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SC Talk, Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 2pm, Title: “Putting It Together” (‘It’ = 2020-21 Season at RCM and Koerner Hall) + concert. Speaker: Mervon Mehta

All talks are followed by a discussion. The talks will be held on Wednesdays from 2:00pm- 4:00pm. Currently, this event is in person or ZOOM and in person (with performer). If you have any questions, then please email senior.college@utoronto.ca. Title: “Putting It Together during the Pandemic” (‘It’ = 2020-21 Season at RCM and Koerner Hall) […]

SC Talk: “Einstein’s Error: Curiosity vs. Interest” Speaker: Suzanne Hidi, Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE

Abstract:  In 2018 December, Suzanne was a plenary speaker at the ‘Emerging Sciences and Educational Innovations Conference’ at the University of Pennsylvania. The topic of her presentation was “Curiosity, Interest and Neuroscience.” Her talk for Senior College will be an updated extension of this presentation. She will consider conceptual distinctions, relations and implications of curiosity and […]

SC Talk: “Values vs. Interests in Canadian Foreign Policy: Four Case Studies”, Jon Allen, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

ABSTRACT: Most governments and all liberal democracies face the difficult task of balancing their countries’, and their particular governments’, values and interests when choosing how to respond to complex foreign policy issues. Four recent Canadian foreign policy dilemmas, the Khashoggi and Meng cases, Russia’s takeover of Crimea and Israel’s threatened annexation of up to thirty […]

Colloquium, October 22, 2020, “Is there a difference between law and politics?” Peter Russell

SENIOR COLLEGE COLLOQUIUM. This event is online via Zoom. It is for Fellows and External Fellows only. If you did not receive an invitation, then please contact the administrator at senior.college@utoronto.ca. This is for Fellows & External Fellows only Colloquium: October 22: Colloquium: Is there a difference between law and politics? Peter Russell) The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUMTRRWjBXRUw1V0JNWDdNUUxIVTZEQkZRRS4u […]

SC Talk, Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 2pm, Title: “Can We Use Bugs as Drugs?” Speaker: Emma Allen-Vercoe

Abstract There is now abundant evidence that the microbial consortium associated with a host – its microbiome – is critically important to the health of the host. Health is generally associated with a gut microbiota of high species diversity. When this diversity is degraded, damage to the microbial ecosystem may occur. In these cases, there […]

Book Club: S. Levitsky & D. Ziblatt,  How Democracies Die, Monday, November 2 at 2-4pm

The Club meets on the eve of the American election to discuss this blunt warning of threats to American democracy by leading Harvard experts drawing on experience from countries throughout the world. Here patterns of authoritarian undermining of liberal democracies are laid bare, and a litmus test conducted on Donald Trump. The Club will discuss […]

SC Talk: November 4, Stephen Batiuk, Near-Eastern Studies, U of T “The History of Grapes and Winemaking: Prehistoric Times to the Present”

SC Talk: November 4, Stephen Batiuk, Near-Eastern Studies, U of T “The History of Grapes and Winemaking: Prehistoric Times to the Present” Contact and Chair:  Bibhu Mohanty Abstract: Wine is one of the most commonly enjoyed and alcoholic beverages in the modern world. But what is the antiquity and history of this otherworldly drink? When […]

SC Talk: November 11, Thomas Axworthy ,”Liberal Internationalism – Post COVID: Still Relevant? Still Possible?” Contact and Chair:

SC Talk: November 11, Thomas Axworthy ,"Liberal Internationalism - Post COVID: Still Relevant? Still Possible?" Contact and Chair: Peter Russell The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUQkJHVzVPTFFYSDU0MU5KRTUwSEdCRkJVMy4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.  

SC Talk: November 18, Ian Dejardin, Executive Director, McMichael Collection “What Forces Formed the Group of Seven?”

SC Talk: November 18, Ian Dejardin, Executive Director, McMichael Collection “What Forces Formed the Group of Seven?” Contact and Chair: Jim Gurd The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUNjMxOE5YME1EVzRKOFBYMU9BMEVYQUs5UC4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

SC Talk: November 25, David Wilson, Editor of Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Cross-dressers, Angels, Gangsters, Murderers and the Mother from Hell: Surprising Women in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography”

SC Talk: November 25, David Wilson, Editor of Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Cross-dressers, Angels, Gangsters, Murderers and the Mother from Hell: Surprising Women in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography” Contact and Chair: Janet Paterson The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NURUY0MDAzWEpOTzBaWDM0M1hFVzZIMDJORS4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link […]

15th Annual Senior College Symposium, “Ethical Challenges of the 21st Century”

Registration is open to the wider community. So be sure to register early. Advance registration is required. The direct link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUN0ZWNjlMNUNYNjlOWUxZUDRDR1VYTFlaTi4u The deadline to register is Thursday, November 26 at noon. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants the afternoon of Thursday, November 26. All are welcome to attend.  Please forward […]

Free

Book Club, December 7, David Reich, Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past

December 7:David Reich, Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past</p< Chair: Sara Shettleworth, with Anthropologist, Susan Pfeiffer The title says it all: this exciting and important book describes how humans spread across the planet, with a cast of characters ranging from Neanderthals, Denisovans, and […]

Colloquium: December 10, “Why do People Need Scapegoats”

SENIOR COLLEGE COLLOQUIUM. This event is online via Zoom. It is for Fellows and External Fellows only. If you did not receive an invitation, then please contact the administrator at senior.college@utoronto.ca. This is for Fellows & External Fellows only Colloquium: December 10, "Why do People Need Scapegoats"  

Join us for a “Happy Holidays” virtual coffee break – the last event of the year

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

Book Club, Jan 4: Olga Tokarczuk, Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead

Book Club: Jan 4, Olga Tokarczuk, Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead Chair:  Linda Hutcheon Touted as a literary murder mystery, this noir novel by the Polish Nobel Prize-winning (2018) writer brings together themes of aging, animal cruelty, and politics of all kinds.  The Guardian review described it as "an astonishing amalgam […]

SC Talk: Wednesday, January 6 at 2:00pm. Speakers: David Milne, UPEI; Edward Warrington, University of Malta; and Harold Atwood, U of T

Title: “An Islands Odyssey” Introducer: Monique Nemni Host: Linda Hutcheon ABSTRACT: This session brings together two political scientists and a neuroscientist to share their thoughts on islands through the lens of ecology.   David Milne will give a remembrance of islands past and set out his research on island resilience, contesting commonplace themes of island vulnerability and viability.  […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: “Feeding the Future – Climate Change, Population Growth and Technology”

Speaker: Evan Fraser, Director, Arrell Food Institute; Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph Introducer: Jim Gurd ABSTRACT: Today the same technologies that brought us the Internet and are transforming medicine are reshaping food and farming systems. Smart tractors that know where they are in the field and plant the right seed in […]

SC Talk: “What happens to your brain after anesthesia and surgery?” 

Speaker: Beverley Orser, MD, PhD, FRSC. FRCPC, FCAHS Introducer: Milton Charlton BIO: Dr. Orser is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Toronto and a practicing anesthesiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. Her preclinical research has provided fundamental insights about how general anesthetic drugs depress brain function, […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, January 26, 2:00pm

The Coffee Break scheduled for January 26 will have as its theme Hobbies and other personal pursuits. The session will start with a brief presentation by Robert Harrison describing his model railway set up. Following Robert's presentation, you are invited to discuss your own interest, be it stamp collecting, drone flying, bird watching, bread making […]

SC Talk: “COVID-19: A Crisis of Expertise”

Speaker:  Colin Furness, Faculty of Information; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, U of T Host: Marty Klein Introducer: Linda Corman Bio: Colin Furness is an infection control epidemiologist, and assistant professor (teaching stream) in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. He received his PhD in the interdisciplinary field of knowledge management […]

Book Club: Feb 1, Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf, Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination – For Fellows and External Fellows only

Book Club: Feb 1, Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf, Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination Chair: Marty Klein “With characteristic insight and intellectual rigor, Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf have produced a powerful and lasting portrait of the mind of Thomas Jefferson. This is an essential and brilliant […]

SC Talk: “Crossing Borders in the Ark of Knowledge: The Role of Libraries and Archives in the Performance of 18th Century Music”, Alison Mackay

Speaker: Alison Mackay, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra Title: “Crossing Borders in the Ark of Knowledge: The Role of Libraries and Archives in the Performance of 18th Century Music” Introducer: Peter Hajnal Host: David Milne Bio: Alison Mackay is a Toronto musician who was the principal double-bass player in the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra for forty years. Her […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, February 9, 2:00pm

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk, Nathalie DesRosiers, “No Shortage of Injustices”

Speaker: Nathalie DesRosiers, Principal,  Massey College SC Talk: "No Shortage of Injustices” Host and Introducer: Linda Corman Abstract: The talk will deal with two main issues: 1. The perplexing issue of the interaction between economic vulnerability and legal rights; 2.  The role of legal advocacy: its relationship with politics and its strategical questions. Bio: Nathalie […]

SC Talk: Robert Bothwell, “Nero and Trump: Parallel Lives”

Speaker: Robert Bothwell, History, U of T Title: “Nero and Trump: Parallel Lives” Introducer: Linda Corman; Host: Jim Gurd The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUOVU2RzFUUURZWk81SThYVEpJVUk0NTJGOS4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on the morning of the event.

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, February 23, 2:00pm

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Paul-Alain Beaulieu, “The Babylonian Zodiac”

Speaker: Paul-Alain Beaulieu, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, U of T Title: “The Babylonian Zodiac” Introducer: Bibhu Mohanty; Host: Daphne Maurer The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUNkdBSldONEVKWlpXSkFYWkdMTzZUR1hOWS4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on the morning of the event.

SC Talk: Rosemary Sullivan, English, U of T, “Stalin’s Daughter: A Biographer’s Tumultuous Journey”

Speaker: Rosemary Sullivan, English, U of T Title: “Stalin’s Daughter: A Biographer’s Tumultuous Journey” Introducer and Host: Linda Hutcheon The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUQUxIVkZNUjE5T0kzQThZNTVaSTNKVkM3MS4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on the morning of the event.  

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 2:00pm

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Patrick Bedford, “A Regulatory Perspective on Gene Therapy Development and Commercialization”

Speaker: Patrick Bedford, Principal Consultant, weCANreg Consulting Group Inc. Title: “A Regulatory Perspective on Gene Therapy Development and Commercialization” Introducer: Milton Charlton; Host: Michael Hutcheon The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUOVRBSzlNSkUwUEY1SUFaUU5NRTE2S0lQRS4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on the morning […]

SC Talk: Stephen Katz, “Tracked and Fit: FitBits, Brain Games, and the Quantified Aging Body”

Speaker: Stephen Katz, Trent University Centre for Aging and Society Title: "Tracked and Fit: FitBits, Brain Games, and the Quantified Aging Body" Introducer and Host: Michael Hutcheon The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUOUw0UTJFSkhZVUNKMlFCMlFROUszM0s0Sy4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on […]

Colloquium: SC Virtual Colloquium March 18, 2021, 2:00-4:00pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: How Much has Changed? The Status of Women in Contemporary Society Chair: Giuliana Katz SC Colloquium: March 18, 2:00-4:00pm. Fellows and External Fellows Only. Readings: 1. Globe and Mail on Women and Power: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-power-gap/ 2. U of T to implement salary increase for more than 800 women faculty members: U of T to implement […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 2:00pm

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Russell Brown and Donna Bennett, “Editing English-Canada’s National Anthology in an Era of Social Change; or, How Do You Handle a Problem like Duncan Campbell Scott”

Speaker: Russell Brown and Donna Bennett, UTSC,  English Title: "Editing English-Canada’s National Anthology in an Era of Social Change; or, How Do You Handle a Problem like Duncan Campbell Scott" Introducer: Brian Corman; Host: Linda Hutcheon The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUOU5MSUdCTUFFRlIyU1FUTjlXSlpCVTFKVC4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The […]

Book Club: April 6, 2021 at 2:00pm-4:00pm: Thomas King – Green Grass, Running Water – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Book Club: April 6, 2021 at 2:00pm-4:00pm: Thomas King - Green Grass, Running Water - Fellows & External Fellows Only Chair: Maggie Redekop As the author describes this now classic Canadian Indigenous novel: “Strong, sassy women and hard-luck hard-headed men, all searching for the middle ground between Native American tradition and the modern world, perform […]

16th Annual Senior College Symposium, “Roots of Violence”

Zoom Online – details will be sent to registrants. Free of charge Registration is open to the wider community; please forward the details to interested parties. Advance registration is required. The direct link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUNk9BMlZWOExCMzYzRlVZSDBLMFQ1N1VRSC4u. The registration deadline is Tuesday, April 13 at noon, and the Zoom link will be sent to registrants […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

Book Club: May 3, 2021 at 1:00pm-3:00pm: Edward Glaeser – The Triumph of the City -For Fellows and External Fellows only

Book Club: May 3, 2021 at 1:00pm-3:00pm: Edward Glaeser - The Triumph of the City - For Fellows and External Fellows only Chair: David Milne “Edward Glaeser is one of the world’s most brilliant economists, and Triumph of the City is a masterpiece. Seamlessly combining economics and history, he explains why cities are ‘our species’ […]

SC Talk: Speaker: Cheryl Suzack, English, U of T “Stories from Bella Bella: On Being a Guest and Researcher in Heiltsuk Territory”

Speaker: Cheryl Suzack, English, Indigenous Studies, Law, U of T Talk: "Stories from Bella Bella: On Being a Guest and Researcher in Heiltsuk Territory" Introducer: Linda Corman; Host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: This talk reflects on the research ethics and protocols associated with being a guest and researcher in Heiltsuk First Nation territory. It focuses on […]

SC Talk: William E. Reichman, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Baycrest “Innovation and the Coming Transformation of Seniors Healthcare”

Speaker: William E. Reichman, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Baycrest, Professor of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto “Innovation and the Coming Transformation of Seniors Healthcare” Introducer: Brian Corman; Host: Daphne Maurer Abstract Several emerging social and technological trends are likely to cause significant disruption to our existing models of health care delivery to […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: P.J. Carefoote, Head, Rare Books and Special Collections, Fisher Rare Book Library – “Stop the Presses: A Brief History of Literary Censorship in Canada”

Speaker: P.J. Carefoote, Head, Rare Books and Special Collections, Fisher Rare Book Library (please note CHANGE of speaker) Title: “Stop the Presses: A Brief History of Literary Censorship in Canada” Introducer: Linda Corman; Host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: Canadians tend to think about literary censorship as something that has had a chilling effect on societies other […]

Colloquium:  May 20, 2021, 1:00-3:00pm (N.B. New time) – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: Colloquium on the CAUT censure of U of T (N.B. New topic) Chair:  Daphne Maurer  On April 22nd, CAUT (the Canadian Association of University Teachers) voted unanimously to censure the University of Toronto because of a perception of political interference in the Search Committee process of the Faculty of Law involving Valentina Azarova last fall. “When reviewing all […]

SC Talk: Dwayne Benjamin, Economics, U of T; Provostial Advisor, Reruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology   “Labour Market Outcomes of PhD Graduates in Canada: A Closer Look at the CCA’s “Degrees of Success.”

Speaker: Dwayne Benjamin, Economics, U of T; Provostial Advisor, Reruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology Title: “Labour Market Outcomes of PhD Graduates in Canada: A Closer Look at the CCA’s “Degrees of Success.” Introducer and Host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: The Canadian Council of Academies Expert Panel on the Labour Market Transition of PhD Graduates […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Diana Fu, Political Science, U of T, Asian Institute, Munk School   “China’s Rise as a Superpower—and its Implications for Canada”

Speaker: Diana Fu, Political Science, U of T, Asian Institute, Munk School   “China’s Rise as a Superpower—and its Implications for Canada” Introducer and Host: David Milne Abstract: China is an indisputable global power today. How did China transform from a poor, developing country to a nation of “wolf warriors” on the world stage?  How ought we […]

Book Club: June 7, 2021 at 2:00pm-4:00pm: James Robert Brown – Who Rules in Science? An Opiniated Guide to the Wars – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Book Club: June 7, 2021: James Robert Brown - Who Rules in Science? An Opiniated Guide to the Wars - Fellows & External Fellows Only. Chair: Phil Sullivan Author: James Robert Brown “This is a wonderful book: funny, learned, intelligent, strong-minded. In a clear and understanding fashion, James Robert Brown introduces us to the battles […]

SC Talk: Susan Pfeiffer, Anthropology, U of T; Centre for the Advanced Study of Paleobiology, George Washington U. “Repatriation and Objects of Contention”

Speaker: Susan Pfeiffer, Anthropology, U of T; Centre for the Advanced Study of Paleobiology, George Washington U. Title: “Repatriation and Objects of Contention” Introducer: Sara Shettleworth; Host: Jim Gurd The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUM0JDV01QR0hCT1BNNlFITUZYVUVQMU0xSy4u The deadline to register is the Wednesday of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants […]

Meet Your Colleagues: Phil Sullivan will discuss how a mechanical model of the upper airways produced insights into COVID 19 treatment.

Meet Your Colleagues : Phil Sullivan will discuss how a mechanical model of the upper airways produced insights into COVID 19 treatment. The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUNklLVkZVRkxWRDVHVzlCRkJEVTRYWU5ONyQlQCNjPTEu The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

SC Talk: John R. Percy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, U of T “Misconceptions about the Universe: From Everyday Life to the Big Bang”

**NEW Speaker Information for June 16, 2021 Speaker: John R. Percy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, U of T Introducer and Chair: Daphne Maurer Title: “Misconceptions about the Universe: From Everyday Life to the Big Bang” Abstract: A misconception is a belief that is strongly held, but factually incorrect.  It is a form of misinformation, which is […]

Colloquium: SC Virtual Colloquium June 17, 2021, 2:00-4:00pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: What are the Implications of Declining Populations in Industrialized Societies? Chair:  Martin Klein The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUQks3WElPREpTV1FENDBWWkdYRlM3QzNMUC4u The deadline to register is 8:00am on the day of the meeting. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

SC Talk: John Baird, English, U of T “Dickens and Public Health: Infection and Disease in Bleak House”

Speaker Information for June 23, 2021—CHANGE OF SPEAKER/TOPIC** Speaker: John Baird, English, U of T Introducer: Brian Corman Host: Linda Hutcheon Title: “Dickens and Public Health: Infection and Disease in Bleak House” Abstract: Dickens’s literary career ran over nearly four decades, from the early 1830s until his death in 1870, a period which saw momentous […]

Meet Your Colleagues: Merrijoy Kelner will talk about her career as a sociologist

Meet Your Colleagues : Merrijoy Kelner will talk about her career as a sociologist The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUREtEOFpEWlVHMFAwM1NFU1JMMzJYNjhOWiQlQCNjPTEu The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.  

SC Talk: Michael Mori, Artistic Director, Tapestry Opera “Sacrilege or Survival—Opera in Adaptive Mediums”

Speaker: Michael Mori, Artistic Director, Tapestry Opera  "Sacrilege or Survival—Opera in Adaptive Mediums" Introducer and Host: Michael Hutcheon Abstract: Responding to crises with optimism AND informed experimentation, successes from opera sketch TV to medieval carts! Tapestry Opera's General Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori speaks on distilling the heart of the art form of opera to release […]

SC Talk: Gwyn Campbell, Director, Indian Ocean World Centre, McGill U “Indian Ocean World History in the Context of Human-Environment Interaction”

Speaker: Gwyn Campbell, Director, Indian Ocean World Centre, McGill U “Indian Ocean World History in the Context of Human-Environment Interaction” Introducer and Host: Marty Klein Speaker: Gwyn Campbell, Indian Ocean World Centre (IOWC), McGill University Introducer and Host: Marty Klein Abstract: This presentation challenges the conventional historical assumption that human beings constituted the motive force […]

Meet Your Colleagues: Sandra Acker will discuss her “Editor Project,” which involved interviews with editors of Higher Education Journals.

Meet Your Colleagues :  Sandra Acker will discuss her “Editor Project,” which involved interviews with editors of Higher Education Journals. The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUMkJJQk8xODhSSFRMRlZPWE8yVUg5QjhHMCQlQCNjPTEu  The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

SC Talk: Malcolm Cohen, NASA Ames (Emeritus) “Walking Your Dog on Mars?”

Speaker: Malcolm Cohen, NASA Ames (Emeritus) “Walking Your Dog on Mars?” Introducer: Charlie Maurer; Host: Daphne Maurer Bio: Malcolm Cohen worked for the U.S. Department of Defence, and then for NASA, researching how people function in the unusual environments of high-performance aircraft and spacecraft. His research involved conventional laboratory studies, studies done in human centrifuges […]

Colloquium:  July 20 at 2:00pm-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: Old Folks at Home?: Re imagining Old Age in a Post Pandemic World Chair: Magdalena Redekop This colloquium is intended to provide an opportunity to follow up on the talk by William Reichmann about new developments in elder care. There was no time that day to have a discussion amongst ourselves. Dr. Reichmann's account of the […]

SC Talk: Cindi Morshead, Surgery and Anatomy, U of T “Neural Stem Cells to Repair the Injured Brain: A Stroke of Genius”

Speaker: Cindi Morshead, Surgery and Anatomy, U of T     “Neural Stem Cells to Repair the Injured Brain: A Stroke of Genius” Introducer: Milton Charlton Host: Michael Hutcheon Title: “Neural Stem Cells to Repair the Injured Brain: A Stroke of Genius” Neurodegenerative disorders are the leading cause of disability and the 2nd leading cause of death […]

Meet Your Colleagues: Violinist Morry Kernerman will talk “My Life in Music”.

Meet Your Colleagues: Morry Kernerman, formerly violinist and assistant concertmaster with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, will be talking about “My Life in Music”. The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUMDUyTEo0OU5TSkI5NTdUV1RBSFczRERBSiQlQCNjPTEu The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

Book Club: Aug 3, 2021: Northrop Frye – The Educated Imagination – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Book Club: Aug 3, 2021: Northrop Frye - The Educated Imagination Tuesday, August 3 (because of holiday weekend): a classic! Chair: Germaine Warkentin Host: Linda Hutcheon These four brief essays started life as the 1962 Massey Lectures and still stand today as Canada’s acclaimed literary scholar’s most accessible (and enjoyable) exploration of the value of […]

Book Club: September 7, 2021: Pekka Hämäläinen, Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Tuesday, September 7 (because of holiday weekend) Among New York Times Critics' Top Books of 2019, the top 10 Best History Books of 2019 by Smithsonian Magazine, and winner of the MPIBA reading of the West Book Award for narrative nonfiction, this is "brilliant, bold, gripping history."  "At first glance it is every inch a […]

SC Talk: James Downar, Head, Division of Palliative Care, University of Ottawa, “Early Experience with Medical Assistance in Dying in Ontario”

Speaker: James Downar, Head, Division of Palliative Care, University of Ottawa Introducer/Host: Michael Hutcheon Title: “Early Experience with Medical Assistance in Dying in Ontario” Abstract: The learning objectives for the lecture include: Be aware of the demographics of people who request and receive MAID in Ontario Appreciate the issues that are driving (and not driving) […]

SC Talk: Christina E. Kramer, Slavic Languages and Literatures, U of T, “Lines of Labour: Sound and Sense in Literary Translation”

Speaker: Christina E. Kramer, Slavic Languages and Literatures, U of T Introducer/Host: Linda Hutcheon Title: “Lines of Labour: Sound and Sense in Literary Translation” Abstract: In her talk on translation, Kramer will discuss the workings of literary translations, from theory to practice, to engage with the processes in moving from one language to another. She […]

SC Talk: Jeffrey L. Stokes, Faculty of Music, Western, “Beethoven and the Commercialization of Maezel’s Metronome”

Speaker: Jeffrey L. Stokes, Faculty of Music, Western Introducer and Host: Jim Gurd Title: "Beethoven and the Commercialization of Maezel's Metronome" Abstract: For a few years after 1812, the paths of a great celebrity composer and a truly gifted entrepreneur crossed in Vienna, at just the perfect moment during an epochal culture shift, to make […]

Colloquium:  September 23 at 2:00pm-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: Does the structure of social media make it difficult for democracy to deal with tribal identities? Chair and Organizer: Phil Sullivan SUGGESTED READINGS - version 2 1)  The Roots and Impact of Outrage-Mongering in U.S. Political Opinion Media https://scholars.org/print/pdf/node/5055   2) Facebook Spreads Fake News Faster Than Any Other Social Website According to New Research https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2020/03/21/facebook-spreads-fake-news-faster-than-any-other-social-website-according-to-new-research/?sh=3fb5c5986e1a […]

Book Club October 4, 2021, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Book Club October 4, 2021, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only Walter Isaacson, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, 2021 Chair: Bill Logan We have also enclosed an abbreviated reading (our ‘Coles Notes’) so that those who are pressed for time in managing longer books […]

SC Talk: Donna Orwin, Slavic Languages and Literatures, U of T, “Politics in Dostoevsky and Tolstoy”

Speaker: Donna Orwin, Slavic Languages and Literatures, U of T Title: “Politics in Dostoevsky and Tolstoy” Introducer: Linda Corman; Host: David Milne Abstract: I turn to this topic as post-Soviet Russia remains in a transitional state, without clear principles defining its politics.  Arguably, Russia is back to reinventing itself as a modern state, as it […]

SC Talk: Laura Cirelli, Psychology, U of T, “Dancing to Wheels on the Bus: The Social-emotional Context of Rhythm Perception and Production in Infancy”

Speaker: Laura Cirelli, Psychology, U of T Title: “Smiling and Dancing to Wheels on the Bus: The Social-emotion Context of Musical Engagement in Infancy” Introducer and Host: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Around the world, caregivers engage musically with their infants. These experiences not only capture infant attention, but also have important implications for emotion regulation and […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: David Novak, Religion and Philosophy, U of T, “The New World of Jewish- Christian Relations”

Speaker: David Novak, Religion and Philosophy, U of T Title: “The New World of Jewish- Christian Relations” Introducer: Linda Corman Host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: Until the middle of the 20th century, Jewish-Christian relations were generally acrimonious. Most Christians resented the refusal of most Jews to adopt Christianity, thereby abandoning Judaism. Jews in turn resented this Christian […]

Colloquium:  October 21 at 2:00pm-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: Is the existence of privileged groups essential to the functioning of societies? Chairs and Organizers: Daphne and Charles Maurer The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/XL0i9nfb0N. The deadline to register is the morning of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on the morning of the event.

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Friday, October 29, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

Book Club November 1, 2021, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Book Club November 1, 2021, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only Daniel Mendelsohn, An Odyssey: A Father, A Son, and an Epic, 2017 Chair: Linda Hutcheon (302 pp, available in e-book and audio-book format) Part family memoir, part a study of Homer’s Odyssey, part travelogue, it eloquently tells the story of the author’s […]

SC Talk: Candace Kruttschnitt, SC Fellow, Sociology and Criminology, U of T, “A Different Approach to Examining Prisoner Re-entry: Life as a Film”

Speaker: Candace Kruttschnitt, SC Fellow, Sociology and Criminology, U of T Title: “A Different Approach to Examining Prisoner Re-entry: Life as a Film” Introducer: Peter Hajnal; Host: Jim Gurd The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/pZW5BfWixn. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.  

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Trevor Levere, History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, UofT; “Science and Arctic Exploration from Ross (1818) to Nares and Feilden (1875-76)”

Speaker: Trevor Levere, History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, UofT Title: “Science and Arctic Exploration from Ross (1818) to Nares and Feilden (1875-76)" Introducer: Bibhu Mohanty; Host: Daphne Maurer Abstract: From 1818 until the loss of the last Franklin Expedition, the Royal Navy undertook a series of expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage. […]

Colloquium:  November 18 at 2:00pm-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Topic: Is the biology of reproduction an insurmountable barrier to sexual equality Chair and Organizer: Maggie Redekop In 1970, Shulamith Firestone lamented “the tyranny of reproduction” and offered a utopian vision of a time when technology would liberate women from biology. In the years since then there have been ongoing debates about how the biology of reproduction […]

Sali Tagliamonte, Linguistics, U of T; “Soakers, Slims and Other Expressions: Including Ontario Dialects in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)”

Speaker: Sali Tagliamonte, Linguistics, U of T Title: “Soakers, Slims and Other Expressions: Including Ontario Dialects in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)” Introducer: Monique Nemni Host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: In this presentation, I will discuss research I have been doing on the dialects of Ontario. The Ontario Dialects Project (ODP), as we refer to this […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

Book Club December 6, 2021, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Book Club December 6, 2021, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only Max and Monique Nemni,Young Trudeau, 1919-1944: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada, 2006 Chair: David Milne Guest Authors: Max and Monique Nemni (343 pp, Notes=32, available in e-book and audio-book format) “This book shines a light of devastating clarity on French-Canadian society […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Thursday, December 7, 2021 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

Colloquium:  December 9 at 2:00pm-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only

Colloquium: December 9, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only Title: Manipulating Gender: Who, Why and When? Chair: Daphne Maurer Topics: How many genders do Homo sapiens have? How do the genders form? How plastic are they? When should doctors get involved? Current vocabulary: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq An academic review of the science is attached ("Gender Identity […]

Book Club January  4, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Tuesday, January 4th (because of New Year holiday) Richard Wrangham, The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution Chair: Daphne Maurer (377 pp, Notes=80, available in e-book and audio-book format) A fascinating and accessible book on why we don’t kill each other, at least not as often as other primates. Written […]

SC Talk: Peter Alberti, Medicine, U of T – “Victorian Doctor, Sir William Wilde, Otologist, Archeologist, Antiquarian, Author, Traveler, Philanderer, Genius. March 1815 – May 1876, Famous Father of an (in)Famous Son” January 5

SC Talk: Peter Alberti, Medicine, U of T Title: “Victorian Doctor, Sir William Wilde, Otologist, Archeologist, Antiquarian, Author, Traveler, Philanderer, Genius. March 1815 – May 1876, Famous Father of an (in)Famous Son” Introducer and Host: Michael Hutcheon Abstract: William Wilde was born at the end of the Napoleonic wars on the West Coast of Ireland, […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Paul Frankland, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, “The Persistence and Transience of Memory”

Host:  Jim Gurd Introducer:  Joanne Rovet Speaker: Paul Frankland, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Title: “The Persistence and Transience of Memory” Abstract: The predominant focus in the neurobiological study of memory has been on remembering (persistence). However, recent studies have considered the neurobiology of forgetting (transience). In my talk I will draw parallels between neurobiological […]

Colloquium: January 13, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only Title: “Is Artificial Intelligence Artificial?”

Colloquium: January 13, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Is Artificial Intelligence Artificial?" Chair: Charles  Maurer If a sales clerk uses a calculator to add HST to $100, is the clerk or the calculator more intelligent? What is the appropriate comparator? Are Siri and Alexa intelligent?If a computer processes information like a brain--in mathematical […]

SC Talk: Paul Faure, Neuroethologist, McMaster Bat Lab, “Development of Echolocation and Hearing in the Big Brown Bat”

Speaker Information for January 19, 2022 at 1pm Speaker: Paul A. Faure, Dept. of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University Introducer and Host: Daphne Maurer Title: “Development of echolocation and hearing in the big brown bat” Abstract: I will summarize work on the maturation of Eptesicus fuscus—a model for mammalian vocal and auditory development. Big […]

Kenneth Deer, Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation of the Kahnawake Territory – “The Long Journey toward UNDRIP”.

Speaker: Dr. Kenneth Atsenhaienton Deer, Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation of the Kahnawake Territory Introducer: Peter Hajnal; remarks by Peter Russell Title: “The Development of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: A Haudenosaunee Perspective” Abstract: Like our Elders tell us, we start all stories at the beginning. This presentation begins with […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: Tuesday, January 27, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: George Walker, xylographer; “Written in Wood: Visual Narratives with a Canadian cut”

Title: Written in Wood: Visual Narratives with a Canadian cut Speaker: George Walker, xylographer Introducer: Daphne Maurer Host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract and Bio: In this talk xylographer George Walker presents his wordless graphic narratives and not only places each of these works in context to contemporary Canadian culture, political history and biography but also tells why this is […]

Book Club February 7, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only on Zoom

Book Club February 7, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only   Mary Shelley,  Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818) Chair: Mary Jane Ashley    (104 pp, available in e-book and audio-book format) You’ve seen the movie(s), but have you ever read the book? Medical science (of the 18th century) meets gothic fantasy fiction in a […]

SC Talk: Mary O’Connor, English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University, “Reading Photographs, Reading Archives: The Photography of Margaret Watkins (1884-1969)”

Title: Reading Photographs, Reading Archives: The Photography of Margaret Watkins (1884-1969) Speaker: Mary O'Connor, English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University Introducer and Zoom host: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: On the occasion of a major exhibition opening at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, I will introduce the photography of Margaret Watkins, a successful art and advertising photographer […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: February 10, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Jeffrey Dvorkin, Former Director, Journalism Program, UTSC. “Trusting the News in a Digital Age”

Speaker Information for February 16, 2022 Speaker: Jeffrey Dvorkin, Former Director, Journalism Program, UTSC. Title: “Trusting the News in a Digital Age” Abstract: Jeffrey will introduce his new book, Trusting the News in a Digital Age, which provides an ethical framework and the much-needed tools for assessing information produced in our digital age. With the […]

Colloquium: February 17, 2022, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only Title: “Why have memoirs become prevalent and influential? How can we judge authenticity? Does it matter?”

Colloquium: February 17, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only. Topic: Why have memoirs become so prevalent and influential? How can we judge their authenticity? Does it matter? Chair: Magdalene Redekop Readings: Thomas Larson, "The Age of Memoir" https://www.thomaslarson.com/publications/essays-and-memoirs/76-the-age-of-memoir.html Alison Wearing, "Memoir is Not the Story of Your Life" https://open-book.ca/Writer-in-Residence/Archives/Alison-Wearing/Memoir-is-Not-the-Story-of-Your-Life Bahar Gholipour, […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: February 24, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: “Gazing into the Abyss: Naval Intelligence Failure in the Early Cold War”

SC Talk: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 2:00 - 4:00pm - Hybrid event: Zoom and The Faculty Club Speaker: Nicholas Gunz, Naval and Intelligence Historian Introducer: Daphne Maurer Zoom Host: Michael Hutcheon Title: “Gazing into the Abyss: Naval Intelligence Failure in the Early Cold War” Abstract:  It was, arguably, the most dangerous moment in human […]

SC Book Club: March 7, 2022, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Book Club March 7, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents Chair: Marty Klein (476 pp, Notes=81, available in e-book, audio-book, and large print format) Published in 2020 amidst the turmoil of that year’s American election and before the Jan 6, 2021 assault on Congress, […]

SC Talk: Speaker: Mark Lautens, JB Jones Distinguished Professor, Chemistry, U of T, “Advocating for Science”

Speaker: Mark Lautens, JB Jones Distinguished Professor, Chemistry, U of T Introducer: Janet Paterson Title: “Advocating for Science” Bio: Mark Lautens completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of Guelph then conducted doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard University. His work is in the area of […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: March 10, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Talk: Michael and Linda Hutcheon, Medicine and English/Comparative Literature, U of T, “We…the sons of Palestrina”

NEW* Speaker Information for March 16, 2022—Hybrid: In-person AND ZOOM *The scheduled speaker Lynne Hasher has had to cancel her talk. Speakers: Michael and Linda Hutcheon, Medicine and English/Comparative Literature, U of T Introducer (on Zoom): Daphne Maurer Zoom Host: Jim Gurd Title: “We…the sons of Palestrina”: Opera and Italian Cultural Nationalism from Verdi to […]

Colloquium: March 17, 2-4pm – Fellows &External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Colloquium: March 17, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Should we reform the police in Canada?" Chair: Marty Klein Suggested readings: https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/defund-the-police-abolish-reform_ca_5ee15538c5b6dfc704f97205 https://pressprogress.ca/canadians-are-talking-about-defunding-the-police-heres-what-that-means-and-what-it-could-look-like/ https://rabble.ca/anti-racism/the-fight-to-defund-the-police-continues-across-Canada/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-group-aims-to-overhaul-canadian-police-training/ The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/dGNYNZz4uw The deadline to register is 8:00am on the morning of the event. The Zoom link will be sent to […]

SC Talk: Joel Faflak, Department of English, University of Western Ontario, “Get Happy! Learning to Love Musicals”

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Speaker: Joel Faflak, Department of English, University of Western Ontario Introducer: Deanne Bogdan Zoom Host: Linda Hutcheon Title: “Get Happy! Learning to Love Musicals” Abstract: People either love or hate musicals; there is rarely an in-between response. But why? Something about the affective pull of musicals answers this question, which orients us toward how film […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: March 24, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: April 21, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

SC Book Club: April 4, 2022, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Book Club April 4, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only Sue Roe, In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse, and the Birth of Modernist Art, 1900-1910 Chair: Meg Fox (365 pp, available in e-book and audio-book format) “In Montmartre is a colorful history of the birth of Modernist art as it arose from one of […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: April 7, 2022 at 2:00pm – all members

This will be a 60 minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows and all other Members of Senior […]

17th Annual Senior College Symposium, “What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?”

Date:  Wednesday April 20, 2022 Location: Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks Avenue We have heard lots of practical advice on dealing with the pandemic. This year’s Symposium will offer a wider and deeper perspective. Speakers will give us insider views on the COVID experience and the ways new and established knowledge has (or has not) guided public […]

SC Book Club July 4, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

Book Club July 4, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only Steven Price, Lampedusa (326 pp, available in e-book and audio-book format). Discussion leader: David Milne Brief background discussion leaders: Giuliana Katz (on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s posthumously published 1958 novel, Il gattopardo ) & Linda Hutcheon (on Luchino Visconti’s 1963 film adaptation: […]

Speaker: Lucan Ahmad Way, Political Science, Munk School, “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Causes and Consequences”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Speaker: Lucan Ahmad Way, Political Science, Munk School Title: “Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Causes and Consequences” Introducer: Peter Hajnal Abstract: In this lecture, Lucan Way will address a most timely topic in discussing the reasons for the Russian invasion, […]

SC Book Club September 12, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

September 12, 2022, 2-4pm - Fellows and External Fellows Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night (1935) Discussion Leader:  Germaine Warkentin This distinguished and beautifully written mystery-cum-novel – beloved by academics – is the second-last of Dorothy L. Sayers' eleven mysteries and many stories centering on Lord Peter Wimsey, brilliant second son of a ducal family, shell-shocked hero of […]

Speaker: Marla Sokolowski, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U of T, “Epigenetics, Genetics and Behaviour”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Speaker: Marla Sokolowski, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U of T Title: “Epigenetics, Genetics and Behaviour” Introducer: Harold Atwood Abstract: Previous ideas about the origins of our individual differences were based around the nature-nurture dichotomy. Current research has shown that […]

Colloquium: September 15, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – SC Centre only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium: September 15, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only Location: Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street, Suite 412 Title: "Why are people so angry?" Chair: Mary Finlay Reading Colloquium on September 15, 2022 All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised. The event will have a restriction of 15 […]

Speaker: Andrea Charise, Health and Society, UTSC Title: “Arts, Wellness, and Crafting Intergenerational Communities”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Andrea Charise, Health and Society, UTSC Title: “Arts, Wellness, and Crafting Intergenerational Communities” Introducer: Maggie Redekop Abstract:  “Storytelling” is a vital element of arts- and humanities-based health research, education, […]

Speaker: Chandrakant Shah, Dalla Lana School, U of T; Clinical Coordinator of Anishnawbe Health Title: “Settlers’ Role in Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Chandrakant Shah, Dalla Lana School, U of T; Clinical Coordinator of Anishnawbe Health Title: “A Settlers’ Role in Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples” Introducer: Mary Chipman Abstract: As a first-generation […]

Celebrate the 10+ years of Senior College’s establishment: Faculty Club on Saturday October 1st from 5:30 until 9:00 pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Senior Collegians, Come and join us at the Faculty Club on Saturday October 1st from 5:30 until 9:00 pm for an evening of friendly conversation, good food, beautiful music … and a few invigorating toasts. Celebrate the 10+ years of Senior College’s establishment as well as the Founding Fellows and Peter Russell, First Principal, who […]

SC Book Club October 3, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

October 3, 2022, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Tom Wolfe, From Bauhaus to Our House (1981) Discussion Leader: Lisa Steele After critiquing and infuriating the art world with The Painted Word, award winning author Tom Wolfe shared his less than favourable thoughts about modern architecture in this insightful and witty book. In an examination […]

Speaker: Ronald F. Williamson, Founder, Archaeological Services Talk: “New Understandings of Great Lakes Indigenous History and Archaeology”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Ronald F. Williamson, Founder, Archaeological Services Talk: “New Understandings of Great Lakes Indigenous History and Archaeology” Introducer: Susan Pfeiffer Abstract: Few people who hear the City of Toronto Land […]

Speaker: Ron Saporta , Chief Operating Officer Property Services & Sustainability, U of T Talk: “Tackling Climate Change and Carbon Emissions at the University of Toronto’s St George Campus”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Ron Saporta , Chief Operating Officer Property Services & Sustainability, U of T Talk: "Tackling Climate Change and Carbon Emissions at the University of Toronto's St George Campus" Introducer: […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: October 13, 2:00pm  – Zoom Only​

Zoom

This will be a 60-minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows, and all other Members of Senior College. […]

Speaker: Arthur Ripstein, Philosophy and Law, Uof T Talk: “Law and the Morality of War”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Arthur Ripstein, Philosophy and Law, Uof T Talk: “Law and the Morality of War” Introducer: Brian Corman Abstract: Pretty much everything is wrong with war.   In this talk, I […]

Colloquium: October 20, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium: October 20, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Should we censor hate speech and if so, where should we draw the line" Chair: Phil Sullivan Location: Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street, Suite 412. Not on zoom All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised. […]

SC Virtual Coffee Break: October 25, 2:00pm  – Zoom Only​

Zoom

This will be a 60-minute meeting at which you will be able to talk, via video connection, with other members of Senior College who opt to join the meeting. No agenda, no specific objective, just friendly conversation. Registration for the coffee break is open to Fellows, External Fellows, and all other Members of Senior College. […]

Speaker: Lorraine Weinrib, Law, U of T Talk: “The Charter at 40”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Lorraine Weinrib, Law, U of T Talk: “The Charter at 40” Introducer: Linda Corman Abstract:  What is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) today at 40?  This […]

Speaker: Ian Williams, novelist, poet, prof, English, Uof T Talk: “Disappointment”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Ian Williams, novelist, poet, prof, English, Uof T Talk: “Disappointment” Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. In this meditation, Ian Williams considers the […]

SC Book Club November 7, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

November 7, 2022, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows   Suzanne Simard, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest (2021)                                                                                                 Discussion Leader: Daphne Maurer Several recent books describe how trees in the forest communicate with each other through underground networks of fungal filaments. This one is from a Canadian who was one of […]

Speaker: Peter Victor, Environmental Studies, York U Talk: Herman Daly’s Full World Economics: His Life and Ideas

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Peter Victor, Environmental Studies, York U Talk: Herman Daly’s Full World Economics: His Life and Ideas Introducer: Ian Burton Abstract: This lecture will be based on Peter Victor’s recently […]

Inaugural Peter Russell Discussion

The Faculty Club, UofT 41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON

Thursday, November 10th, University of Toronto Faculty Club Lunch (optional) 12:00, Fairley Room Discussion 2:00-4:00 P.M., Wedgewood Room Reception to follow, Fairley Room Free and open to the public Register before November 7th What ​I​s the Monarchy's Role in 21st​-C​entury Canada?  Discussion moderated by Professor Rob Vipond, Department of Political Science   Invited discussants from […]

Speaker: Charlie Maurer, science writer Talk: “Illusion, Reality, Canvas and Camera”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Charlie Maurer, science writer Talk: “Illusion, Reality, Canvas and Camera” Introducer: Michael Hutcheon Abstract: No camera ever tells the truth, and the Louvre is filled with fakery. All naturalistic […]

Speaker: Charlie Keil, History and Cinema Studies, U of T Talk: “How Do Films Work? What Makes Cinema Cinematic?”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Charlie Keil, History and Cinema Studies, U of T Talk: “How Do Films Work? What Makes Cinema Cinematic?” Introducer: Janet Paterson Abstract:  Motion pictures were scarcely twenty years old […]

Speaker: Ramin Jahanbegloo, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies; Vice-Dean of the School of Law at Jindal Global University, Delhi, India Talk: “Understanding Iran Protests”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Speaker: Ramin Jahanbegloo, Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies; Vice-Dean of the School of Law at Jindal Global University, Delhi, India Talk: “Understanding Iran Protests” Introducer: Bibhu Mohanty Abstract: For the first time in its history, the […]

An extra (very topical) session: Friday Talk: December 2, 2022, 10am-12pm – in-person and on Zoom 

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Friday Talk: December 2, 2022, 10am-12pm - in-person and on Zoom  (non-Fellows can participate for $10)  ** An extra (very topical) session on a FRIDAY (Dec. 2) from 10-12, as usual, at the Faculty Club (Primrose Room, upstairs) and on Zoom. A Timely Added Talk: Friday, December 2, 10-12 (our usual times, but a Friday)  Stay to share the […]

SC Book Club December 5, 2022, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

December 5, 2022, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows  Yasha Mounk, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure (2022) Discussion Leader: Max Nemni In this most interesting, well-researched and well-written book noted political philosopher Yasha Mounk, asks two questions: 1) why are many democracies falling apart and 2) how […]

SC Wednesday Talk:  Burton Lim, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, ROM, “Great Whales: Up Close and Personal” January 4, 2023, 2-4pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker:  Burton Lim, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, ROM Title:  “Great Whales: Up Close and Personal” Introducer: Jim Gurd Abstract: The great whales include the largest animals that have ever lived on earth, but we know so little about them and some are on the brink of extinction.  A recent exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum […]

SC Book Club January 9, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

January 9, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet (also published as Hamnet and Judith) (2021) Discussion Leader: Molly Wills Winner of the National Book Critics Circle award and a New York Times bestseller, this is a fictionalized version of the love and family of Shakespeare (who is never named!) and Anne […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker: Sandra Rehan, Biology, York U Title: “Diversity, Decline and Sustainability of Wild Bees”, January 11, 2023, 2-4pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

January 11, 2023 Speaker: Sandra Rehan, Biology, York U Title: “Diversity, Decline and Sustainability of Wild Bees” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Understanding the nutritional requirements of wild bees is essential for their conservation. Remarkably little is known about wild bee habitat requirements, floral preference, and the nutritional value of pollen resources. Here I provide the […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker: Aisha Ahmad, Political Science, U of T Title: “Why Jihadists Win” January 18, 2023, 2-4 pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

 January 18, 2023 Speaker: Aisha Ahmad, Political Science, U of T Title: “Why Jihadists Win” Introducer: Charlie Maurer Abstract: Why are jihadist insurgencies able to withstand massive international military interventions against them, survive long periods of occupation, and then suddenly resurge and take power again? This talk unpacks the economic logic behind this jihadist resilience, […]

Colloquium: January 19, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium: January 19, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Registration deadline extended to Wednesday, January 18 at 8am Title: “"Educating Voters” Co-chairs and Organizers: Phil SullivanColloquium topic: "Educating voters? How can people be educated about the need to vote? How can they be educated about how to decide for whom to vote? Should they […]

SC Wednesday Talk:Speakers:  Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada; Peter Hajnal, Librarian; John Kirton, panelists; moderator Louis Pauly, Political Science, U of T. Title: “What Is the Role of the G-20 Today?”, January 25, 2023, 2-4pm.

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

January 25, 2023 Speakers:  Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada; Peter Hajnal, Librarian; John Kirton, panelists; moderator Louis Pauly, Political Science, U of T. Title: “What Is the Role of the G-20 Today?” Introducer and Chair: Peter Hajnal Abstract: With the world currently consumed by many, interconnected crises, new questions have arisen about the […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker:  Sophia Moreau, Law and Philosophy, U of T Title: “Tort Law and Social Equality: Using Unlikely Areas of the Law to Redress Social Subordination”, February 1, 2023, 2-4pm.

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

February 1, 2023 Speaker:  Sophia Moreau, Law and Philosophy, U of T Title: “Tort Law and Social Equality: Using Unlikely Areas of the Law to Redress Social Subordination” Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: Although Canada has robust anti-discrimination laws, these laws can only accomplish so much.  Scholars who work on other areas of law —such as […]

SC Book Club February 6, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

February 6, 2023, 2-4pm - Fellows and External Fellows  Erna Paris, Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History (2000) Discussion Leader: Monique Nemni                                                                                               We can all read official narratives about certain horrible events that took place in some countries. But how do ordinary people, […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker:  Peter Sloly, Chief of Ottawa Police Service, 2019-22 Title: “Reflections and Projections on Canadian Policing”, February 8, 2023, 2-4pm.

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

February 8, 2023  Speaker:  Peter Sloly, Chief of Ottawa Police Service, 2019-22 Title: “Reflections and Projections on Canadian Policing” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Peter Sloly will provide a concise but compelling set of reflections and projections about policing in Canada.  The last three years (2019-2022) has been imperfectly perfect storm - that exposed a perfectly […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker: Miriam Diamond, Earth Sciences, U of T Title: “Solutions, and why we need them now, to address the global threat of chemical pollution”, February 15, 2023, 2-4pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

February 15, 2023 Speaker: Miriam Diamond, Earth Sciences, U of T Title: “Solutions, and why we need them now, to address the global threat of chemical pollution” Introducer: TBA Abstract: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has named our current, global situation a “planetary emergency” that will undermine the ability of all societies, today and […]

Colloquium: February 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium: February 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Title: "Was Colonization Beneficial for the Colonized?" Chair: Martin Klein Colonization has been important in Canada two ways. First, Canada developed as colonies of two European powers, gradually over four centuries becoming a self-governing state. Second, the original inhabitants of Canada formed […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker: Michael Gervers, History, U of T Title: “What do we know about the Ethiopian Dark Ages (7th-12th centuries)?”, February 22, 2023, 2-4pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

February 22, 2023  Speaker: Michael Gervers, History, U of T Title: “What do we know about the Ethiopian Dark Ages (7th-12th centuries)?” Introducer: Marty Klein Abstract: The Axumite kingdom flourished from the 1st to the 6th century, after which economic decline set in. Several explanations have been put forward for this change: the defeat of […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker: Bence Viola, Anthropology, U of T Title: “Living on the Edge – Neanderthals and Denisovans in Central Asia.” March 1, 2023, 2-4pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

March 1, 2023 Speaker: Bence Viola, Anthropology, U of T Title: “Living on the Edge – Neanderthals and Denisovans in Central Asia.” Introducer: Susan Pfeiffer Abstract: forthcoming Bio: Associate Professor Bence Viola is a paleoanthropologist focusing on the biological and cultural dynamics of the contacts between different hominin groups in the late Pleistocene. To better […]

SC Book Club March 6, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

March 6, 2021, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Scott Weidensaul, A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds (2021) Discussion Leader:  Sara Shettleworth The author is an accomplished nature writer who has become deeply personally involved in the scientific study of migratory birds, helping to document migratory patterns all over the […]

SC Talk. Speaker: Mark Osbaldeston “Unbuilt University of Toronto and Queens Park”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

March 8, 2023 Speaker: Mark Osbaldeston Title: “Unbuilt University of Toronto and Queens Park” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Mark Osbaldeston will explore two centuries of never-realized building and planningproposals for Queen’s Park and the neighbouring University of Toronto campus.Using dozens of images drawn from provincial, municipal, and university archives(and expanding on his books Unbuilt Toronto and […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker: J. Gottfried Paasche, Sociology, York U Title: “The German Aristocracy and Their Resistance, or Lack of, to Hitler and the Nazis: The case of General Kurt von Hammerstein and Three of his Daughters.” March 15, 2023, 2-4pm

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

March 15, 2023 Speaker: J. Gottfried Paasche, Sociology, York U Title: “The German Aristocracy and Their Resistance, or Lack of, to Hitler and the Nazis: The case of General Kurt von Hammerstein and Three of his Daughters.” Introducer: TBA Abstract: The speaker is the grandson of Hans Paasche, pacifist, assassinated in 1920 by Nationalist German […]

Colloquium: March 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium: March 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Can public and private healthcare systems work well together? If so, how? If not, why not?" William Longan's colloquium All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is […]

SC Wednesday Talk: Speaker:  Konrad Eisenbichler, Italian, Renaissance Studies, U of Toronto Title: “A Different Sort of Italian: Julian-Dalmatian Immigrants in Canada”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

March 22, 2023  Speaker:  Konrad Eisenbichler, Italian, Renaissance Studies, U of Toronto Title: “A Different Sort of Italian: Julian-Dalmatian Immigrants in Canada” Introducer: Giuliana Katz Abstract: Scholarship on Italian immigration to Canada has generally omitted the Julian-Dalmatians, a group of Italians from Istria and Dalmatia, two regions that, in the wake of World War Two, […]

SC Book Club May 1, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

May 1, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Kyle Harper, From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity (2013) Discussion Leader: David Milne It is rare event for the Book Club to favour two books by the same author in its Program. Here the honour goes to the remarkable […]

Summer Wednesday Talk: May 17, 2023, 2-4:45pm, in-person only. Speaker: Merrill Swain Title:  “Talking Matters:  Theory, Research and Knowledge Mobilization” AND “Talking Matters” (a play) 

The Faculty Club, UofT 41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON

May 17, 2023, 2-4:45pm - in-person only (non-Fellows can participate for $10)   Speaker: Merrill Swain Title:  “Talking Matters:  Theory, Research and Knowledge Mobilization” AND “Talking Matters” (a play)  Introducer: Daphne Maurer   Abstract of talk:  The focus of this session is to demonstrate that theory-informed research can be transformed into accessible and actionable knowledge.  A) Theory: the theoretical concept of “languaging”, set within the […]

Summer Wednesday Talk: May 24, 2023, 2-4pm – Zoom only. Speaker: Lawrence Wiliford  Title:  “Charting a New Path: Classical Vocal Music and Canadian Visual Media Distribution” 

Zoom

Wednesday Talk: May 24, 2023, 2-4pm - Zoom only (non-Fellows can participate for $10)   Speaker: Lawrence Wiliford  Title:  "Charting a New Path: Classical Vocal Music and Canadian Visual Media Distribution”  Introducer: Linda Hutcheon   Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, opera companies and other performing arts organizations embraced film and video production to enable artists to continue their craft while also […]

Summer Wednesday Talk: May  31, 2023, 2-4pm – Zoom only

Zoom

Wednesday Talk: May  31, 2023, 2-4pm - Zoom only (non-Fellows can participate for $10)   Speaker: Geoff Rayner-Canham  Title:  “Chemistry and Inuit Life and Culture”  Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract:  Inuit have lived and thrived for millennia in one of the most challenging environments on the planet. How is this possible? It is chemistry which, in many aspects, provide the underlaying explanations for […]

SC Book Club June 5, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

June 5, 2023, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Steven Johnson, The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic – and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World (2006) Discussion Leader: William Logan The Ghost Map is a gripping multi disciplinary account of London’s cholera epidemic in the 1850s and how […]

Summer Wednesday Talk: June 7, 2023, 2-4pm – Zoom only. Speaker: Katherine Corcoran Title: “In the Mouth of the Wolf: A Murder, A Cover-up, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press”

Zoom

June 7, 2023 Speaker: Katherine Corcoran Title: “In the Mouth of the Wolf: A Murder, A Cover-up, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press” Abstract: Katherine Corcoran will discuss her investigations as Associated Press Mexico bureau chief that led to her recently published book, In the Mouth of the Wolf: A Murder, A Cover-up, […]

Summer Wednesday Talk: June 14, 2023, 2-4pm – Zoom only.

Zoom

June 14, 2023 Speaker: Ella Striem-Amit Title: “Drawing with Your Feet: Learning about Brain Plasticity and Function from People Born without Hands” Abstract: We perform most of our daily actions with our hands, and vast portions of the brain are dedicated to them. What does this system do in people born without hands who use […]

Summer Wednesday Talk: June 23, 2023, 2-4pm – Zoom only.

Zoom

June 23, 2023 Speaker: Daniel Lang Title: 'The Carnegie Foundation and University of Toronto Faculty Pensions: An "Undenominational", Un-tax-funded History”’ Abstract: When the Carnegie Foundation was established in 1905, universities in Canada and Newfoundland were eligible for grants, on strict conditions that were seen by some as “colonial,” “continentalist,” or “imperial” intrusions on autonomy; for […]

SC Wednesday, September 6, 10 am Speaker: Elizabeth Harvey Title: “Out of One’s Mind: Dementia in Anne Carson’s Poetry”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, September 6, 10 am Speaker: Elizabeth Harvey Title: “Out of One’s Mind: Dementia in Anne Carson’s Poetry” ABSTRACT: Anne Carson is an internationally renowned Canadian poet. Her eccentric poetic genius has been recognized by a sweep of prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the first T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize conferred on a woman, two […]

SC Book Club September 11, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

Book Club: September 11, 2023, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows - Zoom only.  David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity (2021) Discussion Leaders: Daphne Maurer, Susan Pfeiffer. This book is a trailblazing account of humans through time, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about our remote ancestors […]

SC Wednesday, September 13, 10 am. Speaker: Kang Lee. Title: “Little Cheaters and How to Make Them Honest: The Origin of Academic Dishonesty in Childhood”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, September 13, 10 am Speaker: Kang Lee Title: “Little Cheaters and How to Make Them Honest: The Origin of Academic Dishonesty in Childhood” Abstract: In this talk, I will discuss briefly the history of cheating and the scientific research on cheating with a focus on academic cheating. Then I will present the recent discoveries […]

Colloquium: September 14, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Topic: " What is the purpose of school education?" Organizers: Phil Sullivan, Charles Maurer, Ed Barbeau, John Yeomans Readings Alison Lurie, “Do Schools have to be boring?”. New York Review of Books, December 4 and 18, 2008. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2008/12/18/do-schools-have-to-be-boring/ https://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/drking/the-purpose-of-education/ https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/15/01/whats-worth-learning-school https://newlearningonline.com/new-learning/chapter-2/supporting-material-2/ivan-illich-on-deschooling    An additional reading, provided by the Maurers, will be sent out to the registrants on Monday. […]

Senior College Excursion, September 19, 2023, Fellows and External Fellows only.

Senior College Excursion, September 19, 2023, Fellows and External Fellows only. Senior College has been offered an exciting opportunity to visit a lovely private garden by Dr. Isabelle Robinson who is a designer, landscaper and talented gardener. This midtown garden is full of unusual trees, perennials and annuals and has been the subject of several […]

SC Wednesday, September 20, 10 am  Speaker: Valerie Tarasuk Title: “Food Insecurity in Canada: A Blind Spot in Public Policy”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, September 20, 10 am  Speaker: Valerie Tarasuk Title: “Food Insecurity in Canada: A Blind Spot in Public Policy” Abstract: Household food insecurity refers to the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. In Canada, the public face of this problem is food banks, but it has been measured and monitored on large […]

SC Talk: Wednesday, September 27, 10 am -Speaker: Howard Eisenberg Title: “How Reality Works and the Case for Non-Duality: Echoes from Plato’s Cave©️”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, September 27, 10 am Speaker: Howard Eisenberg Title: “How Reality Works and the Case for Non-Duality: Echoes from Plato’s Cave©️”   Abstract: Do you wonder sometimes how and why you're here? What 'here' even is, and who 'you' are in the greater scheme of things? Are you feeling increasingly overwhelmed and in despair about […]

SC Book Club October 2, 2023, at 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – Zoom Only

Zoom

Book Club: October 2, 2023, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows - Zoom only.  Tom Stoppard, Arcadia (1993) Discussion leader: Alexander Leggatt Even if you haven’t read a play for a while (Shakespeare, perhaps?), the Book Club’s first dramatic work, Arcadia, will prove an absorbing and hilarious bringing together on stage of the past […]

SC Wednesday, October 4, 10 am Speaker: Geoff Rayner-Canham, Title: “Chemistry and Inuit Life and Culture”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, October 4, 10 am Speaker: Geoff Rayner-Canham Title: “Chemistry and Inuit Life and Culture” Abstract:  Inuit have lived and thrived for millennia in one of the most challenging environments on the planet. How is this possible? It is chemistry which, in many aspects, provide the underlaying explanations for Inuit survival. Over the past ten […]

SC Wednesday, October 11, 10 am Speaker: Paul Delaney, Title: “The Evolution of the Space Telescopes”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, October 11, 10 am Speaker: Paul Delaney Title: “The Evolution of the Space Telescopes” Abstract: The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and now the James Web Space Telescope (JWST) are household words, abbreviations recognized by a sizeable fraction of the population.  The evolution of such space-based observing instruments dates back into the 1960s.  Further, many […]

Colloquium: October 12, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Topic: "How do we house the homeless?" Organizers: Marty Klein, Cynthia Smith, Bill Logan All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is 12:30pm at MIDI Bistro, 168 McCaul St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1W4 (NB this is on McCaul, just south of Baldwin) […]

SC Wednesday, October 18, 10 am Speaker: Heidi Bohaker, Title: “Ontario’s Treaties as First Law: Indigenous-Crown Relations and Land Conveyance Agreements”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, October 18, 10 am Speaker: Heidi Bohaker Title: “Ontario's Treaties as First Law: Indigenous-Crown Relations and Land Conveyance Agreements” Abstract: The word “treaty” in common usage typically refers to an agreement between nations. This is the sense also used when people in Canada talk about the treaties and the treaty relationships between various First […]

SC Wednesday, October 25, 10 am Speaker: Joanne Tod, Title: “The Dearth of Irony: Postmodernism, Identity Politics and the Visual Arts”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Joanne Tod Title: “The Dearth of Irony: Postmodernism, Identity Politics and the Visual Arts”  Abstract: Rejecting the grand narratives and absolute values embraced by Modernism, some of the conceptual tactics in the Postmodernist arsenal include skepticism, self-referentiality and irony. Joanne Tod, an emerging artist during this period, made work exemplifying many of the strategic […]

SC Wednesday, November 1, 10 am Speakers: Sue and Jim Waddington Title: “In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson” – Zoom only

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speakers: Sue and Jim Waddington Title: “In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson” Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event is now on Zoom only. Abstract: During a canoe trip in Killarney Provincial Park, Sue and Jim paddled to Nellie Lake. They were surprised they could locate the exact spot A.Y. Jackson […]

Book Club November 6, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows – Zoom only

Zoom

November 6, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859) Discussion Leader: Sara Shettleworth Widely regarded as one of the most important books ever published, ‘The Origin’ sold out on the day of publication. It sold 3800 copies in its first year and in Darwin’s lifetime was reprinted […]

SC Wednesday, November 8, 10 am Speakers: Speaker: Marie-Hélène Budworth Title: “Diversity at Work: Uncovering Barriers to Inclusivity in Employment”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Marie-Hélène Budworth Title: “Diversity at Work: Uncovering Barriers to Inclusivity in Employment” Abstract:  Dr. Budworth will review research on diversity, inclusion, and belonging from the organizational psychology and organizational behaviour literatures.  Particular attention will be paid to the barriers faced by individuals who hold historically marginalized identities.  She will speak to research that examines […]

SC Wednesday, November 15, 10 am Speaker: Derek Denis Title: “English in Multicultural Toronto”

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, November 15, 10 am Speaker: Derek Denis Title: “English in Multicultural Toronto” Derek Denis. associate professor of linguistics, Department of Language Studies, UTM Abstract: This talk explores the diverse and innovative sounds and vocabulary of Toronto English in its multicultural context. I consider the intersecting influences of migration, race, place, and multilingualism in the […]

Colloquium: November 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Topic: "How do we recognize historical figures whose record is now seen controversial? The conundrum of statues and naming." Organizers: Trevor Lloyd, Mary Finlay, Marty Klein All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is 12:30pm at MIDI Bistro, 168 McCaul St., Toronto, […]

SC Wednesday, November 22, 10 am Speaker: Jacqueline Gibbons Title: Spread Your Wings: Icarus to 1912 (Flight, The Men and Women)

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Jacqueline Gibbons Title: Spread Your Wings: Icarus to 1912 (Flight, The Men and Women) Abstract: Telling a tale of remarkable explorers, inventors, pilots and entrepreneurs who have set the scene for our landing on the moon, Mars, and beyond, Jacqueline Gibbons shows how humankind has turned to birds on our planet for spiritual and […]

Book Club: December 4, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows – Zoom only

Zoom

December 4, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Jennifer Raff, Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas (2022) Discussion Leader: Susan Pfeiffer Where did the Indigenous people of the Americas come from and what were the patterns of migration by which they came to populate the continents? Although the title refers to genetics, such […]

Book Club: January 8, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Zoom only

Zoom

January 8, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Kevin Rudd, The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between US and Xi Jinping's China (2022) Discussion Leaders: Max Nemni and David Milne This book written by China expert and well-known former Australian PM Kevin Rudd is widely regarded as the best analysis of […]

Wednesday Talk: January 10, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom  

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday Talk: January 10, 2024, 2-4 pm - in-person and on Zoom   Speaker: Max Friesen, Anthropology, U of T Title: “Ancient and Urgent: Climate Change Threats to the Arctic Heritage Record” Abstract: The long-term history of the circumpolar North is facing catastrophic threats from changing climates. Rising sea levels, thawing permafrost, and increasing storminess are together causing severe destruction of archaeological sites, […]

Wednesday Talk: January 17, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom  

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Kristin Andrews, Research Chair in Animal Minds, York University Title: “Chat GPT and Bumble Bees: Exploring the Consciousness Question” Abstract: Is there something it is like to be a garden snail? Can crabs feel pain? Does my Replika really care about me? Such questions about the minds of animals and AIs have become pressing, […]

Colloquium, January 18, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium, January 18, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "The rise of authoritarian governments." Organizers: Phil Sullivan All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings:  1)  Review of Twilight of Democracy  by Anne Applebaum. Following Julian Benda's book  la Trahison des Clercs (i.e Intellectuals) […]

Wednesday Talk: January 24, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom  

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Kevin Edmunds, History, U of T Title: “Haiti, Popular Democracy and the Endless Colonial Intervention” Abstract: What happens when intervention designed to "help" produces an even greater harm? In the short term, it can be an honest, albeit well intentioned mistake. When that becomes the defining feature of a relationship that spans 219 years, […]

Wednesday Talk: February 14, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: John Gardner, author Title: “Capturing the Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim's Journey through the Ages”  Abstract: Over his lifetime John has engaged continuously in his favourite activity: trekking long distances in the mountains of New England, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Dolomites and Corsica, often accompanied by family and friends. As the years caught […]

Wednesday Talk: January 31, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom  

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 2 pm Speaker: Jane Rylett, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Aging, Western U. Title: “Addressing the Impacts of Canada’s Changing Population Demographic”  Abstract: The CIHR Institute of Aging invests in research that promotes an optimal life-long approach to healthy aging and improves the health and wellness of Canada’s aging population. […]

Book Club: February 12, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows- Zoom only – new date*

Zoom

February 12, 2024, 2-4pm - Fellows and External Fellows Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief (1999) Discussion Leader: Meg Fox The first (and only) novel by a great Canadian short story writer, No Great Mischief (1999) was published when Alistair MacLeod was in his mid-sixties. Chronicling the lives of several generations of Scottish immigrants on Cape […]

Wednesday Talk: February 7, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: James Hunter, former President of KPMG Forensic Inc Title: “White Collar Crime—An Investigator’s Perspective” Abstract: Fraudulent activity has existed since time immemorial. What is it that possesses otherwise honest persons to carry out such dishonest acts? Certainly, white collar criminals seem to be a species apart from street criminals. However, we can discern certain […]

Wednesday Talk: February 14, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: John Gardner, author Title: “Capturing the Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim's Journey through the Ages” Abstract: Over his lifetime John has engaged continuously in his favourite activity: trekking long distances in the mountains of New England, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Dolomites and Corsica, often accompanied by family and friends. As the years caught […]

Colloquium, February 15, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium, February 15, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Freedom of speech in Academia." Organizers:Pat Brubaker All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings: The reading list will be provided soon. Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at […]

Wednesday Talk: February 21, 2024, 1:30-3:30 pm – in-person and on Zoom. **Please note: beginning at 1:30pm**

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Dan Drucker, Medicine, U of T Title: “Changing Health Outcomes for People Living with Diabetes or Obesity” Abstract: Enthusiasm for gut-derived therapies stems from a precise understanding of the physiological and pharmacological roles of gut hormones in control of normal and disordered energy homeostasis, coupled with extensive clinical validation. Improved understanding of gut endocrinology […]

Wednesday Talk: February 28, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Celia Smith, CEO Luminato Festival, Toronto Title: “Arts, Culture & Creativity in a Time of Dynamic Change” Abstract: Is there space for beauty, joy, reflection and inspiration in today's Toronto? How does such a vibrant and global city present itself to the world post-COVID? What stories need to be told and what are audiences […]

Book Club: March 4, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows

Zoom

March 4, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Ed Yong, An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (2022) Discussion Leader: Sara Shettleworth This book is filled with strange creatures and strange experiments; Yong is interested in what animals perceive, what they might communicate to us if they could. Humans […]

Wednesday Talk: March 6, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Morgan Barense, Neuropsyschology, U of T Title: “A smartphone Intervention to Enhance Real-World Event Memory”  Abstract: The act of remembering an everyday experience influences how we interpret the world, how we think about the future, and how we perceive ourselves. It also enhances long-term retention of the recalled content, increasing the likelihood that it […]

Wednesday Talk: March 13, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Caryl Clark, Faculty of Music, U of T Title: “Labours of Love: Resurrecting Haydn’s Orfeo” Abstract: In late May 2023, singers from the University of Toronto collaborated with members of the McGill Baroque Orchestra to stage to the North American premiere of Joseph Haydn’s Orpheus opera, L’anima del filosofo / The Soul of the Philosopher. Declared […]

Colloquium, March 14, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium, March 14, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "What can we do about the escalating crisis in Canadian youth mental health since 2020?" Organizer: Cynthia Smith All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings: The reading list will […]

Wednesday Talk: March 20, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Matti Siemiatycki, Geography and Planning, U of T Title: “Patterns, Causes and Cures for Cost Overruns and Delays in Mega-Project Delivery” Abstract: It is all too familiar an experience that major infrastructure projects like transit lines, bridges, highways, power stations and hospitals are delivered late and over budget, straining budgets and causing great frustration […]

Wednesday Talk: March 27, 2024, 2-4 pm – in-person and on Zoom

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Jesse Billett, Divinity, Trinity College, Divinity, Trinity College; Centre for Medieval Studies Title: “The Lost Chants of Anglo-Saxon England” Abstract: In 1086, two decades after the Norman Conquest, the monks of Glastonbury, the largest and wealthiest monastery in England, were ordered by their new Norman abbot to adopt a Norman chant repertory. When the […]

Book Club: April  1, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows – Zoom only

Zoom

April  1, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows  William Carlsen, Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood and The Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya (2017) Discussion Leader: Jim Gurd This book by journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist William Carlsen, who follows in the footsteps of […]

Wednesday Talk: April 3, 2024, 2-4 pm on Zoom [an extra, zoom-only session]

Zoom

Speaker: Rafaël Newman, Comparative Literature, Zurich Title: “The Work of Art in the Age of Neural Machine Translation” Abstract: “But the instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the total function of art is reversed. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice – […]

Book Club: May 6, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows – Zoom only

Zoom

May 6, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows  Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and The New Human (2022) Discussion Leader: William Logan Mukherjee is an accomplished and engaging writer and an oncologist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his earlier book on cancer. Here he presents the history […]

“Meet Your Colleagues” Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only – Fellows and External Fellows only – May 30, 2024: Susan Pfeiffer

Zoom

"Meet Your Colleagues" Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only - Fellows and External Fellows only May 30, 2024: Susan Pfeiffer Anthropology is the study of humans at the broadest of levels, both culturally and biologically; this includes their origins.  I am a biological anthropologist, which means that my focus is human evolution. Most people look puzzled […]

Book Club: June 3, 2024, 2-4pm, – Fellows and External Fellows

Zoom

June 3, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Helen Macdonald, H Is for Hawk (2014) Discussion leader: Peter Alberti Are you ready for a strange but compelling read? Already a classic of nature writing, this award-winning work is also the unflinchingly honest memoir of a young British poet and historian who retreats from the […]

“Meet Your Colleagues” Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only – Fellows and External Fellows only – June 13, 2024: Jonathan Dostrovsky

Zoom

"Meet Your Colleagues" Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only - Fellows and External Fellows only June 13, 2024: Jonathan Dostrovsky Jonathan Dostrovsky Jonathan Dostrovsky will present a biographical illustrated account of his many activities which highlight several serendipitous events that significantly shaped his life and career and led to his setting up his research laboratory in […]

“Meet Your Colleagues” Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only – Fellows and External Fellows only – June 20, 2024: John Kennedy

Zoom

"Meet Your Colleagues" Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only - Fellows and External Fellows only June 20, 2024: John Kennedy John Kennedy is a psychologist with interests in perception and representation. His research on pictures, metaphor, symbols and illusions has led him to ask blind people to make drawings, which they do quite well, often to […]

“Meet Your Colleagues” Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only – Fellows and External Fellows only – June 27, 2024: George Steiner (change to the program)

Zoom

"Meet Your Colleagues" Summer Sessions Thursdays 2-4pm on Zoom only - Fellows and External Fellows only June 27, 2024: George Steiner Topic: “I will not make this a high science talk. Rather, it will focus more on how I got to be where I am. It will include how, with my parents, I escaped Europe in 1939, why […]

Book Club: July 8, 2024, 2-4pm, – Fellows and External Fellows

Zoom

July 8, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Alex Ross, The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century (2007) Discussion Leaders: Linda Hutcheon, Michael Hutcheon Have you ever felt uneasy about (or even alienated by) the directions classical music took in the twentieth century? Well, then, this is the book for you. Writing […]

Book Club: Sept. 9, 2024, 2-4pm, – Fellows and External Fellows

Zoom

September 9, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (2016) Discussion Leader: Linda Hutcheon A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest the novel was commissioned by Random House as part of its Hogarth Shakespeare series. This very funny, satiric tale “centres on theatre director Felix who loses his job with Makeshiweg Theatre and […]

Wednesday Talk: Sept. 11, 2024, 10am-12pm – hybrid

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Marlene Shore, Professor Emerita and Senior Scholar, Department of History/York University Title: “Down from the Mountain: Reckoning with Unrest, Risk, and Charlatanism in the Canadian University, 1919-1939” Abstract: In the aftermath of World War I, it was a commonly held belief in Canada, Britain, and the United States that the key to international stability […]

Wednesday Talk: Sept. 18, 2024, 10am-12pm – hybrid

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Kent Roach, Law, University of Toronto Topic: “Wrongfully Convicted: Lessons from the Canadian Registry” Abstract: This talk will discuss some of the findings from the Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions which has recorded close to 90 remedied wrongful convictions. Among topics discussed will be why do people who are innocent plead guilty and why […]

Colloquium, September 19, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only

Senior College Centre,256 McCaul Street, Suite 412

Colloquium, September 19, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “How to deal with tensions that have erupted on campuses as a result of the war in Gaza? In particular, that means the surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiments.” Organizer: Marty Klein All colloquia will be held at the Senior […]

Wednesday Talk: Sept. 25, 2024, 10am-12pm – hybrid

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Lissa Paul, Professor of English, Brock University Title: “Children’s Literature and Literary History: From Beowulf to Virginia Woolf and from The Big Bad Wolf to Tom Wolfe” Abstract: Not so very long ago an editor at a prestigious university press, on learning that I was writing on the children’s books by the late British […]

Wednesday Talk: Oct. 2, 2024, 10am-12pm – hybrid

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Ian Cusson, Composer Title: “Indigeneity in Contemporary Opera: Wolf-men and Vacations to Prague” Abstract: Ian will explore Indigenous representation in contemporary opera through examples from his body of work, including the forthcoming chamber opera adaptation of Thomas King’s Indians on Vacation, and the grand opera adaptation of Cherie Dimaline’s Empire of Wild. In addition, […]

Book Club: October 7, 2024, 2-4pm, – Fellows and External Fellows

Zoom

October 7, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet by George Monbiot (2022) Discussion Leader: Sara Shettleworth This book by an award-winning writer on environmental issues documents the ways in which the world’s system of agriculture and food distribution is exacerbating the effects of climate change. His […]

Wednesday Talk: Oct. 9, 2024, 10am-12pm – hybrid

Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7

Speaker: Kenneth Bartlett, History and Renaissance Studies, U of T Title: “Raphael and the Mystery of the Frame: Art, Science and History in Search of an Answer” Abstract: A copy of Raphael's Madonna della Seggiola, the original of which is in the Galleria Palatina (Pitti Palace) in Florence, was discovered in a dealer’s shop, identified […]