Robert Stephan, PhD
2024 University of Arizona Foundation Leicester and Kathryn Sherrill Creative Teaching Award
"For me, this award is really a reflection of the incredible work ethic and ingenuity of my students. Their passion for learning makes it genuinely fun to continually explore new and innovative teaching methods - the crazier the activity, the better they respond! I feel profoundly fortunate to be part of the University of Arizona where students are always ready for a creative challenge." |
Dr. Stephan is an archaeologist by training and has taught in the University of Arizona’s Department of Religious Studies and Classics since 2016. He hails from Cincinnati, OH but made the unpopular decision to attend the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies. While in the glorious land of maize and blue he studied Classical Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Near Eastern Studies. Upon completing his BA in 2005, he left the Midwest to take his talents to Stanford University's PhD program in Classics. His thesis took an archaeological perspective to look at how the Roman Empire affected economic growth in the Mediterranean world, and he earned his PhD in 2014.
Dr. Stephan's research interests focus on how the material remains of the past can inform us about the economic performance of ancient societies. What factors lead to improvements in economic well-being? How does political development correlate with material wealth? More recently, he’s also been researching the intersection of technology and teaching, exploring how we can use video games and virtual reality to give students a better understanding of the ancient world.
During the course of his studies, he has worked on archaeological excavations in Italy, Cyprus, Britain, Armenia, and the American Southwest. His current project, the Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS) uses archaeological data to investigate the bay of Porto Raphti in Greece from prehistory through the medieval period. In addition to supervising undergrads on these archaeological projects, Rob has led study abroad programs in Italy, Greece, and the Holy Land.