Royce Murray, student
University of Winnipeg student Royce Murray captured first prize in the Classical Association of Canada (CAC) Junior Essay Writing Competition with his paper entitled “The Daughters of Ares: An Exploration of the Historical Validity of Amazon Society as It Existed within the Sphere of Ancient Greece between the Bronze Age and Classical Era” (19 pp. incl. figs.). He wrote the paper as part of his Classical Mythology course. Murray has now joined the ranks of his numerous prize-winning predecessors in the UWinnipeg’s Classics Department.
“To be acknowledged by my peers in such a way and on a national level, after just two years of University study is more than I could have imagined at this stage in my efforts,” said Murray. “I’m overwhelmed by all the support I’ve received from the faculty and the Department of Classics for my body of work to date as a whole, but this particular paper means a lot to me personally because of my childhood interests.”
“Some of my earliest memories are of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman from the 1970s television series,” said Murray. “From there I got interested in the Wonder Woman comic books and from there Greek mythology and history. My primary academic interest is the study of women in history. I am especially interested in the ancient Greek and Roman periods and my focus is on women (in both myth/legend and actual history) who stood out among their peers during that time.”
Murray is in his third year of the five year integrated bachelor of education program in the Faculty of Education. He is currently doing a double major in history and Classics for his bachelor of arts. Murray plans to teach history and social justice at the high school level.
“Royce is the thirty-second UWinnipeg Classics student since 1999 to place in one of the competitions run by the CAC,” said Dr. Pauline Ripat, Chair, Department of Classics (Faculty of Arts). “His achievement provides continued support for the Classics Department’s national reputation for excellence. We are delighted to see Royce receive the national recognition his talents deserve.”
The Classical Association of Canada runs annual annual essay writing competitions in which undergraduates from programmes nation-wide for the prestige of having their work recognized as the best essay in Classics in Canada. The Junior Essay Competition is for students who are not in their final year of an Honours degree.
