M. D. Usher
Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature
94 University Pl
Old Mill, Room 215
Burlington, VT 05405
United States
- Ph.D. in Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago (with distinction)
- M.A. in Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago
- B.A. in Greek and Latin, University of Vermont (summa cum laude, ΦΒΚ)
BIO
I am a UVM alumnus and joined the UVM faculty in 2000. Before attending UVM as an undergraduate I apprenticed in Germany as a post-and-beam carpenter and later earned my Ph.D. in Classics at The University of Chicago. A profile of me and my work appears in UVM Magazine and Tableau, the magazine of The University of Chicago’s Division of Humanities. Also an interview with me with La pensée écologique.
I became a member of the Geography and Geosciences faculty in 2021 and am also a faculty member in The Environmental Program, the Food Systems Graduate Program and an affiliate of the Gund Institute for Environment. I teach a variety of courses about the ancient world and in environmental studies. I have also taught in the Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP), the Teacher-Advisor Program (TAP), and the Honors College.
I specialize in the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly the languages, literatures, and cultures of Greece and Rome. My interests include orality studies, ancient ecologies, and ancient philosophy. I am also deeply interested in the reception of classical texts in modern works of art, music, and literature. My book Plato’s Pigs and Other Ruminations: Ancient Guides to Living with Nature (Cambridge University Press, 2020) traces modern ideas about sustainability and systems science back to their origins in antiquity, on which topic also I teach a course: “Sustainability: A Cultural History.” (See news, news and news for more information.) Since 2018, I have been overseeing research and a UVM internship in archaeology, paleobotany, sustainable agriculture, and food systems in Italy’s Sabine Hills. (See a video précis of this work, The Roman Villa Project)
In addition to publishing books and articles about the ancient world, I have written two opera libretti and children’s books. Non-academic pursuits include carpentry (I built my own house and outbuildings) and farming (my wife Caroline and I own and operate Works & Days Farm in Shoreham, where we produce lamb, eggs, and maple syrup on 125 acres).
Publications
Area(s) of expertise
Ancient Mediterranean world, sustainable systems, orality studies, environmental humanities, ancient ecologies.
Bio
I am a UVM alumnus and joined the UVM faculty in 2000. Before attending UVM as an undergraduate I apprenticed in Germany as a post-and-beam carpenter and later earned my Ph.D. in Classics at The University of Chicago. A profile of me and my work appears in UVM Magazine and Tableau, the magazine of The University of Chicago’s Division of Humanities. Also an interview with me with La pensée écologique.
I became a member of the Geography and Geosciences faculty in 2021 and am also a faculty member in The Environmental Program, the Food Systems Graduate Program and an affiliate of the Gund Institute for Environment. I teach a variety of courses about the ancient world and in environmental studies. I have also taught in the Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP), the Teacher-Advisor Program (TAP), and the Honors College.
I specialize in the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly the languages, literatures, and cultures of Greece and Rome. My interests include orality studies, ancient ecologies, and ancient philosophy. I am also deeply interested in the reception of classical texts in modern works of art, music, and literature. My book Plato’s Pigs and Other Ruminations: Ancient Guides to Living with Nature (Cambridge University Press, 2020) traces modern ideas about sustainability and systems science back to their origins in antiquity, on which topic also I teach a course: “Sustainability: A Cultural History.” (See news, news and news for more information.) Since 2018, I have been overseeing research and a UVM internship in archaeology, paleobotany, sustainable agriculture, and food systems in Italy’s Sabine Hills. (See a video précis of this work, The Roman Villa Project)
In addition to publishing books and articles about the ancient world, I have written two opera libretti and children’s books. Non-academic pursuits include carpentry (I built my own house and outbuildings) and farming (my wife Caroline and I own and operate Works & Days Farm in Shoreham, where we produce lamb, eggs, and maple syrup on 125 acres).
Publications
Areas of Expertise
Ancient Mediterranean world, sustainable systems, orality studies, environmental humanities, ancient ecologies.
