Hello!  My name is Stephanie Marie Rushe Chapman, and I am originally from Louisville, Ohio.  I finished my undergraduate degree at Miami University in 2005, majoring in Classical Humanities and triple minoring in Medieval Studies, Art History and Architecture, and Anthropology. 

While at Miami, I played on the Club Water Polo team for three years and worked at the Aquatics Center.  Afterwards, I attended the Ohio State University, where I completed a Masters degree in Greek and Roman History of Art in 2007.  My Masters thesis investigated sexual artwork in Roman houses at Pompeii, using the House of the Vettii as a case study.  While at OSU, I also married my husband, Chris Chapman, a fellow Miami University and Classics Department graduate—apparently, ‘Miami Mergers’ really do happen!  We are currently living in Columbia, Missouri, where I am a PhD candidate in the Art History and Archaeology Department at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  My major field is Western Medieval Art, Archaeology, and Architecture, with emphasis on Manuscript Studies, Materiality, and Anglo-Saxon Art and Archaeology, and my minor field is Roman Art, Archaeology, and Architecture.  Additionally, I have a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, with a focus on Anglo-Saxon literature.  I really enjoy teaching and helping with students. 

I have worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for several departments at the University of Missouri, as well as a Writing Intensive Tutor at the Campus Writing Center.  In the summers, I work with the Bamburgh Research Project, which holds an archaeological field school in Northumbria, England.  I am a trench supervisor at our Medieval site, located on the grounds of Bamburgh Castle—a stunningly beautiful, although rainy, location!  My dissertation project, which has stemmed from the castle’s excavation finds, investigates jet devotional objects, especially crosses, crucifixes, beads, and figurines, with the intention of exploring the materiality of these objects and their social and archaeological contexts.  Through this study, I hope to answer questions about the function and use of these objects, as well as answer questions about the daily lives of medieval people. 

When I am not tied to a chair, working on my dissertation, grading, or tutoring, I enjoy the opportunity to be active!  A few of my favorite activities are swimming, biking, and running—adding up to the occasional triathlon—as well as kickboxing, hot yoga, barre-style workouts, and backpacking or hiking with my husband.