What Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey reveals about the adaptable nature of myth. Judging this version against an apparent ‘original’ misunderstands how the myth actually works. https://news.mcmaster.ca/analysis-what-christopher-nolans-the-odyssey-reveals-about-the-adaptable-nature-of-myth/

Homer's The Odyssey contains descriptions of feasts and more humble offerings as Odysseus travels the Mediterranean on his 10-year voyage home. But are those descriptions accurate? Dr. Sean Corner weighs in! https://www.tastingtable.com/2217159/foods-odyssey-greeks-ate-bronze-age/

What Greeks Ate And Drank During The Age Of The Odyssey - Tasting Table

The Odyssey is an ancient tale passed down over centuries. To prepare for the film's release, two historians tell us what Odysseus would have eaten and drank.

tastingtable.com

Summer camp spaces still available for grades 5-8 and 9-12 in select classes coming up in the next few weeks. Limited spaces are still open in Sculpture, Printmaking, Drawing, Painting, Photography and STEAM classes! Register today: https://artsatmcmaster.humanities.mcmaster.ca/

McMaster postdoctoral fellow Sara Karn is advancing research on historical empathy, climate justice education, and the role of emotion in building a more compassionate and sustainable future. Read our interview: https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2026/06/30/postdoc-profiles-sara-karn/

School of the Arts director David Ogborn receives a 2026 President's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning. https://news.mcmaster.ca/presidents-awards-excellence-in-teaching-learning-2026/

Artwork by Santee Smith unveiled in new Obama Presidential Center! McMaster’s Chancellor Emeritus has re-created a piece of pottery for the Oval Office exhibit. https://news.mcmaster.ca/artwork-by-santee-smith-unveiled-in-new-obama-presidential-center/

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (using digital tools to harass, stalk, intimidate or threaten) is growing yet expertise is often overlooked by policymakers. https://news.mcmaster.ca/stalked-online-ignored-offline-report-on-supporting-survivors-of-digital-harm/

McMaster art history grad Jonathan Bikker authenticated a lost Rembrandt, thought to be fake, but worth millions. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/rembrandt-painting-hamilton-curator-netherlands-9.7242332

How a Hamilton man helped discover a lost Rembrandt, thought to be fake, but worth millions | CBC News

Jonathan Bikker, a curator at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, led the effort to authenticate Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, a painting that had been dismissed by scholars in the 1960s and largely disappeared from public view.

cbc.ca

Join us on June 23, 2025 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 bombing with film screenings of Calorie by Eisha Marjara and Flight 182 by Rippin Sindher. Learn more here: https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/events/flight-182-40-remembering-the-1985-air-india-bombing-in-film/

Sean Corner has been appointed Acting Dean for the Faculty of Humanities for a one-year term while a search for a new dean is conducted. Corner brings a passion for student success and academic excellence to his new role. https://news.mcmaster.ca/sean-corner-acting-dean-faculty-of-humanities-2026/

"I strongly encourage everyone to take the time they need to experience university to the fullest," says history grad Serena Zambito. https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2026/06/10/convocation-q-and-a-i-strongly-encourage-everyone-to-take-the-time-they-need-to-experience-university-to-the-fullest/

"The single best decision I had made during my time at Mac was applying to become an executive for the McMaster Philosophers’ Society," says JPPL graduand Nathalie Do. https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2026/06/08/convocation-q-and-a-from-high-park-to-hamilton/

Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte research focuses critical attention to how power manifests in interactions between creative practitioners, cultural organizations, and governmental policies and agencies. https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2026/06/01/postdoc-profiles-mariane-bourcheix-laporte/

Indigenous and Pride flags will be taking turns flying over University Hall this month as groups representing diverse Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities mark June as both National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month. https://news.mcmaster.ca/two-flags-to-fly-in-june-2026/

We’re sorry to say goodbye to Dean Pamela Swett, who has been dean since 2019. She’s been a great champion for student success, research excellence and creative cross-disciplinary partnerships. https://news.mcmaster.ca/pamela-swett-appointed-dean-at-university-of-rhode-island/

Pamela Swett appointed dean at University of Rhode Island 

The provost is initiating the process to appoint and interim dean as Swett goes to lead URI's College of Arts and Sciences.

news.mcmaster.ca

Jean Augustine: A trailblazing parliamentarian and iconic community leader who shaped multiculturalism in Canada is one of seven honorary degree recipients of Spring 2026! https://news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-honorary-degree-recipients-spring-2026/

As the world of work is redefined by AI, communications professor Alex Sévigny is preaching the gospel of opportunity – and the necessity of change. Read our Q&A here: https://news.mcmaster.ca/we-bring-the-human-in/

Two movies being shown on campus are helping to mark 40th anniversary of the tragic Air India Flight 182 bombing. https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/events/flight-182-40-remembering-the-1985-air-india-bombing-in-film/

Join us on June 23, 2025 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 bombing with film screenings of Calorie by Eisha Marjara and Flight 182 by Rippin Sindher. Learn more here: https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/events/flight-182-40-remembering-the-1985-air-india-bombing-in-film/

Nnamdi Nnake is on a side quest from his study of telegraphy in Nigeria to look at the contributions of Black telegraphists in Canada. https://news.mcmaster.ca/history-phd-candidate-receives-fellowship-to-study-black-canadian-telegraph-workers/

Arts instructional assistant Troy Coulterman wins McMaster’s 2026 Health and Safety Award of Excellence. https://ow.ly/KZbA50YXBG8

Ontario architecture and a fictional world of art crime may not seem to have much in common, but they’ve got a McMaster connection. Discover the connection here: https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/2026/04/13/5134/

Tone beeps are a single steady tone, used in a wide variety of research, clinical settings, and beyond but they may not be the best tools for assessing and explaining how humans perceive sounds. https://news.mcmaster.ca/dont-keep-it-simple-study-finds-lab-beeps-dont-reflect-what-we-actually-hear/

Don’t keep it simple: Study finds lab beeps don’t reflect what we actually hear

A new study explores how complex sounds can improve healthcare, navigation, and auditory research into how we hear.

news.mcmaster.ca

2SLGBTQ+ Community Archives has received $10,000 President’s Award! It is documenting Hamilton’s queer past and is co-directed by Amber Dean and Cole Gately. https://news.mcmaster.ca/two-local-community-research-partnerships-receive-10k-each/

Through hands-on workshops and fall-term sessions, the Health Sciences Library team teaches students in the Integrated Rehabilitation and Humanities program how to search and evaluate evidence. https://library.mcmaster.ca/news/library-partnership-new-academic-program-strengthens-student-learning

McMaster is the first university in Ontario to sign the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), joining a global initiative committed to advancing responsible, forward-looking approaches to research assessment. https://news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-signs-declaration-on-research-assessment-dora/

How the inaugural cohort of Wilson College got involved in their first year across McMaster’s campus and the Hamilton community. https://news.mcmaster.ca/podcasts-campaigns-and-julius-caesar-all-in-a-years-work/

Analysis: Canada’s three main political parties — the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP — have banded together to avoid privacy laws aimed at protecting voter data. https://news.mcmaster.ca/analysis-canadas-three-main-federal-political-parties-are-working-together-to-fight-voter-privacy-rights/

This year's Hamilton Reads selection has strong ties to McMaster University. The featured book, The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse, is by Toronto-based author and McMaster alumnus Vinh Nguyen. https://library.mcmaster.ca/news/hamilton-reads-2026-featured-book-mcmaster-alumnus-vinh-nguyen

Researcher Lyndsey Butin partners with the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre to tell the story of slavery in Shelbourne. Nova Scotia. https://news.mcmaster.ca/walking-tour-shines-a-light-on-hidden-histories/