Mandy Park:
Mandy is a recent graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. She holds a Master of Arts in Old Testament and a Master of Arts in Biblical Languages. She also holds the BRE degree from Davis College. Her research interests include the impact of Ancient Near Eastern mythology upon Israelite Religion, specifically allusions in the text of Scripture; the Book of Genesis; and Hebrew language study. Being somewhat of an odd-ball she spends her spare time reading fantasy literature and playing videogames–most commonly RPGs.

Calvin Park:
Calvin is a recent graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and former youth pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Ipswich, MA. He holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Languages and a Master of Arts in Old Testament. He received his BRE from Davis College in May 2005. Calvin’s research interests include Ancient Israelite Wisdom literature; Classical Hebrew grammar, especially the interaction of grammar and poetic structure; as well as the early and pre-monarchic period in Israel. When not parsing Hebrew verbs Calvin enjoys playing jRPGs and reading anything that falls into the fantasy genre.

TheFloppyHat.com
The idea for this site was born when Mandy attended a convocation at Davis College early in her academic career. Noticing the eight-sided tams (aka “floppy hats”) worn by faculty who held PhDs she immediately decided that she wanted one. Since the only fair way to acquire one was to get a PhD, her path was decided. It took Calvin a bit longer to realize that he too hoped to one day earn a PhD. However, once he realized the obvious it was a foregone conclusion that any blog the two of them might jointly undertake would have to be named such.

This blog is their journey towards the goal of attaining a floppy hat. You’ll find a variety of posts on the Hebrew Bible, textual criticism, teaching Hebrew, Greek, or the Bible in parishes, Ancient Near Eastern mythology, ANE history, Wisdom literature, whatever classes Calvin and Mandy are enrolled in, and a plethora of other (related) topics here at The Floppy Hat. So, whether you already have a floppy hat, are on your way to earning one, or just think they look cool next to velvet chevrons, sit back, read, and chime in.