Congratulations to Lucie Mackintosh on the successful defense of her thesis, “Queering Heroism: Masculinity and Gender in English Translations of Homer’s Iliad.” Supervised by Prof. Allison Glazebrook and Prof. Roberto Nickel, the project offers a terrific new contribution to translation research.
In a series on June graduates, the Brock News featured graduating student Robert Tremblay who earned his degree in Classics and Archaeology with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration, both from the University of Moncton in New Brunswick. We’re delighted that Robert will pursue an M.A. degree in the Department next year!
‘Curious about the world’: 66-year-old grad spent studies diving for ancient artifacts
According to the Brock News, “The retired Major spent 34 years dedicated to civilian and military service with the Canadian Army before coming to Brock. He served on two tours of duty in Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti.
In 2015, Tremblay was awarded the prestigious Meritorious Service Cross by former Governor General of Canada David Johnston for his work planning a joint security effort for the 2015 presidential elections in Haiti.
But the decorated Canadian veteran has always had a passion for archaeology, poring over books about ancient civilizations, art and architecture long before he made the decision to study formally in retirement.
“I lived a very full life through my career and worked hard over the years, and coming back to study at Brock — the joy of learning — was the reward,” he says.”
Over the course of his degree, Robert participated in Brock-led field projects on land and underwater in Pantelleria and Marzamemi, Italy. Congratulations, Robert!
Amelia Jackson represented both Canada and the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the World Bench Press Championships in Warsaw, Poland. She earned a bronze medal in the 84+ Jr women category with a bench press of 105 kg. The Canadian Junior Women’s team (18-23) won gold for the team overall points! Thanks, Amelia, for bringing your ancient training to an international stage. Don’t miss Amelia’s Engaged Leadership project, When in Rome… Lift Heavy, a blog that explored and field tested the training practices and performance of ancient athletes. Congratulations, Amelia!
In an interview with the Financial Post, Michael Carter explains the “Thucydides trap” referenced in the recent summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jingping.
President Xi asked President Trump, “Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides trap?’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?”
As the Post writes, “The term ‘Thucydides trap’ was popularized by political scientist Graham Allison in “Destined for War,” his 2017 book about China–U.S. relations. It the idea that conflict is the likely outcome when a rising power threatens to challenge a ruling one (in the 16 historical examples Allison cites, only four avoid it).
The theory is derived from a line in the “History of the Peloponnesian War”: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable,” according to a common translation.
“That’s what Graham Allison’s argument is, that the United States is the hegemon or the leader of the world and then there’s China as a rapidly rising power,” Carter said. “And at one point, something is going to happen and there’s going to be a break.”
Carter continued, “The remarkable thing is Thucydides knew that, because he understood human nature. And that’s one of the very first things he says in the book is that, ‘I’m writing this as an example, for all time, because people don’t change, and this will happen again.’”
Read the full article here: https://financialpost.com/news/who-was-thucydides-the-ancient-greek-general-referenced-by-carney-and-xi
From The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/united-states-china-war-thucydides-trap/406756/
Thanks to the generous donation of Jane and Patrick Kieran we are pleased to announce the first awards made through the Corrigan Legacy Fund. Created to honour the spirit of travel and study of the ancient world exemplified by the late John Corrigan, this fund provides significant financial assistance to students who elect to travel abroad by participating in archaeological practica or study tours. This year, the fund offered support to three MA students and nine undergraduates for their upcoming participation in excavation and museum research at Murlo (Italy) and Gournia (Crete). The students are: XinFan Gazzola, Sarah Grenier, Carys Hernden, Carter Jansen, Sophia Kelly, Madeleine Macdonald, Julia Miller, Luna Nikolic, Lydia Scheunemann, Katie Snyder, Andrea Szpika, and Katherine Titishova.
The Department expresses its gratitude to the Kierans for their generous support of our students and their passion for experiential opportunities in the field!
The Department of Classics and Archaeology will be well-represented at the Annual Meeting of the Classical Association of Canada, hosted by Queen’s University, May 5-7.
Panel 15, “Women in Greek Society,” features two Brock papers: Madison Poole, “Adorning the Female Symposiast: Using Comparative Analysis to Explore Female Identity, Sexuality, and Agency in Sympotic Red Figure Vase Paintings” and Allison Glazebrook, “Nikarete’s Girls: Sex Trafficking and Sexual Grooming in the Athenian Sex Trade.”
In Panel 23, the Graduate Student Caucus Panel titled “Sing it, Muse! Ancient Stories for Modern Audiences,” Sarah Grenier and Madison Poole will present their collaborative paper, “Mythbusting History One Monument at a Time: How to Use Interactive Maps to Debunk Pseudoarchaeology.”
Carol Merriam considers “Dido’s Power: Love Magic and Witchcraft” in Panel 30, “Female Figures in Latin Literature.”
The CAC Annual meeting offers an amazing opportunity to bring together scholars of classical antiquity from across Canada. Next year’s event will be hosted by Memorial University in St John’s, NL.
During the Faculty of Humanities’ spring research celebration on April 14, Professor Elizabeth Greene received the Faculty of Humanities Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity. Drawing on archaeological fieldwork on shipwrecks, harbour sites and maritime landscapes from the Iron Age to the present in regions like Turkey and Sicily, Greene’s research traces long term processes of trade, cultural exchange, fishing traditions and the displacement of peoples. Department Chair, Professor Michael Carter noted, “Dr. Greene’s work has shifted both how we understand and model interaction on the ancient Mediterranean and, even more importantly, how we view, value and challenge ourselves and the broader global community through heritage in the present,” The HRI Research Symposium also featured a paper by second-year M.A. student Connor O’Rourke, “Containers of Connectivity: Pithoi and Exchange Networks in Bronze Age Gournia.”
At the annual April Floralia Celebration, marking the end of spring term classes, the Department of Classics and Archaeology was delighted to honour our students with a wide range of awards to celebrate their achievements.
Undergraduate Award Winners
Trine Varcoe Memorial Scholarship: Kathryn Snider
Richard W. Parker Travel Scholarship: Carter Janzen
David William Rupp Archaeological Practicum Scholarship: Lydia Scheunemann and Katherine Titishova
School of Restoration Arts at Willowbank Vasilios and Kostas Poulimenos Book Prize: Emma Consoli
Geoffrey William Brown Memorial Prize: Madeline Macdonald
Department of Classics and Archaeology Book Prize in Ancient Art and Archaeology: Lauren Henderson
Department of Classics and Archaeology Book Prize in Classical Literature and History: Josiah Straatsma
Studium Book Prize in Classics: Summer Hradsky
Society for Classical Studies (SCS) Distinguished Student Award: Lauren Henderson and Derek Tam
Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) Outstanding Accomplishment Award: Andrea Szpika
Ontario Classical Association (OCA) Award for Outreach and Leadership in Classics: Dawson Magis
Ontario Classical Association (OCA) Award for Achievement in Ancient Languages: Laura Muller-Bot
Graduate Award Winners
Society for Classical Studies (SCS) Distinguished Student Award: Madison Poole
Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) Outstanding Accomplishment Award: Connor O’Rourke
Classical Association of Canada (CAC) Outstanding Student Award: Léo Beaudoin
The event also offered an opportunity to celebrate Nadine Brundrett’s 25 years of teaching in the Department, and the bittersweet announcement of Roberto Nickel’s retirement. As always, the return of graduate alumni speakers provided a chance for reflection on the value of our field for future career paths.
Mapping New Knowledges shines light on grad student research
Classics and Archaeology students made a splash at the 21st annual Mapping the New Knowledges Conference! The day opened with the presentation of awards, where 2nd year M.A. student Lucie Mackintosh received the Jack M. Miller Excellence in Research Award. Five students presented papers or posters on their research: Léo Beaudoin, Kiera Lang, Katie Mazurkiewicz, Madison Poole, and Connor O’Rourke. The conference gave Classics and Archaeology students a chance to engage in dialogue about their research with M.A. students across the University. Congratulations to all!
(contribution by F. Dolansky)
The 2025-26 academic year has seen three majors in the Department of Classics and Archaeology share their passion for the ancient Mediterranean world with diverse audiences beyond the university through unique projects in the Engaged Leadership in Classics course (CLAS 3P98). Last month, Amelia Jackson completed her final blog post in a series titled When in Rome, Lift Heavy that explores ancient athletic practices and applies them to her own involvement in competitive powerlifting. Two other exciting outreach projects have also been taking place: Brianne Bousfield’s lead organization of the upcoming Heritage and Culture Networking Fair to be held on March 12, and Teagan Ross-Johnson’s monthly lessons at a Beamsville elementary school where she teaches students about different aspects of ancient Roman life.
Over the last few months, Bousfield has been busy planning the second annual BUAS (Brock University Archaeology Society) Heritage and Culture Networking Fair which will be held in the atrium of the Rankin Family Pavilion. The event is an opportunity for students to meet with industry professionals from over a dozen companies to learn about summer employment and volunteer experiences, as well as future career paths. After taking a leadership role in planning the event last year, Bousfield has relished the chance to build on that experience, especially to make changes and improvements with the goal of turning the fair into the club’s flagship event. Planning and hosting a successful event involves a significant commitment of time and learning how to juggle many small tasks at once. Bousfield notes how the supportive environment of the department and the BUAS community has given her more confidence in her abilities and encouraged her to try again when she hasn’t succeeded at first. She takes pride in being able to contribute positively to current Brock students’ experiences, commenting “I feel good that I can help other students advance their careers and network.” And since part of Bousfield’s project includes writing a guide so that future BUAS executives can plan the fair as an annual event, it’s clear that Bousfield’s leadership will make a lasting contribution.
Ross-Johnson’s efforts have been directed at a much younger group of learners with the hopes of showing them the value – and pleasure – of learning about the past. Each month, Ross-Johnson has taught a lesson on a different aspect of Roman life to students in grades three through five. Topics have included gods and heroes, families and households, Roman cities, and the Latin language and Roman numerals. She follows each formal lesson with interactive activities that allow students to demonstrate what they have learned while practicing skills related to the curriculum and also reflecting on the similarities and differences between Roman society and their own. Students have created their own Roman gods, heroes, or superheroes; designed their own cities complete with essential infrastructure; and “minted” their own coins, inscribing the date in Roman numerals. Doing the research for her lessons has enabled Ross-Johnson to delve more deeply into topics of interest she hasn’t been able to explore as fully in her classes. Preparing age-appropriate content and designing activities that will be educational but also engaging has helped her appreciate the challenges of adapting to students’ learning levels and individual needs. The course has also helped her think further about plans after graduation and has ultimately highlighted her interest in sharing historical information with others. She remarks that, “seeing how much the students enjoy the activities has been the most rewarding,” along with fielding questions, some of which have been particularly interesting and impressed her for the depth of the students’ thinking.
According to Prof. Michael Carter, Chair of the Department of Classics and Archaeology, the Engaged Leadership courses “offer students a unique opportunity to explore topics relating to the ancient world that they are passionate about. The point is to bring this passion to the wider community somehow. In doing so, the students learn so much more than they might in traditional classroom settings.” Students largely work independently but their projects are guided by faculty mentors. Carter has served as faculty mentor (with Nadine Brundrett) for Jackson’s blog and Bousfield’s organization of the heritage fair, while Ross-Johnson has been working with Dr. Fanny Dolansky.
Introduced in 2022-23, the Engaged Leadership courses reflect the diverse learning experiences available to students in Classics and Archaeology. “The department is proud of the range of courses and formats that we offer,” Carter stresses, “which include traditional classroom-based learning, online courses, but also field courses and unique opportunities, such as those offered by the Engaged Leadership course.”
