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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Speaker: Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director, Population Balance Title: “Connecting the Dots between Reproductive Autonomy and Environmental Sustainability” Abstract: Human population has doubled in the last 50 years, growing from approximately four billion in 1970 to eight billion currently. There is rising public awareness that overpopulation and rampant overconsumption are driving climate change, resource scarcity, and […]
Speaker: Soren Brothers, Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change, ROM; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U of T Title: “Climate, Lakes, and Museums: Intersections and Transdisciplinary Opportunities” Abstract: While climate change is riding high on many people’s thoughts around the world, few people have ever heard of a “limnologist” and even fewer could tell you […]
Speaker: Paul Stevens, English Department, University of Toronto Title: “Robinson Crusoe and the Slave Trade: A Treatise against Adventure” Abstract: The break-out of the Muslim slave trade into the Atlantic in the early seventeenth century coincides with the dramatic escalation of the European slave trade in Africa. The first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia only […]
Speaker: Mary Nyquist, English/Comparative Literature, U of T Title: “Early Modern Freedom, Tyranny, and the Rhetorical Power of ‘Slave’” Abstract: Why is the word “slave” capable of causing such anguish for those whose ancestors have been enslaved. Why have English-language speakers recently but silently decided to replace it with “the enslaved”, who are ruled not […]
Speaker: Yvonne Bombard, IHPME, U of T Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, U of T Title: “Delivering Precision Genomic Medicine: Evidence, Policy and Equity” Genetic testing has become increasingly popular in recent years, as people seek to learn more about their health and ancestry. With advances in technology, it has become easier and […]
Speaker: Clifford Orwin, Political Science, U of T Title: “The Double 24-Hour Makeover Election” Abstract: The venerable conservative columnist George Will — a retired professor at the U of T! — recently described the choice facing American voters on November 5 as the worst in the country's history. In fact both tickets deserved to lose the […]
Speaker: Franca Iacovetta, History, U of T, and Cynthia Wright, School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, York U Title: “Remembering Emma Goldman in Toronto, 1920s-2020s” Abstract: Emma Goldman – the Russian-born and US-naturalized anarchist deported from the United States at the height of the First Red Scare in 1919 – is arguably one of […]
Wednesday Talk: January 8 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Elizabeth Clare, Biology, York University Title: “A Chance to Measure Life on Earth: The Potential of Airborne eDNA” Abstract: Rapid monitoring across all life is necessary to quantify biodiversity at regional and continental scales, infer trends and assess the success or failure […]
Wednesday Talk: January 15 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Gerry Friesen, History, University of Manitoba Title: “The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman” Abstract: Dr. Friesen will talk about his recently published book, The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman (University of Manitoba Press 2024). Born in the Red […]
Wednesday Talk: January 22 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Anne Urbancic, Italian; Semiotics, Victoria College, U of T Title: “Large Double Double: How Tim Hortons Coffee Ritualizes Canadian Identity” Abstract: My study takes as a point of departure a rather generous definition of ritual, not necessarily sacred and serious […]
Wednesday Talk: January 29 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Sharon Vattay, architectural historian, cultural heritage specialist Topic: “Toronto's Massey Music Hall: Conservation in Practice" Abstract: This lecture offers a behind-the-scenes look at the recent revitalization of a nineteenth-century music hall, updated to meet twenty-first-century standards. The presentation will recount […]
Speaker: Matthew Light, Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, U of T Title: “Ukraine: The Stakes for Canada” Abstract: As the war in Ukraine drags on for its third year, it has somewhat dropped out of the headlines and public consciousness in Canada. Matthew Light argues that while the […]
Speaker: Tom Keymer, English, U of T Title: “Jane Austen and the Jurassic” ABSTRACT: Ecocritical scholarship on 19th-century literature has explored the impact on Victorian writers of the new geological and palaeontological science and the dizzying apprehensions of deep time that came with it. Writing a generation or two earlier, Jane Austen might seem a less […]
Speaker: Patricia Brubaker, Physiology and Medicine, U of T Title: The basic science underlying the beneficial actions of ♪O, O, O, O-zempic♪ Abstract: Drugs based on the intestinal hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) have taken the world by storm over the past 5 years, with 1 million Canadians and one in eight Americans now reporting that […]
Speaker: Netami Stuart, Senior Project Manager for Parks, Waterfront Toronto Title: “The Port Lands Flood Protection Infrastructure Project: How to Build a River” Abstract: The Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure (PLFP) Project is a $1.38B project led by Waterfront Toronto, the City of Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and CreateTO, with […]
Speaker: Madeleine Zurowski, Physics, U of T Title: “Searching in the Dark” Abstract: Dark Matter is a hypothesised new particle thought to make up 85% of the matter in the universe. This talk will address why we think it exists and how we go about looking for it, with a particular focus on SuperCDMS – an experiment currently under […]
Speaker: James Campbell Topic: “Music Inside Out” Abstract: James Campbell has collaborated with many legendary artists, including Glenn Gould, Aaron Copland, Janus Starker, and the Amadeus String Quartet. He will tell stories about his experiences working with them and give his view of what made them unique. He will also offer his perspective on the future of classical […]
Speaker: Mark G. McGowan, St. Michael’s College, U of T Topic: “’Kindred Spirits’ in the North: Indigenous Peoples in British North American and their Donations to the Irish Famine Relief” Abstract: The Irish Famine (1846-1852) was one of the most traumatic events in modern Irish history. With the repeated failure of the potato crop, upon […]
Lorraine York, English and Cultural Studies, McMaster U Tittle “'Yes, I’m a Witch”: Yoko Ono, Paracelebrity as Parasitism, and the Racializing of Fame Hunger” Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: Yoko Ono’s artistic practice shows us that the legendarily painful accusations of fame hunger directed towards her for many years need not define her as a victim. Drawing […]
Susan McCahan, Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Digital Strategies and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education “The Impact of AI on University Education” Introducer: Susan Pfeiffer Abstract: The existence of, and easy access to, generative AI systems are having an impact on all areas of work within higher education. In this talk I will start by briefly […]
Liat Margolis, Daniels, U of T; Nikibii Dawadinna Giigwag/Flooded Valley Healing Title: “Call to Action #66: A Land-based Indigenous Youth Program” Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: The Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action (CTA) 66 refers to funding community-based youth organizations and programming that is specifically designed for Indigenous youth to address the […]
Larry Moran, Biochemistry, U of T Title: “What’s in Your Genome?” Introducer: Jim Gurd Abstract: Scientists have been studying the human genome for more than 70 years but today there is considerable controversy about what’s in our genome. The publication of the complete sequence of the human genome in 2001 did nothing to resolve the […]
Bob Davidson, Spanish, U of T Title: “Smelling the Humanities” Introducer: Anne Urbancic Abstract: We don’t truly appreciate our sense of smell until it’s temporarily gone. Yet, even still, it doesn’t get much respect. In the hierarchy of the senses, sight’s reign has been indisputable – with hearing following close behind. Meanwhile, smell and its […]
Robert Sharpe, Law, U of T Title: “The Persons Case: Equality of Women and the Constitution as a Living Tree” Introducer: Jim Hunter Abstract: The Persons case, the landmark 1928 decision that established the “living tree” principle of constitutional interpretation, challenged the exclusion of women from Canada's Senate. Robert Sharpe considers the case in its […]
Eric Jennings, History, U of T Title: “A World History of Vanilla” Introducer: Charles Maurer Abstract: Open your fridge or pantry, and you’ll likely find vanilla: perhaps a bottle of vanilla essence. Maybe artificial. You probably have vanilla ice cream in the freezer. That everyday substance has a remarkable history, encompassing slavery and the rise […]
Zhang, Di, Music, York U Title: “Exploring Regional Yangqin Music in China” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: This presentation offers an in-depth exploration of regional yangqin music, focusing on the traditional Chinese hammered dulcimer, within the context of China’s diverse cultural and geographical landscape. Combining performance and lecture, it traces the evolution of the yangqin and […]
Carl Knappett, Art History, U of T Title: “The Coastal World of Minoan Palaikastro” Introducer: Susan Pfeiffer Abstract: Lying on the eastern tip of Crete, Palaikastro was one of the largest towns on the island during the Bronze Age. Much of the archaeological exploration of the site has set out to find its presumed palatial […]
Ian Radforth, History, U of T Title: "Deadly Swindle: An 1890 Murder in Backwoods Ontario That Gripped the World" Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: This lecture will offer a journey into life and law in late nineteenth-century Canada, beginning with the murder of Frederick Cornwallis Benwell, whose body was discovered in the woods a dozen miles […]
David Rayside, History Title: “The Biography of an Early Upper Canadian House” Introducer: Jim Gurd Abstract: One of Ontario’s oldest houses faces the St. Lawrence River in the small village of South Lancaster at the eastern end of Ontario. It was built 230 years ago by two young Scottish merchants soon after white Loyalists began […]
Quinya Liu, Earth Sciences, Physics, U of T Title: “Rumbles Beneath Your Feet: Earthquakes, Resource Exploration and Earth’s Tectonic History” Introducer: Bibhu Mohanty occurring on our planet. Widespread devastation can result from violent ground motion caused by seismic waves and other related phenomena such as tsunamis, landslide and volcanic eruptions. The deadly magnitude-7.7 earthquakes that […]
Special Events Special End-of-Term Event: The Autumn of Brahms On Wednesday, November 26, following our final morning lecture, join us in the Lounge for a captivating clarinet and piano recital featuring two world-class musicians: James Campbell – internationally acclaimed clarinetist and guest speaker from earlier this year Leo Erice – distinguished pianist known for his expressive interpretations Together, they will present “The Autumn of Brahms”, […]
Speaker: Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, U of T Title: “Emerging Infections and How to Fight Them” Abstract: We will discuss how infectious diseases emerge and ultimately spread around the world, and then delve into mechanisms to best prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks, including discussing how misinformation and disinformation play a role. Bio: Isaac […]
Speaker: Neil Besner, English, U of Winnipeg Title: Montreal Standard Time, 1944-1950: Mavis Gallant’s Short Stories and Her Early Journalism Abstract: Gallant’s early journalism for The Montreal Standard has not been available in print since 1950 and has rarely been discussed in relation to her well-known career as a writer of some of our […]
Speaker: David Townsend, English and Medieval Studies, U of T. Title: “Imagination, Historical Knowledge, and Public Discourse” Abstract: Guilty pleasure or serious cultural work? Academics have vexed relationships with historical fiction. If we cross over to writing it ourselves (as some of us do), how do we understand the enterprise? What is the relationship of […]
Speaker: Daphne Maurer, Psychology, McMaster U Title: “An Invisible Pandemic” Abstract: In this century, most schoolchildren are becoming nearsighted--80% to 90% of them in Asia--and nearsightedness in school often causes blindness later in life: retinal detachment or macular degeneration. I recently sat on an expert panel of the (U.S.) National Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and […]
Speaker: Jennifer DeSilva, Woodsworth College, U of T Title: "Women's Labour in Renaissance Florence's Streets and Taverns" Abstract: Early modern men writing in Florence depicted their taverns as wonderful and raucous places that were central to masculine sociability and a threat to female chastity. In contrast to the male-centric tavern, this presentation explores sixteenth-century Florentine […]
Speaker: Beatrix Dart, Rotman School of Management, U of T Title: “Retired, Not Expired: The Longevity Economy Unveiled” Abstract: As Canada’s population ages, a powerful economic and social shift is underway—one that places older adults at the heart of innovation, purpose, and prosperity. The Longevity Economy represents not just a demographic trend, but a profound […]
Speaker: Laura Hug, Environmental Microbiology, Biology, U of Waterloo Title: “Man's Trash Is a Microbe's Treasure: The Microbiology of Landfills” Abstract: Landfills house our discarded waste, but also support a diverse community of microorganisms. These microbes degrade wastes, transform contaminants, and generate greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and methane. My research studies these microbes, to see […]
Speaker: Ira Wells, President, PEN Canada; Victoria College, U of T Title: “On Book Banning: Saving Children from the Harm of Books” Abstract: From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today’s state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans arise from the impulse toward social control. Recently, school libraries have emerged as an […]
Speaker: Stephen Brooke, History, York University Title: "‘Gleaming Obelisks’ and ‘Dilapidated Streets’: London in the 1980s: Abstract: This talk will explore the history of London in the 1980s, examining how the city was a political battleground between the rise of right-wing neoliberalism in the form of Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party and the appearance […]
