Kenzie King - Athena Explore: Museum Learning for All

[Kenzie entered her final year of UG study in 2023/24. She is studying Classical Civilisation. Kenzie's URSS project is titled Athena Explore: Museum Learning for All and was supervised by Dr Paul Grigsby.]

Plan

My project is concerned with increasing public engagement with local museums through the creation of museum walking trails for different age ranges and abilities. Starting this summer with the Warwick Market Hall Museum and the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, resources from this project will then be housed online with the hope of expanding this project to more museums. The Cirencester trail will be linked to Roman history, as Cirencester has an important collection. The same tour will have resources suitable from Key Stage 1 all the way up to Key Stage 5 and beyond, making it accessible to a large range of publics. I will reach these audiences by maintaining an engaging and relevant social media presence and speaking at local schools, as well as utilising the museum's pre-existing channels and the Warwick Classics Network.

Isabella Vaughan - Replicating the Classics

[Isabella entered her final year of UG study in 2023/2024. She is studying Classical Civilisation.Her URSS project is titled Replicating the Classics and was supervised by Dr Paul Grigsby.]

Plan

I want to explore the debate surrounding the possible return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, and to present the results of that enquiry to a target audience of aspiring Classicists between the ages of 15 and 25. I want to bring in conversations about the context of the objects, the role that 3D printing and cast replicas could play, and ultimately, where the originals should be. Using blogs, recorded interviews with museum curators, and resources for schools, I hope to encourage this young audience to examine the information, engage with it, and enter the conversation for themselves. The material I gather will be presented through social media and the Warwick Classics Network, to make it widely accessible – particularly to those with an interest in Classics but with few opportunities to engage. I’m keen to include undergraduates in the discussion and I hope to join an online debate on the issues, hosted by The Chorus, a group for aspiring Classicists set up by Classics for All.

Check out Isabella's project here.

William Vernon - Five Weeks in Pompeii

[Will was a finalist in 2022/2023 here at Warwick and recently completed his degree in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology. His URSS project is titled The Life of an Archaeologist at Pompeii and is supervised by Dr Paul Grigsby.]

Archaeology has traditionally been a rather niche discipline, but universities and employers are increasingly recognising the need for bringing in new and diverse voices to the discipline. Alongside these efforts, my project aims to bring the realities and opportunities of archaeology further into the public sphere.

My project involves a five-week excavation at Pompeii, I will communicate my experience of this via two strands. Firstly, I will create a ‘dig diary’ which will provide a reflective account of being an excavator, including the duties performed and the skills developed, ending with my personal thoughts of the experience and an assessment of how this has progressed my career ambitions. The second strand will broadcast features of the job via a social media page, recording daily life, the social aspects, and the living arrangements, and these will be posted in real-time on Twitter @ArchaeoWandererLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window.

A degree related to heritage and archaeological studies such as Classics is highly advantageous for entering the discipline, so I believe that I will attract the viewership of individuals who share an interest in the past while also highlighting one of the reasons to consider studying Classics at university. I further aim to inspire individuals from backgrounds with restricted access to the information required for pursuing a career relating to Archaeology, helping to shape a more diverse Archaeological community in the future.