The Tri-U congratulates nine students who became PhD Candidates during the month of October 2022. Successful completion of their comprehensive exams which includes a written and oral component moves them into the proposal writing stage for their research. This is an exciting milestone achievement.
Megan Blair, supervised by Dr. Jane Nicholas, completed the Canadian major field with Dr. Adam Crerar. Her minor fields were Gender and Childhood and Youth. She is based at the University of Waterloo. Megan's research will consider how feminism was deployed and experienced by adolescent girls, how teenagers understood and reshaped their status in society, and how teenage feminists of the late 20th century shaped later generations of feminists.
Kess Carpenter completed the Cold War major field with Dr. Andrew Hunt. Their minor fields were Gender and Cultural History. They are supervised by Dr. David Monod, based at Wilfrid Laurier University. Kess' research investigates the significance of pornography in culture, and in the lives of those who consumed it, during the Cold War in North America.
Brenna Clark worked with Dr. Cathryn Spence and Dr. Susannah Ferreira to complete the major field of Scottish History. Her minor fields where Animal History and Medieval History. Brenna is based at the University of Guelph and is supervised by Dr. Susannah Ferreira. Brenna's research examines the medieval parchment trade in the Orkney and Shetland islands to clarify the region’s wider cultural and economic links with Scotland and Norway.
Amanda Hooper's major field was Modern European history led by Dr. Alan McDougall. She is supervised at the University of Waterloo by Dr. Gary Bruce. Her minor fields were Cold War History and Public History. Amanda studies German Holocaust memory and education during the Cold War. She is interested in memorialization, commemoration, gendered memory, memoirs, and digital history.
Michael Humeniuk joined Megan Blair studying the major field of Canadian History with Dr. Adam Crerar. His minor fields are Indigenous History and Race History. Michael is supervised by Dr. Susan Roy and is based at the University of Waterloo. Michael plans to build upon his MA research, studying the intersection of Indigenous "Red Power" activism with "Black Power" and Civil Rights Movement activism in the United States within the broader context of global activism in the second half of the 20th century.
Erin Kurian works with Dr. Steven Bednarski as her supervisor. Her major field is in Medieval history with Dr. David Porreca. Her minor fields were in Public History and Early Modern History. Erin's home university of the University of Waterloo. Erin's research examines urban environments in medieval England with a special interest in waste and contaminates.
Catherine Ramey studied World History as her major field with Dr. Douglas Peers. Her minor fields were Gender, and the History of Education. Catherine is based at the University of Waterloo and is supervised by Dr. Katherine Bruce-Lockhart. Catherine's research focuses on the gendering of the curricula in Canadian missionary schools in Angola between 1880 and 1920.
Grant Schreiber studied with Dr. Cathryn Spence and Dr. Susannah Ferreira completing the major field of Scottish History with Brenna Clark. His minor fields were Medieval History and Early Modern History. Grant is supervised by Dr. Susannah Ferreira at the University of Guelph. Grant's research is a comparative analysis of early modern Scotland and England and he is specifically interested in tracing shifts in education, charity, social class and power structures, and usage of former monastic spaces and materials in new contexts.
Devon Sherwood completed the major field of Early Modern History with Dr. Greta Kroeker who is also her supervisor. She studied Public History and Cultural History as her minor fields. Devon's home university is the University of Waterloo.
The Tri-U is grateful for the guidance of many professors who offered the various minor fields. These included Dr. Tarah Brookfield, Childhood and Youth; Dr. Catherine Carstairs, Gender; Dr. Andrew Hunt, Cold War; Dr. Greta Kroeker, Early Modern History; Dr. Kristina Llewellyn, History of Education; Dr. Susan Nance, Animal History; Dr. Susan Neylan, Indigenous History; Dr. David Porreca, Medieval; Dr. Susan Roy, Public History; Dr. John Sbardellati, Modern American; Dr. Norman Smith, Cultural History; and Dr. Barrington Walker, History of Race.