Kyle McLeister

Early or Alternative Career Award – Other than Canadian History

Dr. Kyle McLeister makes the Greek and Latin languages accessible to first year students at the University of Saskatchewan through the innovative integration of primary sources into language-learning. In particular, the committee was impressed with Dr. McLeister’s creation of eight custom primary source readers for his classes in order to maximize student engagement with the material. Not only do these readers include primary source documents, but also thoughtful questions to prompt student ideas and discussions. Dr. McLeister’s nomination package included three student letters of reference attesting to his unique and impactful teaching style. His use of a broad range of different types of primary documents exposes students to the challenges of original research and its inherent interdisciplinary character. There is, Dr. McLeister has noted, a “joy” to historical research. His passion and diligence convey this joy to his students.