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.
Editors (2025-6): Elisa Kogan Penha (Plebeian EiC); Phoebe Sozou (Plebeian Deputy EiC)
Past Volumes (PDF):
Submit a Paper!
Submissions for Plebeian are closed for the 2026 edition.
Board Structure 2025-26:
Editor-in-Chief: Elisa Kogan Penha
Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Phoebe Sozou
Head Associate Editor: Marco Costantino-Strzelec
Associate Editors: Moira Cosgriffe, Luke Lomax, Gabriella Ottavainen, Eli Vodarek-Berman, Julien Levit, Jess Scanlon
Copy Editors: Clara-Nabella Boucher, Seran Naventhan, Emma McEachern
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 undergo a grading process across four categories: Thesis, Evidence, Organization, and Interest, each ranked on a score of 1-10 for a combined grade out of 40. 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.
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.
2026: The Assembly of the Plebs XII: TBA.
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