Brooklyn College turned back the clock during its annual two-day Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Expo, transforming the East Quad into a vibrant hub of pre-modern discovery and creativity. Adding a dramatic outdoor flair on April 29 with help from dedicated faculty in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and students, the spotlight turned to the dynamic period between late antiquity and the Middle Ages—spanning the third to 15th centuries—offering visitors an immersive glimpse into a pivotal era of human history. Far from a dusty history lesson, the series of events and presentations offered an immersive celebration of the premodern period, when the world’s modern institutions—like universities, the nation-state, and the Catholic Church—were being invented in Europe, and when indigenous communities populated North America. Undergraduates and graduate students alike collaborated across disciplines to breathe life into the past, showcasing everything from medieval drama to ancient spells to indigenous roads. One of the Expo’s most ambitious endeavors came courtesy of History Professor Lauren Mancia, who, alongside nine students, unveiled a piece of what will be a dramatic restaging of the York Mystery Cycle—a sweeping series of 14th-century plays depicting stories from sacred history. With support from numerous grants and awards, including the New York Medieval Society Teaching Award and a Medieval Academy of America Centennial Grant, this performance-as-research project is headed to Toronto in June, where the team will join 17 other groups from across North America in a scholarly conference that blends performance with academic inquiry. Mancia’s students spent the semester diving deep into medieval performance practices, staging early renditions of their pageants in open-air settings before offering a sneak peek at the Expo. Their final performance will take place on campus on June 2 at 1:30 p.m. (rain date: June 3), alongside the performance group from Fordham. Donning T-shirts to celebrate the day they spent commemorating and educating the campus about premodernism the energy on the East Quad was palpable as students performed plays and engaged with other Medieval-related historical projects. Adelaide Snow, a passionate History major, has spent the past year diving deep into the Medieval period under the guidance of Professor Mancia. She believes that exploring the premodern world offers powerful insights into our present and origins. On Day 2 of the HSS Expo, Snow helped bring history to life on the East Quad, working behind the scenes as a script assistant to support student-actors during the dynamic historical play performances. “History is not predetermined; this applies to all aspects of our lives,” Snow said. “Actually, the university is a premodern invention, and it’s important to study the premodern period so we know where we are and how we got here.” Student-actor Julia Krzysztalowicz is studying Spanish Translation and also taking the Medieval Ages course with Mancia. She said the best part of performing the plays “Adam and Eve” and “The Temptation of Jesus” was the reactions from the audiences. “Medieval plays are different. There is no etiquette for how this theater should be, so you can just go around and talk to the audience, and they can even talk back and throw something at you,” Krzysztalowicz said. “Through these performances, you is how we discover a lot of this history of the Medieval Ages.” Mancia said the Expo showcases what the humanities and social sciences do best: investigate the world and its history from multiple angles and through student-led, experiential learning; collaborate in seminar classrooms where professors learn alongside students and ultimately engage with the wider Brooklyn and New York City communities; and use our study of the human creative and investigative spirit to infuse our contemporary world with a renewed commitment to discovery, knowledge-seeking, and community-building. (Left to right) Students Jonathan Rakhamimov, History M.A. ’26, as Adam; Katryna Alexis, MHC Education/Theater ’27, as God the Father; and Lina Mazioui, MHC History ’27, perform the play “Adam and Eve.” But the York plays were just the beginning. Building on the strong community of premodern scholars at Brooklyn College through the Late Antique-Medieval-Early Modern Faculty Working Group and others, the Expo also featured a rich lineup of interactive, hands-on experiences. Highlights included: • Monastic Scribes: Students joined Mancia in re-creating a medieval scriptorium, complete with manuscript illumination and Byzantine icon-painting using historical techniques. • Scent of the Past: History Professor Karen B. Stern Gabbay and her students crafted a “premodern sensorium,” letting visitors quite literally smell their way through the history of late antiquity. • Mapping the Premodern Campus: Anthropology Assistant Professor Kelly Britt and students offered a glimpse of “indigenous Brooklyn College,” revealing what the land and culture may have looked like before settler colonialism. • Curses and Charms: Classics Associate Professor Brian P. Sowers and his Tow student mentee led a workshop on ancient curse tablets and magical rituals, proving the supernatural was alive and well in the premodern imagination. Classics Associate Professor Brian P. Sowers (right) talks about ancient curse tablets and magical rituals. • Medieval Debate Club: English professors Karl T. Steel and Nicola Masciandaro and Professor of Philosophy Andrew W. Arlig staged a spirited debate using rhetorical techniques from the earliest European universities. Sirandrew Purcell, Education MA ’27, gives a class on how to be a medieval knight. • Traveling Troubadour: CUNY Graduate Center Ph.D. candidate, Lehman College Adjunct Professor, and founder of Concordian Dawn Christopher Preston Thompson serenaded the campus with medieval songs and harp music. Christopher Preston Thompson, from Lehman College/CUNY Graduate Center and Ph.D. candidate and director of Concordian Dawn. And the medieval festivities aren’t over yet. On May 10, Mancia will take students to the Met Cloisters for a special event titled “The Temptation: A Museum Tour and Student Performance With Brooklyn College.” The afternoon includes student-led museum tours and performances of 14th-century plays and processions on the Cloisters lawn, followed by a student-led discussion about the theme of temptation and how engaging with medieval art and performance has shaped their understanding of the past. In total, this year’s HSS Expo featured an impressive 67 student presentations and 34 research posters supported by 24 dedicated faculty mentors. The campus buzzed with activity over the two days as students shared their work, while nine distinguished alumni delivered thought-provoking guest lectures—both in person and via Zoom. A panel of 15 judges, including faculty, graduate students, and alumni, evaluated the presentations, adding a professional and celebratory dimension to the events. (See the full HSS Expo schedule here.) Whether through scent, song, storytelling, or sacred drama, the 2025 HSS Expo proved one thing: the premodern world is anything but outdated. Don’t miss the 2025 HSS Expo Awards Ceremony on May 6 at 5 p.m. in the Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts.
