Dr. Gwendolyn Compton-Engle, Ph.D
Professor
Background
Dr. Compton-Engle is Professor in the Ancient Greek and Roman Studies program, and has taught at John Carroll University since 2002. She loves introducing students to the languages and cultures of the ancient Greek and Roman world through a wide array of courses. She reguarly leads students to Greece on a study tour first created in 2012.
Dr. Compton-Engle served as Director of the University Core Curriculum from 2010-2013 and chaired the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages and Cultures from 2017-2021. She received the Distinguished Faculty Member Award from John Carroll in 2026.
Areas of Expertise
- Latin and Greek language and literature
- Greek and Roman theater
- Cultures of the ancient Mediterranean
Research Interests
Greek literature, especially theater, is Dr. Compton-Engle's area of research expertise. She is interested in Greek comedy in performance, and in the relationship between tragedy and comedy in the 5th and 4th century BCE. Her article "Control of Costume in Three Plays of Aristophanes" won the Gildersleeve Prize for the best article in the American Journal of Philology in 2003. She has published Costume in the Comedy of Aristophanes (Cambridge 2015). Her most recent project involves the manipulation of clothing and armor in Homer's Iliad.
Education
Ph.D., Cornell University
B.A., St. Olaf College
Recent Courses Taught
AGRS 1110 Greek and Roman Mythology
AGRS 1410 The Archaeology of Greece
AGRS 1510 Greek and Roman Theater
AGRS 2510 Homer and the Epics of Troy
AGRS 2810 Power and Identity in the Roman Republic
GK 1010-1020 Beginning Ancient Greek I and II
GK 2520 Readings in the New Testament
LT 1010-1020 Beginning Latin I and II
Recent Publications
"The Lentini Auge Vase as Paratragic Recognition Scene." Phoenix 78.1 (2024) 115-138.
"Gender: Assemblywomen." In A Companion to Aristophanes, ed. M. Farmer and J. Lefkowitz. Wiley-Blackwell 2024, 247-261.
"Holding the Baby: A Parody of Euripides' Auge at Philyllius Fr. 4." Classical Philology 116.4 (2021) 592-599.
