CANADA REGION
ANNUAL REPORT
2000-2001
The report from Canada must begin on a sorrowful note as we note the passing last October of Professor Desmond Conacher (Professor Emeritus, Trinity College, University of Toronto). He was surely Canada's premier Classical scholar, Honorary President of the Classical Association of Canada, the country's leading expert on Greek Drama (he published in 1967 what is still definitive introduction to Euripides [Euripidean Drama: myth, theme and structure], three reader-friendly commentaries to Aeschylus, an Aris & Phillips edition of Alcestis, and his last work [1998 - Euripides and the Sophists]), a superb teacher and colleague, and above all, a kind, generous, and sympathetic man, to whom Terence's oft-quoted lines apply with fitting justice: homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto.
On a
much happier note, Queen's University marked the retirement of Ross Kilpatrick, a
versatile teacher and scholar with interests in Greek Drama, Roman poetry (the author of
two books on Horace's Epistles), and latterly in
the interface between Classical myth and the art of the Renaissance. A one-day symposium with eight speakers on various
topics of interest to Ross, culminated in a banquet where he was honored by friends,
colleagues, and students - special presentations were made by Diana Walton (president of
the Ontario Classical Association) and Alexander (Sandy) McKay. This provided a strong CAMWS connection since Ross
had served for many years as Regional VP for Canada, and Sandy as CAMWS' president in
1972-73.
Around the province of Ontario (VP: Ian MacDonald) there is good news to report at the school level in that the Bachelor of Education degree in Classical Studies was reinstated after a 20-year lapse. This year several teachers are being formally trained for teaching the Classics in Ontario's high schools. In February a one-day gathering was held at Victoria College (Toronto) for university students interested in teaching Latin. The Ontario Classical Association is comprised of university and school teachers of the Classics, and does a great deal to foster interest in our discipline, running conferences twice a year (that in October 2000 was held at Stratford to allow members to attend a brilliant performance of Medea - see below), providing scholarships (notably the Harry Maynard Scholarships for high-school students, one of these allowing the recipient to travel abroad), and having an annual “conference” in May for students to explore the “fun” side of the ancient world.
Archaeology/art history seems to be a flourishing area of Classical study. Brock University, (which is searching for a new specialist in this areas,) hosts the Niagara branch of the AIA, will be running a study tour to Italy in May, conducted a practicum in Crete in May 2000, and held a one-day symposium on Minoan Archaeology in March. Brock will also be hosting the OCA student festival in May (see above).
In 1996 the
Department of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo underwent a friendly merger
with Anthropology, which resulted in a new major programme (Archaeology/Ancient History)
and very healthy numbers for both partners, healthy to the point where the merger will
probably be undone with both departments able to stand comfortably on their own. A new course is operating successfully
(“Classical Studies Abroad”) that takes students to the Mediterranean for 2-3
weeks in the spring. Waterloo also has very
strong links with the schools, publishing its own “journal” (Labyrinth) and in March a local Classics teacher
brings his students to the University for a morning.
Trent University was given its first tenure-stream appointment in 24 years, (also for a specialist in archaeology and art history). Last year Trent's sessional archaeologist (Jennifer Moore) led a very successful trip to Greece (in conjunction with a summer course); this year she is taking 25 students to Tunisia.
The youngest and smallest university in the Province, Nipissing University, will soon be able to offer an Honours degree programme in Classical Studies, and is establishing strong links with the Programme in Theatre Arts. In the lonely outpost of North Bay, Diana Walton does magnificent service with two part-time colleagues in making the Classics flourish. She serves also as the President of the Ontario Classical Association and is a tower of strength and support to our discipline.
The senior department in the country is that at the University of Toronto where Classics is strong and vibrant. Worthy of a brief mention is their traveling fellowship (sponsored by Ian Vorres, mayor of Paiania near Athens) to allow an undergraduate to study in Greece, a very popular high-school day where several hundred students from the Toronto area attend lectures at the University of Toronto, and the on-line Athenians project (run by John Traill) which records anyone who ever lived in ancient Athens - over 150,000 names will be in the data-base.
Not all the news
is good. Classics at the two universities in
Ottawa (Carleton, University of Ottawa) is not in a healthy way. At Carleton, Classics has been merged into a
department of “humanities” and the actual programme seems to be on the way out;
morale is obviously low. In 1990, Ottawa had
the second-best department in the country with 11.5 appointments; now it has five with the
obvious implication for the programme minors rather than majors are being pursued, and
upper-year courses in the languages becoming more rare.
As three senior members approach retirement in the next seven years, CAMWS may be
called upon to launch a publicity campaign to save the study of the Classics in Canada's
capital.
Elsewhere, Classics is taught in the three universities of Manitoba (VP: Rory Egan): Brandon, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Full programmes in Greek and Latin and in Classical Studies are offered at both Winnipeg and Manitoba, while Brandon teaches courses in Latin. Manitoba also has a modest MA programme and a flourishing archaeology programme with two active field archaeologists who have conducted digs in Greece and North Africa. The University of Winnipeg hosted the annual meeting of the Classical Association of Canada in May - this was one of the most congenial, well-run, and enjoyable gatherings of this body in years. The Classical Association of Manitoba, together with the Winnipeg Society of the AIA, has a lively town-and-gown series of monthly meetings with audiences from 50 to 250 people. In 2000, the Winnipeg chapter was awarded the prize for the best local society in the AIA.
Things are less happy in Saskatchewan (VP: John Porter) where the Classics programme at the University of Saskatchewan has been wound up and members merged with other disciplines, mainly with history. There seems to be little activity in the schools. Classicists in this Province seem to be on their own to a great extent.
This material was posted on the web by CPL Chair, Tom Sienkewicz, at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois. If you have any questions, you can contact him at toms@monm.edu.
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