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Faculty Member

Brendan McCarthy

Biography

Brendan McCarthy is an assistant professor in the History and Political Science department. He received his PhD in ancient history from the Ohio State University in 2018 and has been teaching at Utah Valley ever since. He studies the influence of social networks on Roman politics in the era of Julius Caesar, and teaches classes on world history and ancient Greece and Rome with an emphasis on digital humanities and student-led research. He was awarded the Innovative Teaching with Technology Award in 2025 and the Honors Faculty Fellowship in 2022.

Education

PhD, The Ohio State University, 2018

Major: Ancient History

MA, The Ohio State University, 2013

Major: Ancient History

BA, St. Mary's College of Maryland, 2011

Major: History

Teaching

HONR 2000

Ancient Legacies, Spring 2026

HIST 4820R

Public History Internship, Spring 2026

HIST 4310

Violence and War in the Ancient World, Spring 2026

HIST 1500G

World History to 1500, Spring 2026

HIST 1500G

World History to 1500, Spring 2026

Presentations

McCarthy, Brendan , CAMWS Annual Meeting 2026, "Networking Cicero’s Legacy_ Ancient History and Political Power in the Late Republic", Classical Association of the Middle West and South, Mobile, AL. (March, 2026)
McCarthy, Brendan , Roots of Knowledge Medical History Tour, "Traumatic Brain Injury in Ancient War", Roots of Knowledge. (September, 2024)
McCarthy, Brendan , Snow College Convocation, "Winning an Election in Ancient Rome_ Competition in the Roman Republic", Snow College Department of Humanities, Eccles Center, Ephraim, UT. (February 29, 2024)
McCarthy, Brendan , CAMWS Annual Meeting 2023, "Social Network Analysis as a Form of Source Criticism in Plutarch", Classical Association of the Middle, West, and South, Provo, UT. (March 30, 2023)
McCarthy, Brendan , Roots of Knowledge Speaker Series, "Better Off Dead? King Tutankhamen's Life and Legacy", Fulton Library, Roots of Knowledge. (November, 2022)
McCarthy, Brendan , International Ancient Warfare Conference, "Traumatic Brain Injury in Roman War", Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (June 23, 2022)

Scholarly/Creative Works

McCarthy, Brendan , (2026) "Review of Nabel, Jake. The Arsacids of Rome_ Misunderstandings in Roman Parthian Relations" .
McCarthy, Brendan , (2026) "Reputation Brokers_ Existimatio and Popular Participation in Roman Politics" (Issue: 2, vol. 121). The Classical Journal.
McCarthy, Brendan , (2024) "Traumatic Brain Injury in Roman War" . Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. https://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-7035-1
McCarthy, Brendan , Yona, Sergio , (2021) "2021.05.07 McCarthy on Gareth" . Classical Journal Online.
McCarthy, Brendan , Fronda, Michael , (2020) "Brendan McCarthy reviewing Rosillo-Lopez, Christina (ed.) Communicating Public Opinion in the Roman Republic" (vol. 10). Northfield, MN: Ancient History Bulletin. https://ancienthistorybulletin.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/AHBOnlineReviews2020.07.McCartheyOnRosillo-Lopez.pdf
McCarthy, Brendan , Yona, Sergio , (2019) "2019.04.07 McCarthy on Chin" . Classical Jounal.

Awards

Honors Mentor of the Year

Honors Program

Awarded for supporting student projects in honors. Specifically for honors contracts and advising the honors student journal, Untold.

Innovative Teaching with Technology

Digital Transformation and Academic Affairs - March, 2025

The Innovative Teaching with Technology Award is granted to teachers who use technology to improve student outcomes. The application process includes writing narrative statements that outline a teaching problem, describe the solution, and discuss the way the solution can be applied to other classes and issues of access.

Best Student Journal_ Electronically-Published

National Collegiate Honors Society

The student editors of Untold, the honors student journal, submitted the journal for this award. As the faculty advisor, I helped design the site and establish the norms of our review process, publication schedule, how we organize materials, and how the site was designed. This is, however, a student award and the students do the lion's share of the work.

Honors Faculty Fellow

Utah Valley University Honors Program - January, 2023

Fellowship to lead teaching and service-related special projects in the honors program.

Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

Higher Education Academy - August, 2022

Fellowship in the Higher Education Academy is awarded to teachers who demonstrate the use of evidence-based pedagogy in 15 different dimensions of teaching divided by areas of activity, core knowledge, and professional values. The fellowship application includes a long written statement of pedagogical practice in each dimension supported by research in pedagogy and specific evidence of student outcomes.