Get to know the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Dal News

Get to know the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Pop-up lecture

Angels and Angles: Spooky Houses and Gothic TV

Humanities research is interested in the human: how we define who we are and aspire to be, how we think about our connections to each other and to the material world, why beauty and the imaginative are so important to us, and how culture is the means through which we explore such issues.

For 250 years, the gothic has challenged us to think beyond easy answers to such questions. Spooky houses aren't just the places where monsters go bump in the night; they are used by writers to explore what houses mean to us, and what they fail to mean, and who they fail. Recent gothic television series such as American Horror Story and Supernatural build on this part of a longstanding gothic tradition to explore the cultural significance of housing.

Dr. Julia Wright is a Professor in the Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Date: Wednesday, October 28

Time: 12:30 p.m.

Location: Room G214, GH Murray Building, Sexton Campus (Note: The G.H. Murray Building is located directly behind the Ralph M. Medjuck Architecture and Planning Building).

Storify

FASS is home to 20 majors and an incredible variety of courses. Learn about some of our faculty's recent accomplishments and endeavours in this week's Storify.

Dean's video

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Acting Dean聽Jure Gantar answers our questions in this video interview.

Feature story

Five things you didn't know about the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

AV俱乐部鈥檚 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, often known as 鈥淔ASS,鈥� is one of the oldest and largest faculties on campus. With more than 35 flexible programs and聽hundreds of courses in the arts, humanities and social sciences from which to choose, FASS has something for everyone 鈥� even offering electives and minors to students from other faculties.

Here are some things you might not know:

The McCain Building was designed to resemble a collection of individual houses
Wilson the Boar 鈥榣ives on鈥� in the Fountain School of Performing Arts
We have 鈥渏azzy鈥� faculty members
We offer a wide array of language options
Our student societies support local and international charities

Read the full story on Dal News

Photo gallery

Get to know some of the faces at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

"I came to AV俱乐部 in July 2006 and I have always been a part of the History department. I am very happy with my colleagues and they have been the main reason why I have stayed at Dal. They are caring and thoughtful. And so is our staff. One time, I was on my way to a class and one of our secretaries asked me where I had parked my car. She told me that she would put more money in the meter for me while I was in the classroom so that I wouldn鈥檛 get a ticket. I thought: I am lucky to be here! For me, the biggest change that I have seen since I first came here is how Dal has become a more international university. To see the international students on campus, downtown, and in our communities, and to hear their languages and see how they contribute to our environment is so great. One of the challenges that I鈥檝e noticed about living here is that Halifax is a small city, and I wish it was more multicultural and diverse. I wish there were more immigrant communities and more direct flights from Halifax to Europe. The growing international student population at AV俱乐部 is certainly contributing to the internationalization of Halifax, and I think it鈥檚 helping Halifax to become more of a connected city. Also, Dal has become more of a forward thinking university. We have committed to being more of an international institution for our students and curriculum. When we do this, we contribute to internationalization of different experiences 鈥� a matter of others trying something different. I was very pleased when the university President tweeted about how to help the Syrian refugees. I tweeted back. He later called a meeting of everyone interested. The genuine interest from everyone in doing something made me so proud to be here. Being from Lebanon, that crisis [in Syria] means a lot at the personal level. I thought 鈥� that the president did that 鈥� that鈥檚 nice actually."

Dr. Amal Ghazal (Undergraduate Coordinator and Associate Professor 鈥� Department of History)

"Some days, I feel like I have never left Dal. But that is a good thing. My parents met at Dal in the 1950s and went on to marry, travel and raise 5 children. I did my undergrad at Dal and watched the campus change and grow in the early 1980s. I was then back again to teach in the Department of Theatre in the Costume Studies program in 1998-2002 and returned to the program in 2008. Costume Studies, part of AV俱乐部鈥檚 new Fountain School of Performing Arts, is looking forward to the expansion of the Arts Centre and a permanent home for the program. I thoroughly enjoy every minute I spend with our students and the students who congregate in the dynamic interior of the Arts Centre to study and hone their talents. The University has changed so much; new buildings, students come and go, programs change, but my time at Dal seems so familiar. I remember my own study days and now look forward to seeing my daughters on campus moving between their classes in the new and old buildings where my own parents once hung out, danced, and studied. Dal is like a timeless neighbourhood of familiarity and change all at once, where we can celebrate every graduating class and fully appreciate each new generation of talent and accomplishment."

Anneke Henderson (Instructor, Costume Studies 鈥� Fountain School of Performing Arts)

"I am currently a Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow in the department of sociology and social anthropology. I arrived at AV俱乐部 in April 2015. Prior to moving to Halifax, I lived in Edmonton, Alberta for just under five years until I completed my doctoral work in sociology at the University of Alberta in 2014. I'll be spending up to two years at Dal conducting research on medical regulation in Canada. My research investigates how evidence-based guidelines are affecting medical practitioners. I am examining the role that guidelines are playing in disciplining physicians across Canada in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of the effect of guidelines on the overall regulation of medical responsibility in Canada. I came to Dal to work with Dr. Emma Whelan and other scholars who are carrying out social sciences and humanities research about health. I also sought to form connections with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, who do not explicitly state that physicians have a responsibility to use College endorsed CPGs. This makes Nova Scotia an important case study by which to compare the other provincial colleges of Canada, the quality of their care, and the principles of medicine that potentially makes the CPSNS unique. My first few weeks at Dal were extremely welcoming and encouraging. I'm very excited to be a member of the Dal community to carry out this research."

Dr. Ariane Hanemaayer (Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow 鈥� Department of Sociology & Social Anthropology)

"I began at AV俱乐部 in 1989, shortly after completing my PhD at the University of Toronto. At that time I was teaching in the English departments of three (or was it four?) different Halifax universities, piecing together a career through limited-term contracts, but my hope was always to find a way to put down roots at Dal. I just felt at home here, and I very much wanted to contribute to an institution that I had quickly come to admire: the students and faculty and staff were all excellent, and Dal seemed to me to be a perfect blend of a large, research-intensive university and a smaller, teaching-focused college. Eventually, I found my way into Student Services, first as a Writing Advisor, and then as an Academic Advisor, and in 2009 I was fortunate enough to land my current position as Assistant Dean of Student Matters in FASS, where I am able to put both my teaching and advising experience to good use providing support and guidance to students, particularly those who are struggling to establish themselves at the university. Since my own career has been diverse and certainly not without its challenges (I spent one year working retail when teaching opportunities were thin on the ground鈥攁sk me sometime about the virtues of stainless-steel cookware!), I feel that I can empathize with the concerns students often have about their futures, and I think that I am able to offer some reassurance that effort and persistence will pay off, often in unexpected ways. And like many of our students, I was a first-generation university student from an immigrant family, so I鈥檓 also able to understand the particular challenges faced when a deep desire to learn is set into an environment that may seem, at first, strange and overwhelming. I find my role at AV俱乐部 particularly rewarding because I am able to help students to adapt to their new and challenging circumstances, and because I have the opportunity to encourage those who may be doubting themselves and their place here to persist, to put down their own roots, and to begin to grow into who they are and who they can be. AV俱乐部 is fertile ground: it has enriched my life, and I鈥檓 proud to help it to enrich the lives of others."

Dr. David Matthias (Assistant Dean of Student Matters 鈥� Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)

"I teach Roman History and ancient languages in the Classics Department, and this is my sixth year at Dal. Probably the university has changed less than I think since I arrived: more likely it is I who have changed! I remember vividly what it was like not to know the layout of campus or where to get coffee, how I'd get on the wrong bus, and so on; nowadays it's a shock to realize I know my way around now and I have many friends! In six years a lot has happened: both my children were born (they're 4 and 2 now), I've created numerous new classes, and I have lectured in rooms in virtually every building. As a prof you live both in the past, because you remember so many fine past students, and very much in the present, because you have a close intellectual relationship with the students you see on a daily basis. I'm very proud to be part of AV俱乐部's history, as a member of the University's oldest (and still thriving) department, but in spite of nearly 200 years of history I think the best century is the one now dawning. My favourite place on campus is the Killam Library, just wandering around the stacks to unwind after a long day of lecturing. Fall is my favourite season, when the sun is bright but the wind has a nip in it: to me that feels like home, and I know that anyone joining us at Dal will, after the first year (always a tough one), soon know that same feeling."

Dr. Jack Mitchell (Associate Professor of Classics (Roman History) 鈥� Department of Classics)

"I have been working at AV俱乐部 for seven years now, and have had the pleasure of working in multiple areas in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. My career with Dal started part time working as the Secretary to Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies, and Canadian Studies, along with Productions Assistant at the former 鈥淢usic Department鈥�. Now, thanks to the very generous endowment from Fred and Elizabeth Fountain, the new Fountain School of Performing Arts is my full time home as the Productions and Outreach Admin support staff. I do a rather unique job of organizing, promoting and setup of all of the performances, masterclasses, concerts and noon hour recitals for the staff and students of the FSPA. I am the one who designs the posters 鈥損ushes that grand piano onto the stage 鈥揂ND takes your money at the door! As well as productions I also work hand in hand with our Outreach and Recruitment Committee as support for any O&R activities that take place within and outside of FSPA. I get to facilitate bringing the incredible talent and expertise that our faculty and students have to offer to the public and the AV俱乐部 community. It truly is an amazing job, and I am one of those rare people who really looks forward to my work every day!"

Jessica Mailhiot (Productions and Outreach Admin 鈥� Fountain School of Performing Arts)

"During my many years at Dal, I have been involved in community work, using my knowledge of Spanish. Many of my students in Translation courses have worked as volunteer translators and interpreters with Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, with the Halifax Refugee Clinic, KIVA microcredit and local literacy programmes. In my own case I have also worked in this vein, working as an interpreter for victims of torture in medical meetings, and helping to settle Spanish-speaking immigrants in Halifax. I spent two weeks in Cuba accompanying then-Premier John Savage as his interpreter/counsellor for meetings with Fidel Castro. I have also done the same for the then-mayor of Halifax Walter Fitzgerald and the provincial minister of education in Mexico, and have acted as an interpreter for Dr. Aleida Guevara (daughter of Che Guevara) on a medical tour in Canada. I have accompanied several Latin American musical groups as an interpreter, including Quilapayun and Inti Illimani (Chile), Luis Enrique Mej铆a Godoy (Nicaragua), and Yolocamba Ita (El Salvador). I have also worked as an interpreter for the Cuban rowing and volleyball teams in competitions here in Canada."

Dr. John Kirk (Professor 鈥� Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies)

"I walked into my job interview six months pregnant. I remember my mom worrying that the department might not hire me when they saw me. It was funny to me initially, but it struck me that thirty years earlier, if she鈥檇 been in my shoes, she would have had to worry about that. And maybe I was naive to not worry about it at all. But I didn鈥檛, and nobody in the department batted an eye. If anything, it gave us something to talk about during the downtime. The only drawback was that I couldn鈥檛 celebrate the end of that long day with a beer."

Dr. Karen Foster (Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures for Atlantic Canada; Assistant Professor 鈥� Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology)

"I am a second year Political Science student who is still learning the concept of "no". I am in love with my area of study, and the opportunities that come with it, but I was easily taken over by extracurricular activities in first year. The first society I joined was the AV俱乐部 Undergraduate Political Science Society (DUPSS) and the second was AV俱乐部 Arts and Social Sciences Society (DASSS). After those two, the flood gates opened to more societies and groups on campus. I was the first year representative for DUPSS and DASSS which helped me in every aspect of my university life. I was meeting people in my year and my program because it was my job to represent them and their concerns. I was meeting upper years, learning the "do's and don'ts" of university as well as the cool spots in the city. Finally, but almost most importantly, I was meeting professors and faculty members, something that most first years don't take advantage of or have the opportunity to do. Now, I am in my second year and I am on the executive of three societies, a Page for the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and an active student on campus. It would be ridiculous to say I got to these places within a year without the experiences and confidence I learned in my first year."

Kati George-Jim (Bachelor of Arts student)

"I鈥檓 a postdoctoral fellow and instructor in the Department of Political Science, as well as a Research Fellow with the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies. I study activists in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on health and human rights. My current project investigates whether when we say 鈥榟uman rights鈥� we all mean the same thing. I鈥檓 exploring whether aspects of local culture, for example, shape how activists understand human rights in Botswana and South Africa. I鈥檓 excited to see what I find out! I鈥檝e been at Dal just over a year and I鈥檓 really enjoying my time here. Fall is my favourite time of year 鈥� I love the crispness in the air, the excitement of students back on campus, and the changing leaves. What has struck me most about Dal is how human an environment it is 鈥� it鈥檚 small enough that you see familiar faces and get to know the students, staff and faculty around you. These human interactions are the best part of my job 鈥� whether it鈥檚 a fascinating interview with an activist or seeing students present their own research in a writing group I organize. I love that I鈥檓 always learning from those around me 鈥� both in the classroom at Dal and during field research in Southern Africa. There have been a lot of great memories at Dal 鈥� some that stand out include welcoming new refugee students at the airport with Dal's local committee of World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and seeing the department in costume at our Hallowe鈥檈n gathering!"

Dr. Kristi Kenyon (Postdoctoral fellow and instructor 鈥� Department of Political Science; Research Fellow with the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies)

"I arrived at AV俱乐部 in the fall of 1980 as a student in the Commerce program. The plan was to major in accounting, but after two years the only classes I had enjoyed were my theatre electives. My parents really weren鈥檛 ready for me to attempt a career on the stage (rock star or actress were my top choices), so I took a business college program that landed me back at Dal as the assistant to the first director of University Computing and Information Services. I think the director and I were the first people at Dal to have desktop computers! It was an exciting time during the 1980s as the university embraced computer technology. Thanks to Dal鈥檚 tuition waivers for employees I finished my degree part-time, returning to the only subject I had really loved 鈥� theatre. I was fortunate to be able to work flexible hours and attend daytime classes. During my frequent visits to the Theatre office on the fifth floor of the Arts Centre, I often wished that I could work there. Fast-forward through a couple of decades and several other Dal jobs, and lo-and-behold I found myself back in the Arts Centre in the department of Music. Another decade and 900 concerts and recitals later (not kidding), Music and Theatre joined together to form the Fountain School of Performing (FSPA). I am now the Admin Officer, Academic & Productions, and a large part of my job is management of our public events. This can mean anything from putting together our season brochure, to making sure we have all the orchestra parts, to moving a piano at 7:30 in the morning before classes start in the dance studio. My favourite thing about working at Dal is my interaction with the students who inspire me on a daily basis with their talent and dedication to the arts. The hours here are long, and budgets are a constant challenge, but whenever I鈥檓 feeling a little deflated all I need to do is wander down to the Dunn Theatre and stand centre stage. There鈥檚 no feeling like it in the world. And then it鈥檚 on with the show!"

Lesley Brechin (Administrative Officer, Academic & Productions 鈥� Fountain School of Performing Arts)

"I moved here from Brazil more than a month ago [at the end of the summer]. I was already a student of music and arts in general for a while, but being at Dal feels like a conquest; it is so encouraging to never stop trying to become a better professional and a better person. I already feel a great deal has changed for me 鈥� I am already a more conscious and active artist. The university works in my favour here: the professors, colleagues and every bit of the structure (library, labs, practice rooms, etc.) all make a huge difference in my development. I'm still getting used to the language and I sure do miss my family and friends; that is something that takes a while to adjust, although I already feel included by so many colleagues. I love how willingly friendly people are here, and that makes me feel as a part of the university as well. If I could ever give anyone any advice it would be this: never give up, ever, and try to get out of your comfort zone as much and as often as you can, because there is where the magic happens."

Lucas Hernandes (Bachelor of Arts student)

"One morning in fall 2012, the first year of my PhD program in social anthropology, I bought a muffin 鈥� a kind that Second Cup in Killam used to sell which had pineapple chunks in it, and a cup of coffee and went to my lecture on sociological and anthropological theory. The lecture was on Claude Levi-Strauss. As I sat in the classroom, waiting for the prof, eating my muffin and sipping coffee, I felt this great wave of happiness 鈥� a pineapple muffin, a fresh full cup of coffee, about to listen to a lecture on Levi-Strauss- this was true joy. I've travelled about and lived in different places, but there is something about AV俱乐部 which I can't quite explain 鈥� even though I am a foreigner, I have always felt peculiarly comfortable and happy here. I first came to Dal in 2008 and got my MA in International Development Studies. That led me to a fantastic group of scholars and academics and eventually to my current PhD program. Since then, I've been a staff, student and part-time faculty at Dal, I've had some academic accomplishments and I've established a home for myself and my family here in Halifax. I don't know where I will end up with my degrees from AV俱乐部, but so far, I've enjoyed every step of the way."

Shiva Nourpanah (PhD candidate 鈥� Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology)

"I am a fourth year AV俱乐部 student and I鈥檓 looking to graduate in May 2016 with Combined Honours in Theatre Studies and Creative Writing and a Minor in Italian Studies. Being part of the arts community at AV俱乐部 has given me the opportunity to work with extremely passionate and hard working individuals. Through my experiences of student societies such as the AV俱乐部 Theatre Society and AV俱乐部 Arts and Social Sciences Society, I have come to know these amazing individuals and build connections with them that have pushed me to be my utmost self. My personal Dal will always be shaped by both the memories of our successes and the memories of 鈥渨ell鈥hat could have gone better鈥�. The latter of the two is what continues to push me to create: the joy of hitting that choreography, throwing that event, and seeing things occur against all odds or against previous times when things fell short is one of the most emotionally complicated joys that I鈥檝e come to know and love. Sometimes stressful situations have pressed me to question why we end up getting ourselves so entangled with countless projects outside of class (and I do mean 鈥渙urselves鈥� instead of just myself: it鈥檚 always been a team effort!). The answer always boils down to that loaded word above: for the love of it, the true love of doing it all because our university stories would be incomplete without the frantic, chaotic, pulsing energy of student life. I acknowledge that it鈥檚 cheesy, but this cheesy is my Dal. Throughout my time here, AV俱乐部 has definitely influenced me to grow as more confident person. The establishing of confidence can be an incredibly difficult thing, and I admit for me, it鈥檚 certainly been an uphill battle. I鈥檝e doubted myself, questioned my choices, and admittedly broken down, but I know that I have emerged as a stronger person. I can say that although I鈥檓 absolutely terrified for the real world, I have that little magic of confidence in myself. This is my advice to any new student: give yourself the credit you deserve. Overcome your challenges with persistence and dedication: you are absolutely stronger than you believe. Your next few years will make you want to hit your head against the wall and dance with exhilaration. It鈥檚 really going to be a roller coaster, but it鈥檚 definitely worth the ride. You got this."

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