Plebeian: Journal of the Classics Students’ Union is an annual publication. The papers published in each volume have been presented at the Assembly of the Plebs, our annual undergraduate conference here at the University of Toronto.
Click here for videos of past talks.
Why Plebeian?
Undergraduate students are often seen as an anonymous crowd, a mass of bodies, numbers on an administrator’s computer screen, and are thus frequently overlooked when it comes to original ideas and research. Like the plebs of Ancient Rome and hoi polloi of Greece, we are many; nevertheless, we remain a vibrant community of explorers, thinkers, pioneers. This journal is so named in an attempt to reclaim this word of disdain for our own. Here, we proudly display our undergraduate research to those who might otherwise let it pass by, unnoticed.
Ecclesia: Blog of the Plebeian
The Plebeian receives many excellent submissions from UofT students and undergraduates from other institutions that do not make it to print. In the interest of keeping a spotlight on undergraduate work, the Plebeian is proud to run Ecclesia, a Substack dedicated to classics-centric works by undergraduates. Undergraduates from any post-secondary institution can pitch ideas here, and are encouraged to do so. Any questions should be directed to classu.plebeian@gmail.com.
Managing Editor (2024-5): Piper Hays
Past Volumes (PDF):
Submit a Paper!
Submissions for Plebeian are closed for the 2025 edition.
Apply to be the Editor-in-Chief (EIC)
Applications for EIC are open for the 2025–2026 edition. See our Instagram for more details.
Apply to be Deputy Editor-in-Chief or Head Associate Editor
Applications for the Deputy EIC and Head Associate are closed.
Apply to be an Associate or Copy Editor
Applications for Associate/Copy are closed.
Board Structure 2024-25:
Editor-in-Chief: Anoushka Banerjie
Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Micah Heinricks
Head Associate Editor: Tallulah Valliere-Paul
Associate Editors: Moira Cosgriffe, Marco Costantino-Strzelec, Tessa Clare Delaney-Girotti, Natalie Johnston, Zoe Peddle-Stevenson, Elisa Kogan Penha, Phoebe Sozou
Copy Editors: Maya Barmi, Meixuan Fan
The roles and responsibilities of each position are outlined in the Plebeian Organizational Charter.
How do we choose papers?
Plebeian welcomes papers from current University of Toronto undergraduate students, regardless of program. However, submitted papers must be relevant to Greek and Roman antiquity.
In regards to the selection process, we are committed to transparency at all stages. Papers are subject to a blind selection process wherein they are anonymized—all author names, course codes, and dates are removed by the Editor-in-Chief. This is to ensure fairness during the voting process. The Editor-in-Chief does not vote.
Papers are sorted into thematic categories by the Editor-in-Chief. Normally, we have between 7 and 9 categories per year, with at least one paper per category. This is done at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Head Associate Editor, Associate Editors, and Copy Editors assign a score between 1–5 to each paper, and the average is calculated by the Editor-in-Chief at the end of the voting stage. If any individual on the editing team submits their own paper, they must abstain from voting on their paper. Abstaining does not affect the average score, and is to prevent biased voting.
Each paper is then ranked within its own category. Depending on the size of the categories, two papers may be chosen. This is at the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion. More than one paper by the same author will not be selected for the journal as a whole.
Associate Editors are assigned to papers best suited to their strengths, and Copy Editors manage the formatting of all papers. Any further organization is done by the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and Head Associate Editor.
Any further questions should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief (classu.plebeian@gmail.com).
Past Conferences:
Click here to watch past conference presentations!
For last year’s conference schedule and topics, please see below.
2025: The Assembly of the Plebs XI, 29 March 2025, 10:00am-3:15pm, LI 220.
10:00 Doors Open
10:20–10:30 Opening remarks
10:30–11:00 Maya Barmi, A Hopeful Lament: Lessons on Grief and Living Fully from Catullus’ Carmina III
11:00–11:30 Elisa Kogan Penha, Something Rotten in the City of Tyre: Atypical Constructions of Love in the Greek Romances
11:30–12:00 Raquel Lewin, Codification in Early Cretan Legal Inscriptions
12:00–1:00 Lunch
1:00–1:30 Marco Costantino-Strzelec, Republican Roman Reception of Foreign Language Through Varro’s De Lingua Latina, Liber V
1:30–2:00 Tallulah Valliere-Paul, πολύ- and περί-φρονες: Gender-Subversive Metis in Odyssey 1
2:00–2:30 Kate Levey, Roman Liberty, Roman Bondage: The Use of Ancient Rome in the Formation and Defence of American Slavery
2:30–3:00 Tessa Clare Delaney-Girotti, Octopode or Other? The Abstraction of Minoan Marine Style Pottery Decoration
3:00–3:15 Closing Remarks
Past Editors-in-Chief
2025 (XI): Anoushka Banerjie
2024 (X): Piper Hays
2023 (IX): Piper Hays
2022 (VIII): John Liao
2021 (VII): Leah Schweitzer Gukathasan
2020 (VI): Erica Venturo
2019 (V): Allison Suba
2018 (IV): Toby Keymer
2017 (III): Willem Crispin-Frei
2016 (II): Taylor Stark
2015 (I): Taylor Stark