The popular Brock Talks series returns this fall with a range of topics, including highlighting the resilience of women in ancient Greece, unpacking comic book journalism, and exploring the effects of brain injury through artistic expression.
The public lectures, which have been taking place since 2012 and are open to the community, are presented by Brock’s Faculty of Humanities in partnership with the St. Catharines Public Library (SCPL).
The 2023-24 series begins Monday, September 18 with “What is Comics Journalism?” presented by Robert Alexander, associate professor of English at Brock, president of the International Association for Studies in Literary Journalism, and recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Humanities Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Exploring the evolution of comics journalism, Alexander will explain the emerging genre and dive into how artistic and journalistic expressions merge to tell stories from a different perspective than conventional news media.
On Monday, October 23, the series will travel back in time with “Women and Community in Classical Athens” presented by professor of ancient history Allison Glazebrook, 2023 recipient of the Faculty of Humanities Excellence in Research Award and creative activity.
An expert in the social and cultural history of ancient Greece, with a particular focus on women and gender, Glazebrook will explore how the role of status affected female networks beyond the home and male-dominated areas of society in classical Athens.
In November, Brock Talks will take the stage with Dramatic Arts Teacher (DART) Mike Griffin presenting “Staging the Internal Injury — Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Through Physical Theater and Mask” on Wednesday, November 22.
Griffin, winner of the Faculty of Humanities’ 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award, will discuss pre-production research and development of his new play The Mysterious Mind of Molly McGillicuddy.
The play explores brain injury and associated mental health issues through the styles of masked and physical theater and will premiere on DART’s Main Stage for Winter 2024 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theater.
Elizabeth Vlossak, associate dean for research and graduate studies and associate professor of history, collaborates with Sam Walker, programming and outreach librarian at SCPL, to organize the series.
Vlossak said this season’s lectures are linked by the theme of community, with some speakers focusing on specific groups and peoples they have studied while others will reflect on how their research or creative practices were informed by their community engagement.
“The Brock Talks are a wonderful opportunity for the Faculty of Humanities to connect with the public and start conversations,” said Vlossak. “We are grateful to the St. Catharines Public Library for continuing to provide us with this space to share our research, teaching and creative activities downtown with the Niagara community.
Walker said she is always intrigued by the lectures and discussions featured in the series, eager to learn more about the topics that Brock researchers are investigating.
“I am very excited to begin our 11th year of partnership between Brock and SCPL to bring Brock Talks to the community,” she said. “It’s a great way to bring academia closer to people and encourage them to explore fascinating topics with experts at their fingertips.”
All Brock Talks events take place at the St. Catharines Public Library, 54 Church Street in downtown St. Catharines. These events are free but pre-registration is encouraged via ExperienceBU.
