John McDonald

John McDonald is an Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Missouri, where he has taught since Fall 2018. His academic work bridges Greco-Roman traditions with broader Eurasian cultural networks, emphasizing connections to India, Iran, Mesopotamia, and Ireland. He specializes in interdisciplinary approaches to mythology, visual arts, and marginalized figures in antiquity.

• Education
  • PhD in Classical Philology, Cornell University (2014)
  • M.A. in Classical Languages, University of Georgia (2006)
  • B.A. in Classics and Medieval Studies, University of Toronto (2003)

McDonald's research focuses on Indo-European mythological structures, reception of Classical traditions in medieval and modern media, and cross-cultural exchanges between the Greco-Roman world and Near East. His current project, Orpheus and the Cow, explores bovine narratives in Greco-Roman adaptations of Indo-European myths.

He has extensively taught courses on Classical mythology, Greek and Latin literature, and honors tutorials. His publications include analyses of equine symbolism in Greek-Persian epic traditions and bovine fabrication myths across Eurasian cultures. McDonald also leads the University of Missouri's Summer Study Abroad in Greece program, guiding students through archaeological sites like Athens, Crete, and Mycenae.