Educator
Course Instructor and Teaching Assistant
As a graduate student at the University of Toronto, some of my favourite parts of my experience have been those spent in the classroom, sharing my passion for ancient art and archaeology with undergraduate students. Having served as the course instructor for the fourth-year seminar, “Aegean Wall Paintings” (Fall 2019) and the second-year course, “Prehistoric Aegean and East Mediterranean Art and Archaeology,” (Fall 2021), and the teaching assistant for five ancient art courses, my experiences teaching at the University of Toronto have solidified my dedication to engage others with the past.
U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS)
USCBS is the U.S. chapter of the international non-profit, Blue Shield, an organization which works to preserve cultural property and institutions during times of armed conflict and natural disaster. I am honoured to serve as the current Executive Director, overseeing the daily activities of the organization.
Royal Ontario Museum
I grew up loving and being inspired by this museum, both by the objects in the cases and the people who bring them to life. Throughout my graduate school experience, I was thrilled to return to this special place, occasionally working with curator Paul Denis to share ancient Greek and Roman objects with visitors in up-close, interactive ways. As a prior Gallery Assistant and ROMKids volunteer, I have worked in a number of museum roles, all of them focused on engaging the public and making ancient art and objects accessible and relevant.
Kempton Historical Archaeology Project (KHAP)
A central aim of KHAP was education: education in archaeological techniques, and education about the coal-mining history of Western Maryland. As one of the directors of the Kempton project, I helped to provide training and instruction to the student volunteers, most of which had no previous archaeological training. Training students in foundational archaeological techniques was both fun and immensely rewarding, while allowing the material culture to educate all of us on the history of the area reinforced to me what archaeology is all about.
Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE)
SAFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the illegal trade and illicit destruction of antiquities and cultural heritage. As Executive Director from 2015-2016 and a previous intern at the organization, I oversaw SAFE’s daily operations while serving as a main point of contact for the public on cultural heritage issues and the antiquities trade.
Skype A Scientist
As one of hundreds of volunteer scientists who are willing and ready to share their research and passion with students, I have spoken to elementary school classes about archaeology, ancient art, and mythology, all through the connecting power of technology. Now students anywhere can talk with experts anywhere, ask questions about their jobs and research, and learn about the wide world around us all.
“Very rarely we come across someone who is excited about talking to 10 year olds; comes extremely well prepared for the session; is keen on making meaningful connections with real life; knows the subject well and is a YOUNG archaeologist too! Having you interact with our fifth graders on 'the role of historical evidence in understanding the modern society' was truly a wonderful experience. There couldn't have been a more apt way of finding out about archaeology and the role of an archaeologist than to have had a session with you over Skype. Students were thrilled to see all the artefacts, pictures and pottery remains that you showed them. The connections that were made to the Indus valley civilization enabled the students to learn and understand how geographical locations are very important in determining where civilizations began. Your enthusiasm and connect with the children was something that we all marvelled at. The patience and clarity with which you answered all their questions (sometimes repetitive too!) helped them establish a comfort level which then made learning faster.
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my hearts to have managed time for our students and helping them understand about ancient civilizations.”
— Skype a Scientist Teacher, August 2021
““This was one of the best classes I've ever taken! Dr. Dewan was such an amazing Professor, she always took the time to explain everything in such detail and made learning so fun. You can tell that Dr. Dewan is so passionate about what she teaches and it made it a pleasure to be in class.”
— Student, Fall 2021
“Dr. Dewan, you were amazing. Your lectures were engaging, intellectually stimulating, and well–prepared. Your passion for the subject matter is infectious – it is a pleasure to listen to you talk about the Bronze Age. The course was well–organized, with each week's readings available from the very start on Quercus and presented in an easily accessible maner. The use of the Packback discussion board was well worth my money – I find this discussion interface to be much more conducive to my learning than the conventional Quercus discussion boards. I learned a lot from my peers through the Packback discussions.”
— Student, Fall 2021
“The Professor was really able to cover such a broad range of topics within the course material beautifully. The was the content was broken down ensured I was able to digest all of the info as it is quite dense material. I loved the way we were able to validate our understanding with our peers with the use of the packsack tool. It allowed us to generate a very authentic conversation with each other that helped deepen our understanding.”
— Student, Fall 2021