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Emma Curran (MA'12)
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鈥淚 really appreciate what the Classics Department has given me 鈥� the breadth of the education, as well as the philosophical side. It has absolutely shaped the way I see poetry and the intent of poetry. I wouldn't be where I am or as passionate about what I鈥檓 doing if I hadn鈥檛 been at Dal.鈥�

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Talk about going out with a bang: when Emma Curran graduated in fall 2012 with her Master of Arts in Classics, she won the Governor General鈥檚 Gold Medal for being the most outstanding master鈥檚 graduate in the arts and social sciences. In fall 2013, she鈥檚 headed to Princeton to do a PhD. 鈥淭here are a lot of great minds there, so I鈥檓 really excited,鈥� she says with a smile. 鈥淎nd nervous.鈥�

Originally from New Westminster, B.C., Emma was drawn to the East Coast in 2006 because of the Foundation Year Program at the University of King鈥檚 College. 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 never been farther east than Saskatchewan before, so kind of on a whim I decided this was the place.鈥�

But that whim turned into a deep commitment to Classical literature.

Taking a first-year Latin course, she says, was one factor in her decision to major in Classics as an undergraduate. 鈥淚 just loved what the language offered,鈥� she explains. 鈥淎s soon as I could read Latin sentences, I realized the potential the language had. Poetry has even more possibility 鈥� Latin doesn't have a strict word order, so poets can be incredibly flexible. It鈥檚 a really a beautiful language.鈥�

From the literary to the philosophical

鈥淚 like the way that Dal focuses on the philosophical aspects of Classics,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ere, the philosophical side is integrated with the literary side.鈥�

As did her thesis: 鈥淚 looked at Golden Age imagery in Ovid鈥檚 Metamorphoses, exploring what he was doing as a philosopher as well as a poet.鈥�

What appeals to Emma particularly is 鈥渢he way Ovid plays with art and reality. He often talks about how art is as real as life. And he uses the language of art to describe reality. There are layers 鈥� which one is primary? There鈥檚 a question of whether poetry is creating the world, or vice versa. There are some deep philosophical issues there, about what role art plays in relation to reality.鈥�

But it wasn鈥檛 all about Ovid 鈥� Emma also got in some teaching practice. 鈥淚 was terrified I wouldn't be good at teaching or that I鈥檇 hate it, and I鈥檇 see my academic career crumble before my eyes,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I really loved that part of my master鈥檚 degree 鈥� I鈥檓 really glad I had that opportunity before launching myself into a PhD. It鈥檚 all very well to love research, but you鈥檇 have a pretty miserable career if you hated teaching.鈥�

鈥淭hey do have the best professors here,鈥� she adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very tight-knit group 鈥� people were looking out for me every step of the way. I wouldn't have thought of myself as an academic if they hadn鈥檛 encouraged me along the way.鈥�