Speaker: Domenico Pietropaolo, Drama and Italian, U of T Title: “The Colours of Harlequin: Costumes, Cultural Adaptability, and Popular Culture” Abstract: Harlequin is by far the most famous character of the Italian commedia dell'arte tradition. His most distinctive features are his polychromatic costume and his ability to adapt to diverse social, ideological and economic contexts. […]
Speaker: Brian Levine, Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences; Professor of Psychology and Medicine (Neurology), U of T Title: “Beyond the Average Mind: Individual Differences in Memory and Imagery” Abstract: The science of memory and cognition has illuminated principles of how the mind works in general, but it's the variations from one individual to the next […]
Speaker: Andrés Jiménez Monge, Executive Director, Ontario Nature Title: “Environmental Problem Solving: A Wicked Thing” Abstract: Environmental problems are people problems. This presentation traces two decades of conservation work — Costa Rica to Canada — across fisheries, wildlife corridors, and protected areas. The central argument: failure in environmental problem solving is not technical. It is […]
Speaker: Bruce Kidd, Sports Policy, Kinesiology, U of T Title: “The Challenges of Sports Betting” Abstract: Canada legalized sports betting in 2021, but did so without guardrails, despite the abundant international evidence of predictable harms and the warnings of critical MPs. With the creation of an open market for gambling in Ontario, competition between the […]
Speaker: Jim Phillips, Law, U of T Title: “’I Did Not Commit Adultery’: A Unique (Parliamentary) Divorce from in the 1870s” Abstract: An analysis of the marital breakdown of Robert and Eliza Campbell of Whitby in 1873, which centered on Robert’s claim that Eliza had committed adultery. In 1876 Robert petitioned the Parliament of Canada […]
Speaker: Jacalyn Duffin, Hannah Chair of History of Medicine, Queen’s U Title: “Canada on Easter Island: The Secret History of a Blockbuster Drug” Abstract: In 1964 Canada led an international scientific expedition of 38 scientists to Easter Island, the most isolated community in the world. The team was concerned about the risks of greater contact […]
Speaker: Reuben Gaetani, Strategic Management, Rotman Title: "Location and Innovation: Why Geography Still Matters" Abstract: Innovation does not happen uniformly across space. Some places consistently produce ideas that open entirely new technological paths, while others specialize in the steady, incremental improvements that keep existing products competitive. The difference comes down to a particular kind of […]
Speaker: Karina Vernon, English, U of T Title: “Cowboy Songs and the ‘Alternate Archives’ of the Black Atlantic” Abstract: In this talk, I draw methodologically from musicology, agrarian studies, and ecological and genomic science to consider the repertoire of Black cowboy songs as "alternative archives" which offer more about Black life, and, indeed the Canadian prairies, […]
Speaker: Helmut Reichenbächer, English, OCAD U Title: “Mendelssohn, Shakespeare, and the Politics of Race: Cultural Programming in the Third Reich” Abstract: This lecture explores how Nazi racial ideology reshaped cultural life through the suppression of Felix Mendelssohn’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Drawing on extensive archival research, it traces the final performances of Mendelssohn’s score […]
Speaker: Roberto Verdecchia, TV director, writer, producer Title: “The Real World of Science Communication” Abstract: Theoretical models of science communication certainly have their place, but what are the “real world” influences at play in the making of, for example, a science, nature, or environmental documentary? What about a podcast or radio broadcast? How are complex […]
Speaker: J.D.M. Stewart, historian, author Title: Prime Ministers and the Presidents Abstract: J.D.M. Stewart will talk about his book, The Prime Ministers: Canada's Leaders and the Nation They Shaped. In this presentation he will emphasize the relationship between Canadian prime ministers and American Presidents. Signed copies will be available for purchase after the talk. Bio: J.D.M. STEWART […]
Speaker: Daniel Bender, CRC in Food and Culture, U of T Title: "Typicity’s End: Tasting Wine in the Anthropocene” Abstract: Even taste has a climate change tipping point. Legal regulations around geographical indications and the expectations of wine connoisseurs and professionals mean that producers make wines to match a traditional ‘typicity.’ However, climate change is […]
