Wednesday Talks
One of the College’s most popular activities has been the series of weekly talks during the academic year, and often into the summer. These are currently presented in a hybrid format–both in person at the Faculty Club and simultaneously online via Zoom. The presenters are both Fellows reporting on their recent work and outside academic speakers from the local area. The topics are wide-ranging and cover a broad spectrum of disciplines and subjects. The format calls for an approximately 50-minute talk followed by a coffee break and then a discussion period. The talks are usually recorded and made available on the College’s YouTube channel. (The discussion sessions, which are often very lively, are not recorded.) These talks are so popular that in-person seating is limited, and Fellows and Faculty Club members are given priority, although others are welcome if space permits.
Videos of previous talks can be found here: https://www.seniorcollege.utoronto.ca/previous-talks-on-youtube/ .
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Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, U of T, Wednesday Talk: January 7, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, U of T Title: “Emerging Infections and How to Fight Them” Abstract: We will discuss how infectious diseases emerge and ultimately spread around the […]
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Speaker: Neil Besner, English, U of Winnipeg Wednesday Talk: January 14,2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Neil Besner, English, U of Winnipeg Title: Montreal Standard Time, 1944-1950: Mavis Gallant’s Short Stories and Her Early Journalism Abstract: Gallant’s early journalism for The Montreal Standard has […]
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Speaker: David Townsend, English and Medieval Studies, U of T., Wednesday Talk: January 21, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: David Townsend, English and Medieval Studies, U of T. Title: “Imagination, Historical Knowledge, and Public Discourse” Abstract: Guilty pleasure or serious cultural work? Academics have vexed relationships with historical […]
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Speaker: Daphne Maurer, Psychology, McMaster U., Wednesday Talk: January 28, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Daphne Maurer, Psychology, McMaster U Title: “An Invisible Pandemic” Abstract: In this century, most schoolchildren are becoming nearsighted--80% to 90% of them in Asia--and nearsightedness in school often causes […]
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Speaker: Jennifer DeSilva, Woodsworth College, U of T, Wednesday Talk: February 4, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Jennifer DeSilva, Woodsworth College, U of T Title: "Women's Labour in Renaissance Florence's Streets and Taverns" Abstract: Early modern men writing in Florence depicted their taverns as wonderful and […]
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Speaker: Beatrix Dart, Rotman School of Management, U of T, Wednesday Talk: February 11, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Beatrix Dart, Rotman School of Management, U of T Title: “Retired, Not Expired: The Longevity Economy Unveiled” Abstract: As Canada’s population ages, a powerful economic and social shift is […]
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Speaker: Laura Hug, Environmental Microbiology, Biology, U of Waterloo, Wednesday Talk: February 18, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Laura Hug, Environmental Microbiology, Biology, U of Waterloo Title: “Man's Trash Is a Microbe's Treasure: The Microbiology of Landfills” Abstract: Landfills house our discarded waste, but also support a […]
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Speaker: Stephen Brooke, History, York University, Wednesday Talk: February 25, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Stephen Brooke, History, York University Title: "‘Gleaming Obelisks’ and ‘Dilapidated Streets’: London in the 1980s: Abstract: This talk will explore the history of London in the 1980s, examining how […]
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Speaker: Ira Wells, President, PEN Canada; Victoria College, U of T. Wednesday, Talk: March 4, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Ira Wells, President, PEN Canada; Victoria College, U of T. Title: “On Book Banning: Saving Children from the Harm of Books” Abstract: From the destruction of libraries in ancient […]
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Speaker: Carl Knappett, Art History, U of T, Wednesday Talk: March 11, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Carl Knappett, Art History, U of T Title: “The Coastal World of Minoan Palaikastro” Abstract: Lying on the eastern tip of Crete, Palaikastro was one of the largest towns […]
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Speaker: Jennifer Bonnell, History, York U, Wednesday Talk: March 18, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Jennifer Bonnell, History, York U Title: “Place and People at the Margins: A History of Toronto’s Don River Valley” Abstract: In this richly illustrated talk, environmental historian Jennifer Bonnell […]
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Speaker: Nick Terpstra, History, U of T; Provost, Trinity College., Wednesday Talk: March 25, 2026, 2pm-4pm, Faculty Club and Zoom – hybrid
Zoom AND The Faculty Club, UofT, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, ON M5S 1C7Speaker: Nick Terpstra, History, U of T; Provost, Trinity College. Title: “Moving Targets: Young People in the Early Modern World” Abstract: Where do we find youths in the early modern […]