English and classics professors urge first-year Vols to pursue interests through their university education.
More than 1,500 first-year students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, gained broader perspectives for their college journeys while connecting with professors from the College of Arts and Sciences in early September 2026.
Through their First-Year Studies course, students enrolled in majors across the university signed up for the one-hour Odysseys program, attending a single lecture by one of six tenured professors—all of whom are award-winning teachers and world-renowned scholars—in the Departments of English and Classics.
While discussing works of literature ranging from Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey to James Joyce’s novel Ulysses the professors invited students to chart a path forward as unique as they are and to pursue topics they are curious about, whether for their majors or to fulfill Volunteer Core curriculum requirements.
Urmila Seshagiri, Distinguished Professor in Humanities, created the Odysseys program in 2024. This year she was joined by five additional colleagues who shared their own academic journeys, passion for their disciplines, and literary works that are meaningful to them.
“We built in time for students to practice using their critical muscles and intellectual muscles, and to notice things and be excited about noticing things,” Associate Professor R.D. (Ryan) Perry said. “They rose to the occasion quite well.”
Students also experienced the interdisciplinary learning that is central to the College of Arts and Sciences.
After hearing Perry discuss the medieval poem “Western Wind,” one history major remarked in an email to him, “While I loved the historical background you provided, I was amazed how you paired English, history, and literary analysis.”
‘Who Are You?’
Justin Arft, an associate professor in the Department of Classics, invited students to “get nerdy” with him as they discussed the Odyssey. “Everybody ready to enter the mind of a classics scholar who can’t stop thinking about ancient languages and mythology?” he said.
From asking students “Who are you?” to asking “Who is Odysseus?” Arft went on to describe his scholarly exploration that evolved from realizing Odysseus is asked the question five times in the epic poem.
“Follow your interests,” Arft told the students. “If there are problems you want to solve, this is your moment in college to explore how you want to solve those problems, either intellectually or in the world.”
The message was repeated in various ways across the dozen lectures.
“Take every chance you have to learn something new,” Associate Professor Katy Chiles urged the students. As an undergraduate she discovered a passion for African American literature, and Chiles led students through an analysis of a poem by Phillis Wheatley to understand the complexities and determination of the young writer.
“Discover what sets you on fire,” she told the students.
When Associate Professor Lisi Schoenbach discussed James Joyce’s Ulysses, students asked how she became interested in modernism. “I told them that I was drawn to these texts as an undergraduate student because of their subject matter and their style, but I’ve been becoming more interested in teaching them because they speak to an experience that we also are going through today,” she said.
Hilary Havens, Lindsay Young Associate Professor and director of the Digital Humanities interdisciplinary program, introduced students to “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats, and several students shared their favorite poems with her.
Faculty Connections
Many students stayed after the lectures to talk about their interests with the professors and receive recommendations for courses or mentors related to their interests.
“It is a real pleasure for professors to get to talk to first-year students, especially when we often teach upper-division courses,” Schoenbach said. “We appreciate the opportunity to connect with students.”
This year Seshagiri offered a multidisciplinary approach to analyzing literature. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Pandora’s box, students took an adventure through literary references to reflect on the impact of technology and knowledge. Seshagiri emphasized that there are always multiple ways to approach a problem, stating, “No single discipline has all the answers.”
“Listening to you speak about how Prometheus and the story of Adam and Eve influenced the story of Frankenstein made me curious in a way that I haven’t felt in a long time,” a student told her.
Seshagiri ended her presentations by encouraging the new Volunteers to discover their own path through UT. “There are as many ways to traverse the university as there are students in it,” she said.
by Amy Beth Miller