April 3, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows and External Fellows Thomas Savage, The Power of the Dog (1967) (afterword by Annie Proulx) Discussion Leaders: Mary Jane Ashley, Linda Hutcheon When is a western […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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, […]
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 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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
July 3, 2023, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1532) Discussion Leader: David Milne The most famous book on (the dark art of) politics ever written, […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
December 2, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Culture: The Story of Us from Cave-Art to K Pop by Martin Puchner (2023) Discussion Leader: Meg Fox Harvard literary historian Martin Puchner demonstrates that culture is never, as we too often assume, a possession, differentiated and marked by geographic boundaries, rooted in clearly delineated histories of inheritance […]
January 6, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis (2015) Discussion Leader: Meg Fox André Alexis offers “an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness “in this amusing but serious novel that was shortlisted for Canada Reads 2017 and won the 2015 Giller Prize. […]
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 […]
February 3 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Mapping the Darkness: The Visionary Scientists who Unlocked the Mysteries of Sleep by Kenneth Miller (2023) Discussion Leader: Daphne Maurer The history and findings of research on sleep, told through the work of four central characters. Hard to put down, and of course relevant to everyone. […]
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 […]
March 3 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Homelands: A Personal History of Europe by Timothy Garton Ash (2023) Discussion Leader: David Milne Winner of the 2024 Gelner Prize, Homelands was chosen as the best book in international affairs by the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Taking his subject from the […]
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 […]
April 7, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974) Discussion Leader: Molly Wills Successful both as literature and as a thought experiment, this classic of speculative fiction illuminates different sides of human nature in two opposing political and economic worlds. On the planet of Urras an ancient […]
May 5, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Odyssey by Homer, in the new poetic translation by Emily Wilson (2017) Discussion Leaders: Linda Hutcheon and Martin Revermann Homer's Odyssey is an epic poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travelers, hospitality, and […]
June 2, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Valley of the Birdtail by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) (2022) Discussion leader: Janet Paterson This book offers an opportunity to review Canadian history after the late 1880’s. according to the perspective of two communities in western Canada – one Indigenous and […]
July 7, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li (2023) Discussion Leader: Susan Pfeiffer The Worlds I See is part autobiography, part informative description of how our current approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) came to be. It is the […]
September 8, 2025, 2-4 pm - Fellows and External Fellows James by Percival Everett (2024) Discussion Leader: Meg Fox “With my pencil, I wrote myself into being,” writes James. The escaped slave who accompanied Huck downriver on a raft in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim is brilliantly reconceived as a highly intelligent and […]
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 […]
October 6, 2025, 2-4 pm - Fellows and External Fellows Fire Weather by John Vaillant (2023) Discussion Leader: Susan Pfeiffer Rather than just an intellectual exploration, this is about pressing global issues that require action, written by a Canadian author of great skill. While the Fort McMurray, Alberta, wildfires in 2016 provide a basis for […]
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 […]
November 3, 2025, 2-4 pm - Fellows and External Fellows Autocracy Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World by Anne Applebaum (2024) Discussion Leader: David Milne Pulitzer prize-winning author Anne Applebaum unpacks the modern world of autocracy in a short and straightforward way. Stripping away ideological pretensions, she shows that autocratic regimes are […]
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”, […]
December 1, 2025, 2-4 pm - Fellows and External Fellows - Zoom only event Orbital by Samantha Harvey (2023) Discussion Leader: Malcolm Woodland Winner of the 2024 Booker and Hawthornden Prizes, Orbital is called, by its creator, a "space pastoral.” In her rhapsodic imagining of 24 hours as the International Space Station orbits earth (with […]
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 […]
Colloquium, January 22, 2026, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “What is the purpose of education?” Organized by: Mary Finlay Readings: https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/download/8744/6687/26043 https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/purpose-education https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-education/ John Dewey’s Experience and Education, a brief summary of his ideas, can be read on-line here https://dn720204.ca.archive.org/0/items/experienceeducat00dewe_0/experienceeducat00dewe_0.pdf Lunch before the colloquium: The lunch is 12:30pm at Valens […]
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 […]
Colloquium, February 19, 2026, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “How to counter misinformation. Is it possible?” Organizer: Daphne Maurer Suggested background readings: 1. A comprehensive review with links to videos: J, Roozenbeek, E. Culloty, and J. Suiter, “Countering Misinformation: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Implications of Current Interventions,” European Psychologist, […]
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 […]
Speaker: Carl Knappett, Art History, U of T Title: “The Coastal World of Minoan Palaikastro” Abstract: Lying on the eastern tip of Crete, Palaikastro was one of the largest towns on the island during the Bronze Age. Much of the archaeological exploration of the site has set out to find its presumed palatial centre. Yet, […]
Speaker: Jennifer Bonnell, History, York U Title: “Place and People at the Margins: A History of Toronto’s Don River Valley” Abstract: In this richly illustrated talk, environmental historian Jennifer Bonnell will walk us through the history of the Don Valley as a “place at the edges” of the evolving city. Moving from the straightening of […]
Speaker: Nick Terpstra, History, U of T; Provost, Trinity College. Title: “Moving Targets: Young People in the Early Modern World” Abstract: Where do we find youths in the early modern world? Where did they find themselves? Often it was on the road or on the seas, in motion from home to some other place or […]
