Dr. Chelsea Gardner鈥檚 students make the past present with community movie nights
How can learning about ancient Greece and Rome help us understand our modern world?
Students in Dr. Chelsea Gardner鈥檚 (History and Classics; Evans Teaching and Learning Scholar for the Faculty of Arts) 鈥淎ncient Greece and Rome in Film鈥� class invite you to consider this question all term long at a series of free community movie nights.
Here鈥檚 how it works: Dr. Gardner assigned three students to each film, all of which depict ancient Greek and Roman society and/or stories. Every Wednesday night, the class welcomes the campus and wider Wolfville community to join them for a free movie night and discussion.
The students assigned that week鈥檚 film introduce the movie by giving some information on its Classical context, whether it鈥檚 based on historical events myth, or art. They talk about the reception history of the movie and give the audience some questions to consider as they watch the film.
Left to right: Lexi Butler, Willow Seitz, and Aydaen Markowski
Then, the lights dim, and everyone enjoys the movie together. Once the credits roll, the students return to the front of the room to lead a discussion about the film and field questions from the audience.
Dr. Gardner says that giving the students the opportunity to lead the discussion allows them to dig deep and become experts on the topics they鈥檙e learning about. 鈥淚 want the students to feel empowered to lead the discussion in the way they want to see it go,鈥� she explains.
Breaking outside the ivory tower
Every teacher needs students, even if, like Dr. Gardner鈥檚 students, they鈥檙e just teaching for an evening. So, in addition to their peers, the students are including the public in the conversation. But adding the community to the conversation does more than just fill seats.
鈥淚 feel very strongly about public history,鈥� says Dr. Gardner. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e only talking in our silos of the ivory tower then what鈥檚 the point?鈥�
鈥淓very day, brilliant people across campuses all over the world are sharing all this knowledge but it鈥檚 so insular,鈥� Dr. Gardner adds. 鈥淚f we can do anything to model how to bring those discussions outside of academia for our students, then we are doing something about the climate of disinformation.鈥�
Dr. Gardner鈥檚 passion for bringing history to the people extends well beyond her classes at Acadia. Her forthcoming book, , will be Gold Open Access, which means anyone can download it immediately upon publication in March of this year.
She also hosts the podcast. The fourth season, coming in spring 2025, is called Cultural Heritage and Legacies of Colonialism, which, Dr. Gardner says, is an important topic that everyone should know about.
Josh Butler (fourth year, History and Classical Studies) has also been bitten by the public history bug. He says he鈥檚 grateful for the opportunity to bring his scholarly work public in Dr. Gardner鈥檚 class. 鈥淚 have always supported making history and the classics more accessible for everyone,鈥� he says.
鈥淭he stereotypical snobbish scholar who only talks to other academics because everyone else is too stupid for him is a stereotype I really want to avoid. By introducing ancient myths to a general audience through film鈥攁 medium many people are familiar with鈥攖hese conversations become approachable for everyone.鈥�
Modern problems require ancient solutions
鈥淚n the age of misinformation,鈥� explains Dr. Gardner, 鈥渋t does no good for academics to sit in their ivory towers and tell each other how the general public is misappropriating the ancient past. It's up to us to make accurate information available to the general public in a way that is accessible, easily located, and interesting!鈥�
鈥淚f we are met with the constant refrain that 鈥榯hose who do not know history are doomed to repeat it,鈥欌�� she adds, 鈥渢hen what are we doing about it? How are we making ancient history available to everyone?鈥�
Lexi Butler (fourth year, Classical Studies) says that understanding where we鈥檙e coming from can help us to navigate a path forward. 鈥淚 just think it鈥檚 fascinating to explore the roots of our own culture and myth and sharing that builds community engagement and outreach for the university.鈥�
Get the Acadia Experience with Dr. Chelsea Gardner
There are still five movies left in the series! Block off your Wednesday nights, fire up the popcorn maker, grab a friend, and join us for a series of evenings of riveting discussion. The next movie, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, will be screened on February 26.
Acadia students can keep an eye on the course schedule for upcoming classes from Dr. Gardner. In her fall 2025 class, 鈥淗istory Alive! Ancient Greece and Rome鈥� students will bring history to life by engaging in two role playing games that situate them in Athens during the end of the Peloponnesian War, and Rome at the end of the Republic.