January 5, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows ChatGPT and the Future of AI by Terrence J. Sejnowski (2024) Discussion leader: Daphne Maurer An accessible and timely introduction […]
Speaker: Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, U of T Title: “Emerging Infections and How to Fight Them” Abstract: We will discuss how infectious diseases emerge and ultimately spread around the […]
Speaker: Neil Besner, English, U of Winnipeg Title: Montreal Standard Time, 1944-1950: Mavis Gallant’s Short Stories and Her Early Journalism Abstract: Gallant’s early journalism for The Montreal Standard has […]
Speaker: David Townsend, English and Medieval Studies, U of T. Title: “Imagination, Historical Knowledge, and Public Discourse” Abstract: Guilty pleasure or serious cultural work? Academics have vexed relationships with historical […]
Colloquium, January 22, 2026, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “What is the purpose of education?” Organized by: Mary Finlay Lunch before the colloquium: The […]
Speaker: Daphne Maurer, Psychology, McMaster U Title: “An Invisible Pandemic” Abstract: In this century, most schoolchildren are becoming nearsighted--80% to 90% of them in Asia--and nearsightedness in school often causes […]
February 2, 2026, 2-4 pm - Fellows and External Fellows The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi (2020) Discussion Leaders: […]
Speaker: Jennifer DeSilva, Woodsworth College, U of T Title: "Women's Labour in Renaissance Florence's Streets and Taverns" Abstract: Early modern men writing in Florence depicted their taverns as wonderful and […]
Speaker: Beatrix Dart, Rotman School of Management, U of T Title: “Retired, Not Expired: The Longevity Economy Unveiled” Abstract: As Canada’s population ages, a powerful economic and social shift is […]
Speaker: Laura Hug, Environmental Microbiology, Biology, U of Waterloo Title: “Man's Trash Is a Microbe's Treasure: The Microbiology of Landfills” Abstract: Landfills house our discarded waste, but also support a […]
Speaker: Stephen Brooke, History, York University Title: "‘Gleaming Obelisks’ and ‘Dilapidated Streets’: London in the 1980s: Abstract: This talk will explore the history of London in the 1980s, examining how […]
March 2, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) Discussion Leader: Lisa Steele The “bardo” is a Tibetan Buddhist concept referring […]
Speaker: Ira Wells, President, PEN Canada; Victoria College, U of T. Title: “On Book Banning: Saving Children from the Harm of Books” Abstract: From the destruction of libraries in ancient […]
Speaker: Carl Knappett, Art History, U of T Title: “The Coastal World of Minoan Palaikastro” Abstract: Lying on the eastern tip of Crete, Palaikastro was one of the largest towns […]
Speaker: Jennifer Bonnell, History, York U Title: “Place and People at the Margins: A History of Toronto’s Don River Valley” Abstract: In this richly illustrated talk, environmental historian Jennifer Bonnell […]
Speaker: Nick Terpstra, History, U of T; Provost, Trinity College. Title: “Moving Targets: Young People in the Early Modern World” Abstract: Where do we find youths in the early modern […]
April 6, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times that Made Handel’s “Messiah” by Charles King (2024) Discussion Leaders: Linda Hutcheon […]
May 4, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962) Discussion Leader: Sara Shettleworth Published only 64 years ago, Silent Spring already qualifies as […]
