conclusion
Explicit citation of evidence

Grammar, diction, and style are important, but if Professor Ker had to choose, he “would choose ideas over style any day.”

Personal Writing Process

Dr. Ker uses an outline when writing because it helps him create a “hierarchized document.” He begins by writing schematic outlines, and then adding more details. Usually, he does not give his works to others to review “until they are very close to being finished.”

Links

Back to Writing in the Discipline

Other professors in Classics: Professor Struck