People in the Centre

Director

Professor Dan Malleck

Dan Malleck is the current Director of the Centre for Canadian Studies.  He is an internationally recognized expert in drug and alcohol regulation and prohibition. Has spoken to audiences in Canada, the United States and Europe about the challenges of regulating substances that are considered socially problematic, including cannabis, liquor, opiates, and cocaine. His first book, Try to Control Yourself: the Regulation of public drinking in post-prohibition Ontario receive the Canadian Historical association’s Clio prize for best book in Ontario history for 2012. He is currently working on a history of the development of liquor licensing in post confederation Ontario and the professionalization of pharmacy in Canada.

  • Drug and alcohol policy and history
  • The history of pharmacy
  • Medical history

Part-Time Instructor

Ibrahim Berrada

Ibrahim completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Concentration in International Relations at Carleton University. Throughout his career in the public service, Ibrahim worked with different Members of Parliament on various national and international portfolios. Ibrahim’s most recent political role supported the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada before returning to complete his MA in Canadian-American studies at Brock University and State University of New York at Buffalo. Ibrahim is now pursuing his PhD at Laurentian University, exploring populist influence in a Canadian-American crossborder context. Ibrahim is a TA and Lecturer in Canadian Studies at Brock University and is also an adjunct professor in Sociology at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, NY.  Listen to his latest podcast “Populism and (Mis)information here.

  • Canadian and American populist movements
  • Voter behaviour and sociopolitical attitudes
  • Populist tendencies
  • Populist campaigns
  • Anti-establishmentarian sentiments
  • Polarization
  • Neoliberal inequality
  • Nationalism
  • Xenophobic tendencies

Part-Time Instructor

Brian de Ruiter

Dr. Brian de Ruiter lectures in the Centres for Canadian Studies and Digital Humanities. His research interests include Indigenous media and video games, perceptions of the Arctic and the War of 1812. He was the recipient of the Clarke Thomson Award for Excellence in Sessional Teaching in 2018. His teaching philosophy revolves around student-centred learning while creating an engaging and comfortable environment for students. The courses he instructs include CANA 1F91, CANA 2P92 and CANA 2P92.

  • North American Indigenous cinema
  • War of 1812
  • Canadian comic books
  • Oak Island
  • The Franklin Expedition and Arctic history
  • Niagara history

Part-Time Instructor

Jeff Reichheld

Jeff Reichheld is currently pursuing his doctorate in Rural Studies at the University of Guelph. His research broadly focuses on rural identity, especially in terms of the role that farmers play in defining Canada’s rural spaces and Jeff’s current project investigates barriers to the adoption of agri-environmental stewardship on Canada’s dairy farms. Jeff has taught Intercultural Communications; Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse; and Digital Humanities at Brock, and he is currently a writing consultant at Guelph. Alongside his research, Jeff has a small farm locally, on which he makes maple syrup, harvests firewood to heat his home and raises Canadian horses.

  • Rural & agricultural identities
  • Sustainability in Canadian agriculture & rural communities
  • Canadian regionalisms’ influence on agri-environmental policy
  • Critical rural theory

Part-Time Instructor

Michelle Vosburgh

Michelle Vosburgh, historian, teaches in the Canadian Studies and History departments at Brock University and is the Archivist at the L.R. Wilson Heritage Research Archives. She teaches CANA 1F91, CANA 3P95 and CANA 3P15, along with Canadian and American history courses in the history department. Her areas of research interest include pre-Confederation Ontario, land settlement and property history, along with local and public history. Her articles have appeared in published books by McGill-Queens University Press, the St. Catharines Museum, and journals such as Ontario History, Ontario Provincial Surveyor, and Public History.  Dr. Vosburgh is an active public speaker, sharing research and local history with a wide variety of audiences. She is a Brock graduate, having completed her B.A. (History and Geography) and B.Ed. at Brock. Her M.A. (History) and Ph.D. (History) were completed at McMaster University. 

  • Pre-Confederation Ontario land settlement and property history
  • Niagara history
  • Public history
  • Influence of local traditions on public understandings of the past
  • Heritage institutions and wellness

Administrative Assistant

Elaine Aldridge-Low

Elaine is the smiling face of the Centre.  She is available to help our students and works closely with our faculty, instructors and teaching assistants.  Elaine has 20+ years of executive administrative experience with strong event management and graphic design skills.  If you have any questions, just contact Elaine and she’ll get you an answer!