Friday, October 31, 2025
Brock's Only Independent Student Newspaper
One of the only worker-managed newspapers in Canada

Brock professor prepares for class voyage to the Isle of Man

|
|

The St. Catharines GM plant’s short-lived strike is just a taste of the union dealings unfolding over the past months. 

Professor Andrew McDonald and the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies are holding an information session for this summer’s trip to the Isle of Man. 

The full-year course MARS/HIST 3F51 provides students with the opportunity to experience the unique history of the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea. 

“I’ve been fascinated by the Island’s history, and particularly its history in the Middle Ages, for a long time now,” McDonald said.  

Study abroad trips provide students with what can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see the world. Hands-on study is also a great way for students to learn about places they previously may not have had a chance to visit. 

“I’ve spent over 20 years studying the medieval Isle of Man,” McDonald said, “[but] it’s exciting to plan to bring students because they obtain a much better understanding of why history unfolded the way that it did.”  

For McDonald, immersing one’s self within historical sites is imperative to learning.  

While somewhat remote, the Isle of Man is rich in history. MARS/HIST 3F51 will explore the island’s in-depth Viking and Medieval-era heritage, starting with intensive course work at the university in May before travelling to the Isle of Man for ten days full of hands-on learning. 

The class will visit a multitude of heritage sites including Peel Castle, Castle Rushen, Rushen Abbey, Tynwald Hill and Maughold. There will also be hands-on sessions with Viking and medieval artifacts at the Manx Museum.  

In addition to studying the history of the Viking and Medieval periods, students will have the opportunity to study other parts of the Island’s history. For example, students will have the chance to visit a traditional Manx village, illustrating what life was like on the Island during the Victorian era.  

The trip will end around the time of the famous Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, allowing students to get a chance to experience the infamous event.  

Professor McDonald is holding two information sessions for this trip, one on Oct. 17th and the other on Oct. 26th. Both will take place from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m in room 214 of Rankin Family Plaza. 

More information regarding the information sessions can be found here 

More by this author

RELATED ARTICLES

Pentagon pledge and the price of free press 

In October, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) — recently renamed via presidential directive as the Department of War (DoW) — under Secretary Pete Hegseth, introduced a sweeping set of new press-access rules which have been widely characterised as a “pledge” that credentialed journalists covering the Pentagon must sign. The policy requires reporters to affirm that they will not solicit or publish information that has not been authorised for release, even if unclassified, and threatens revocation of press credentials for non-compliance. 

Five ways to celebrate Halloween week in Niagara 

As autumn deepens and pumpkins dot the countryside, the Niagara Region offers a strong mix of chills and thrills for the last week of October. Whether you’re looking for an all-out scare or a cozy, family-friendly outing, the region has plenty of ways to celebrate the week of Halloween.

HEQCO report reveals that Ontario students face barriers when accessing campus health services 

Every major Ontario university now operates counselling and health programs. Brock University provides same-day “Open Door” sessions and a 24-hour crisis line. McMaster University offers single-session counselling by phone. Western University runs an urgent-care clinic that extends hours to 7 p.m. on some weekdays. Queen’s University lists 24-hour crisis resources through its “Get Help Now” system. 

The New York gossip queen that vanished   

Where has Wendy Williams been, and will she ever return to her throne as the gossip queen of New York City? 

Conflicting weather reports for this upcoming winter  

Climate change doesn’t mean that there will be no more snowfall; rather, it leads to more unpredictable weather in general. As the air begins to cool, experts have started logging their annual predictions for winter weather on the eastern continent, and there’s no clear consensus between meteorologists and weather gurus on social media.  

Ontario spends $75 million on Reagan ads that target Americans  

The Government of Ontario has announced that they intend to continue their anti-tariff advertising campaign across the border with $75 million in fresh funding for ads targeting Americans.

Where does rapture content come from? 

As our political climate remains in a troubling state, whisperings that the “end times” are near can be convincing — leading theories to spread rapidly in online spaces. 

Mapping MAMM #4: What the f*** is Canadian Literature anyway? 

Mapping MAMM is an ongoing series which gets into the research questions surrounding the Mapping Ann-Marie MacDonald Research Project. My previous articles have introduced the project as well as examined its cross-disciplinarity and ethics of care. In this fourth installment, I’ll get into the “fraught construct” that is CanLit.