Sharon L. James

Sharon L. James is Professor of Classics at UNC Chapel Hill, with adjunct appointments in Comparative Literature and Women's and Gender Studies. Her scholarship examines Latin poetry, women in antiquity, Roman comedy, and Renaissance literature. A recipient of multiple teaching awards including the Board of Governors Award (2021), she develops innovative courses on Vergil, Ovid, and gender in classical literature.

James's research interests span from Roman elegy and comedy to Ovidian reception and feminist classical studies. Her current book project analyzes women in Greek and Roman New Comedy through social historical frameworks.

As founding co-director of the International Ovidian Society, she promotes interdisciplinary scholarship. James has directed nine doctoral dissertations on topics ranging from Ovidian trauma to unconventional families in Roman comedy.

Awards:

• Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award (2021)
• Women's Classical Caucus Leadership Award (2017)
• Class of 1986 Inspirational Teaching Award (2013)