Webinar to explore the vitality of touch in the classroom
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Child in classroom
In light of the current pandemic, the idea that touch is vital to education seems to verge on the border of obsolescence. The Faculty of Education presents a webinar on Sept. 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. to explore this topic.
Sharon Todd
In the presentation “The Vitality of Touch and the Aesthetics of Educational Encounters,” Professor Sharon Todd (Maynooth University, Ireland) will look at how, given that education transpires through encounters students have with the world – be these through tablets, computers, textbooks, persons or other forms of materiality – there remains an undeniable sensory dimension to education that is indeed vital for practices of teaching in these times.
Todd will link the dynamics of touch – as both a touching and being touched by – to an aesthetic understanding of educational encounters. To do this, she will turn first to Aristotle’s understanding of touch as central to life itself in order to contemplate how it is not merely one of the senses but signifies as the primary mode of all bodily contact with the world. This vital aspect will then be examined in relation to the specific ways bodies experience contact, through their membranes, morphological make up and their movements. From there, she will draw on a number of philosophers and theorists (such as Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, Juhani Pallasmaa and Erin Manning), and a recent installation entitled The Boarding School by Danish art collective Sisters Hope to demonstrate how the vitality of touch operates through those very practices we call educational.
Todd is professor of education and member of the Centre for Public Education and Pedagogy at Maynooth University, Ireland. She has published widely in the areas of embodiment, ethics, and politics in education and is currently writing a book for SUNY Press tentatively titled, The Touch of the Present: Educational Encounters, Becoming, and the Politics of the Senses. Her work has been informed by continental philosophy, feminist theory, aesthetics and Buddhist scholarship. She is author of Learning from the Other: Levinas, Psychoanalysis and Ethical Possibilities in Education (SUNY, 2003) and Toward an Imperfect Education: Facing Humanity, Rethinking Cosmopolitanism (Paradigm, 2009). Her co-edited volumes include Re-imagining Educational Relationships: Ethics, Politics, Practices with M. Griffiths, M. Honerød and C. Winter (Wiley, 2014); and Philosophy East/West: Exploring the Intersections between Educational and Contemplative Practices with O. Ergas (Wiley, 2015).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Grad student at York’s campus in Dadaab, Kenya receives inaugural scholarship from CRS
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Students in the Dadaab Refugee Camp work on an assignment for their studies with York University
Dahabo Ibrahim
Dahabo Ibrahim, a master’s student in education at York University’s campus in Dadaab, Kenya, is the inaugural recipient of the Centre for Refugee Studies’ (CRS) Anthony Richmond Scholarship.
This new scholarship recognizes promising graduate student research on the intersections of forced migration and environmental changes, such as climate change, flooding, drought, forest fires and land or sanitary degradation.
The scholarship was created by Freda Richmond in memory of her husband, Anthony (Tony) Richmond, professor emeritus at York University. Richmond established the Department of Sociology’s graduate program and was a founding member of CRS. He was known for his civility, lack of pretense, sense of fairness and commitment to scholarly life, as well as his encouragement to women scholars in sociology.
Ibrahim is pursuing her studies through the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) project. This project aims to make educational opportunities available where refugees need them, with a particular focus on gender equitable programs.
Ibrahim’s graduate research focuses on climate justice education, examining tree planting campaigns to combat deforestation near refugee camps. Inspired by research methodologies and literature in environmental education, ecofeminist postcolonial studies and African Indigenous studies, her research seeks to support tree planting efforts undertaken in collaboration with educational programs in refugee camps.
“Dahabo’s research exemplifies York’s commitment to creating positive change in the world, no matter where in the world we happen to be located,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “The BHER project shows how empowering students to collaborate and innovate to address global challenges can produce extraordinary results, for themselves, their communities, and for people everywhere.”
“There was a strong pool of applicants for the scholarship, which demonstrates significant interest among York graduate students in research at the intersections of environmental change and forced migration,” said Sean Rehaag, CRS director.
Rehaag explained that Ibrahim’s application stood out based on her impressive and highly topical research and her strong academic performance.
“The adjudication committee was also very pleased to see research about forced migration undertaken by a York scholar with lived experience in this area,” he said.
BHER Co-Director Don Dippo was thrilled to hear the news, noting that the whole BHER community will celebrate Ibrahim’s achievement.
Theme for 2020 Faculty of Education Summer Institute focuses on conversations about anti-oppression
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A long-running annual conference that brings together stakeholders in education to evaluate educational beliefs, policies and practices will continue this year in a virtual format.
The Faculty of Education Summer Institute, FESI 2020 – Up Close and Personal; Conversations on Anti-Oppression, will be presented as a modified version of the traditional conference in a five-part webinar series with an action component.
Vidya Shah
“As is the tradition with this conference, FESI 2020 will continue to challenge and question long-held educational beliefs, policies and practices that have normalized inequities in education,” said Assistant Professor Vidya Shah, who is also a member of the FESI organizing committee. “FESI 2020 has and will continue to address the ways in which anti-Blackness permeates our thinking and practice in education. Given the heightened global awareness of anti-Black racism, spurred by the unconscionable deaths of many members of the Black community, we recommit to centering the experiences and aspirations of Black students, families and communities in support of Black life.”
This year, organizers hope to engage participants in conversations on anti-oppression to move beyond theoretical learning. The series will kick off with the central actionable question, “How might a critical, community-centered approach to design thinking support decision-making, accountability and transparency for schools and school boards in Ontario?”
The first of the five-part webinar series will run Aug. 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with “Designing for/with Criticality and Community.” Shah will guide the questions “Who and what influences how you think about curriculum, activism, policies and structures in the education system?” and “How might you enhance your decision-making skills to better serve students who are most marginalized in the system?”
Join in for this free 1.5-hour webinar where anti-racism and community meet design thinking – a framework to solve complex problems with innovative solutions. Speakers Kimberley Tavares, Dori Tunstall and Natalie Wood will guide participants through action-oriented processes to disrupt longstanding patterns of educational inequities. The session will be moderated by Shah.
Kim Tavares
Dori Tunstall
Natalie Wood
Tavares is an education officer, cross-appointed to the Education Equity Secretariat and the System Evidence and Design Branch, in the Ontario Ministry of Education. She serves as an educational policy and systems advisor and the equity and literacy lead, respectively. She has been seconded from a vice-principalship in the York Region District School Board, and prior to this was an equity officer in the York Region Board serving students of African and Caribbean heritage. Much of Tavares’ work in the ministry is to develop innovative tools and resources that work to dismantle the systemic barriers faced by many students in the Ontario education system.
Tunstall is a design anthropologist, public intellectual, and design advocate who works at the intersections of critical theory, culture, and design. As dean of design at Ontario College of Art and Design University, she is the first black and black female dean of a faculty of design. She leads the Cultures-Based Innovation Initiative focused on using old ways of knowing to drive innovation processes that directly benefit communities.
Wood is a professor in the Service Work Program (SSW) at George Brown College (GBC). She is a social innovation specialist, co-founder of the GBC Social Innovation Hub who designs and performs change within institutions and communities; a PhD student using her research time to challenge the devastating impact of anti-Black racism through documenting and developing Afro-Caribbean diasporic-inspired community organizations and models of empowerment, healing and inclusion; and, an award-winning visual and multi-media artist.
Shah is an educator, scholar and activist committed to issues of equity and racial justice. She is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at York University and her research explores anti-racist approaches to educational leadership and school district reform. Shah has worked in the Model Schools for Inner Cities Program in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and was a teacher in the TDSB. She is also actively involved in community initiatives.
“Our education system was founded on colonialism, white supremacy and other intersecting forms of oppression. If left unexamined, we continue to perpetuate these systems of oppression in our educational structures,” said Shah. “FESI 2020 brings together community partners, educators, researchers and policy-makers to think and collectively towards disrupting these long-standing inequities.”
This webinar is for classroom educators, community partners, district leaders, education policy-makers, and members of the school community.
Register online by Aug. 17, 2020 at fesi.blog.yorku.ca. Webinar session URL will be sent once your registration has been received.
Upcoming webinars for FESI 2020 are planned to take place on Oct. 21, Feb. 17, 2021, March 24, 2021 and April 21, 2021.
York University names new senior advisor on equity and representation
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Carl James
The following is a message to the University community from York University’s Vice-President of Equity, People and Culture Sheila Cote-Meek:
La version française suit la version anglaise.
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing today to share an important announcement in support of York University’s ongoing efforts to build a more equitable and inclusive community.
Carl James
I am pleased to share that Professor Carl E. James has accepted the position of senior advisor on equity and representation to the University, as part of the Division of Equity, People and Culture, effective Aug. 1, 2020. In this newly created role, he will support the advancement of equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the University.
An exceptional colleague in the Faculty of Education, Prof. James is recognized in Canada and around the world for his decades of work in equity in relation to race, class, gender, racialization, and immigration and citizenship. He will provide strategic advice, and work to guide the development of a University Equity Plan, while advising on matters of significance to racialized students, faculty and staff.
I am delighted that Prof. James has accepted this new role and I look forward to collaborating with him on the many important initiatives which are needed to advance our shared goals of equity, diversity and inclusion at York.
Sincerely,
Sheila Cote-Meek Vice-President Equity, People and Culture
L’Université nomme un nouveau conseiller principal pour l’équité et la représentation
Chers collègues,
Je vous écris aujourd’hui pour vous faire part d’une annonce importante qui appuie les efforts constants de l’Université York pour bâtir une communauté plus équitable et inclusive.
Carl James
J’ai le plaisir de vous apprendre que le professeur Carl E. James a accepté le poste de conseiller principal pour l’équité et la représentation à l’Université, dans la Division de l’équité, du personnel et de la culture, à compter du 1er août 2020. Dans le cadre de ce rôle nouvellement créé, il appuiera l’avancement de l’équité, de la diversité et de l’inclusion au sein de toute l’Université.
Confrère exceptionnel de la Faculté d’éducation, le professeur James est reconnu au Canada et dans le monde entier pour ses décennies de travaux sur l’équité en matière de race, de classe, de genre, de racialisation, d’immigration et de citoyenneté. Il fournira des conseils stratégiques et œuvrera pour orienter le développement d’un plan d’équité universitaire, tout en offrant des conseils sur des questions importantes pour les membres racialisés du corps étudiant, du corps professoral et du personnel.
Je suis ravie que le professeur James ait accepté ce nouveau rôle. J’ai hâte de collaborer avec lui sur les nombreuses initiatives nécessaires pour faire avancer nos objectifs communs d’équité, de diversité et d’inclusion à York.
Je vous prie d’agréer mes sincères salutations,
Sheila Cote-Meek Vice-présidente de l’équité, des personnes et de la culture
PhD candidate earns African and African Diaspora Studies Dissertation Fellowship at Boston College
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Students in the Dadaab Refugee Camp work on an assignment for their studies with York University
Mohamed Duale, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, has been awarded the African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) Dissertation Fellowship at Boston College for 2020-21. As one of the most competitive fellowships in the social sciences and humanities in the United States, the fellowship with a $30,000 stipend recognizes students who pursue innovative and interdisciplinary projects within the field of African and African Diaspora Studies.
Mohammed Duale
Duale’s doctoral research examines Somali refugee youth in the Dadaab refugee camps of north-east Kenya and their experiences of displacement and aspirations to return home. Established in 1992 to host Somalis fleeing civil war, the Dadaab camps currently host 217,511 registered refugees.
“After nearly 30 years of war and displacement, my research project seeks to document not only ‘what is’ in terms of refugee adolescence in Dadaab, but also how displaced young Somalis are imagining ‘what might be’ in the aftermath of civil war,” said Duale.
Duale himself was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in its cosmopolitan heyday in the 1980s and fled the civil war in the early 1990s. “I subsequently lived as a refugee in Kenya before immigrating with my family to Canada. I grew up listening to the BBC Somali Service with my family. Social and political developments in Somalia and East Africa loomed large at the dinner table. A memorable moment was listening to radio reports from the Arte Peace Conference in Djibouti 20 years ago and seeing the look of hope in my mother’s eyes of returning to a homeland that she thought she might never see again,” he said.
Duale’s desire to figure out solutions to the complex problems that were plaguing his homeland led him to pursue a degree in political science at the bachelor’s and master’s levels at York University, with a focus on peace and conflict in Africa and Middle East. Later, he saw himself playing a role in education and trained as a teacher. For his PhD in education, Duale decided to focus on exiled youth in East Africa.
“Studying at York’s Faculty of Education, I was encouraged to critically examine the meaning of education, culture and identity in a post-modern and global world,” he said.
During his doctoral studies, Duale also served as a teaching assistant and course director in the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) project and taught students in the Dadaab camps.
“It is while working with students in Dadaab that I noticed a desire among Somali youth, who either grew up or were born in the camps, to return to Somalia. At the heart of my doctoral research is an attempt to figure out why Somali youth, who have been long displaced in the Dadaab camps, aspire to ‘return’ to a country that they barely remember or have not seen, and which is still reeling from decades of conflict,” Duale said.
BHER has given Duale opportunities to immerse himself in the field through on-site research and teaching in Dadaab, which facilitated his development as an engaged migration scholar and helped him to stand out as a scholar-practitioner.
With his academic pursuit at the intersection of African and refugee studies, Duale seeks to contribute to the AADS community at Boston College. He will deliver a public lecture and will have the option of teaching a small upper-level seminar on forced migration and youth in Africa. “The fellowship will afford me the opportunity to focus on my dissertation writing and professional development,” said Duale. “I am deeply honoured to have received it.”
Professor Don Dippo, Duale’s doctoral supervisor, said “Boston College made a very wise choice in its decision to offer the Africa and African Diaspora Studies Dissertation Fellowship to Mohamed Duale. Mohamed’s scholarship and teaching in forced migration and youth studies will add an important dimension to the AADS program at Boston College.”
Upon completing his fellowship, Duale’s plans involve keeping track of the life trajectories of his research participants, whether they return to Somalia, remain in the camps, or migrate elsewhere. “I hope to pursue a career as an academic and dedicate my life to researching and teaching others about displaced and war-affected youth, and their needs and aspirations,” he said.
Faculty of Education grad is 2020 OSSTF/FEESO award recipient
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Kim Tran, a recent graduate of the Faculty of Education’s concurrent bachelor of education program, was selected as one of the recipients of the 2020 Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) Faculty of Education Award for this past school year.
Kim Tran
Valued at $1,000, the annual award is presented to one graduating intermediate/senior or technological education teacher candidate at each Faculty of Education who has shown a clear understanding and empathy for the values of unionism; demonstrated political or social activism that promotes the professional nature of teaching; shows leadership by supporting and advocating for fellow teacher candidates; demonstrates a high degree of professional competence; and is attempting to secure a job with a public secondary board.
Tran has demonstrated social activism and student leadership throughout her role as president of the Faculty of Education Students’ Association (FESA).
“I felt that this group not only had great members that were like-minded, welcoming and kind, it was a group that planned opportunities for students in their program meaningfully,” she said. “It became important to me that, while this is such a short program, we had additional opportunities for growth before going on to teach other students.”
Tran’s experience with FESA encouraged personal and professional development, which drove her to seek opportunities outside of school for learning and development.
“I hope to continue pursuing higher education, and to use my knowledge and experiences to advocate for social justice beyond education,” said Tran. “Whether it be teaching in public schools, doing policy work, lecturing as a professor, or being on the ground working in my communities, I hope to fill the knowledge-action gap.”
Tran will begin York University’s master of education program this September while occasional teaching.
York University announces 12 York Research Chair appointments
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Eight emerging and four established researchers across the University will join the York Research Chairs (YRC) program, York University’s internal counterpart to the national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program, which recognizes outstanding researchers. Two of these appointments are renewals.
These YRCs belong to the seventh cohort of researchers to be appointed since the establishment of the program in 2015. These YRCs’ terms start July 1 and run through to June 30, 2025.
Rhonda L. Lenton
“Our new YRCs exemplify the extraordinary contributions of York’s researchers,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “York is committed to ensuring that our research, scholarship and creative activities are focused on the needs of the communities we serve and on the complex challenges facing our society – from climate change to racism. In the current context, as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, research focused on creating positive change is even more important. The YRC program is central to that commitment, and we are proud to support the ongoing excellence of our outstanding researchers through this initiative.”
Amir Asif
The YRC program seeks to build research recognition and capacity, with excellence in research, scholarship and associated creative activity serving as selection criteria. “This program mirrors the federal CRC program to broaden and deepen the impact of research chairs at York in building and intensifying world-renowned research across the institution. These new YRCs are undertaking visionary work that has local, national and international impact,” said Vice-President Research & Innovation Amir Asif.
Tier I YRCs are open to established research leaders at the rank of full professor. Tier II YRCs are aimed at emerging research leaders within 15 years of their first academic appointment.
Tier I York Research Chairs
Ilijas Farah
Ilijas Farah
York Research Chair in Foundations of Operator Algebras
Ilijas Farah, Faculty of Science, singlehandedly developed the field of the applications of logic to operator algebras, revealing deep and unexpected connections between the foundations of mathematics and some of the most concrete and ubiquitous mathematical objects. A top researcher in both of these hitherto unrelated subjects, he was invited to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians. He was also fortunate to supervise some spectacularly talented PhD students.
Stephen Gaetz
Stephen Gaetz York Research Chair in Homelessness and Research Impact
Stephen Gaetz, Faculty of Education, is the director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, the Homeless Hub, and Making the Shift – Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab. He has a long-standing interest in understanding homelessness – its causes, how it is experienced and potential solutions. His research is defined by his desire to ‘make research matter’ through working in collaboration with partners to conduct and mobilize research so as to have an impact on policy and practice.
Obiora Okafor
Obiora Okafor York Research Chair in International and Transnational Legal Studies
Obiora Okafor, Osgoode Hall Law School, has had his YRC renewed. This renewal supports the continuation of Okafor’s research on Canada’s human rights engagements with various African countries, including in the sub-areas of economic and social rights, judicial strengthening, institution building, democratization and poverty alleviation. This work includes a study on Canada’s human rights engagements with the African Union as a body.
Laurie Wilcox
Laurie Wilcox
York Research Chair in 3D Vision
Laurie M. Wilcox, Faculty of Health, is a member of the Centre for Vision Research and VISTA (Vision: Science to Applications). Her research focuses on the neural mechanisms responsible for human depth perception and how depth information is processed under complex real-world conditions. She has a long history of collaboration with industry partners, for instance in 3D film (IMAX, Christie) and more recently in virtual and augmented reality (Qualcomm Canada) and image quality (VESA).
Tier 2 York Research Chairs
Ali Abdul-Sater
Ali Abdul-Sater
York Research Chair in the Regulatory Mechanisms of Inflammation
Ali Abdul-Sater, Faculty of Health, is interested in identifying novel regulators of inflammation and understanding how these regulators control immunity and the inflammatory response. He is pursuing several avenues of research: the roles of the protein TRAF1 in controlling inflammatory and autoimmune diseases; the role of Type I interferons (proteins made in response to the presence of viruses) in bacterial and viral responses; and how exercise regulates the immune response.
Sheila Colla
Sheila Colla
York Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Conservation Science
Sheila Colla, Faculty of Environmental Studies, is an ecologist using scientific principles to address real-world conservation issues. Her research focuses on the conservation of lesser understood native species such as bees, butterflies and flowering plants. She works closely with environmental NGOs, landowners, academic partners and government agencies to implement conservation management based on the best available science. She wants her research to inform relevant environmental and agricultural policy.
Mike Daly
Mike Daly York Research Chair in Planetary Science
Mike Daly, whose YRC was renewed, is in the Lassonde School of Engineering. This appointment recognizes Daly’s outstanding contribution to space-flight instrumentation research at York. The YRC will enable his participation in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and the return of Canada’s first sample of material from another solar system. Knowledge gained from Bennu could provide key information about the origins of Earth and the solar system.
Sarah Flicker
Sarah Flicker York Research Chair in Community-Based Participatory Research
Sarah Flicker, Faculty of Environmental Studies, is an expert in community development, health promotion and adolescent well-being. Flicker’s innovative program of research focuses on the engagement of youth and other allied actors in environmental, sexual and reproductive justice. She works across methodologies using participatory approaches for social change.
Eve Haque
Eve Haque
York Research Chair in Linguistic Diversity and Community Vitality
Eve Haque, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, has research and teaching interests that include multiculturalism, white settler colonialism and language policy, with a focus on the regulation and representation of racialized groups in white settler societies. Her current research focus is on the recognition and language rights of non-official language communities in Canada. She is also the author of Multiculturalism Within a Bilingual Framework: Language, Race and Belonging in Canada.
Ali Sadeghi-Naini
Ali Sadeghi-Naini
York Research Chair in Quantitative Imaging and Smart Biomarkers
Ali Sadeghi-Naini, Lassonde School of Engineering, is an emerging leader in multi-disciplinary research at the intersection of AI, biomedical engineering, biophysics and oncology. His seminal studies demonstrated, for the first time, that quantitative ultrasound biomarkers at low frequencies can detect cell death induced by anti-cancer therapies. He seeks to develop quantitative imaging and biomarker technologies integrated with innovative machine learning and computational modeling techniques for precision medicine and personalized therapeutics.
Valerie Schoof
Valérie A. M. Schoof
York Research Chair in Primate Behavioural Endocrinology
Valérie A.M. Schoof, Glendon Campus, is a primatologist whose research program, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and New Frontiers in Research Fund, focuses on the ecology, sociality, physiology and life history of wild primates in East Africa, and the biological, geographical and cultural factors influencing human-wildlife interactions. She is also the director of the Primate Behavioural Endocrinology Lab, recently funded by Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.
Marlis Schweitzer
Marlis Schweitzer
York Research Chair in Theatre and Performance History
Marlis Schweitzer, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, is a theatre and performance historian with a specialization in 19th and early-20th century Anglo-American performance. Schweitzer plans to use her YRC to explore urgent questions about the relationship between historical casting practices, theatre’s role in the circulation and perpetuation of racist stereotypes, and the onstage representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) individuals in contemporary Anglo-American performance.
My Secret Life: Comedy writer continues to experiment with styles and subjects
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David Mills, admissions assessor in the Assessment and Document Processing department, has been working at York University since the 1980s, but he has wanted to be a writer since as early as age 10, when he wrote his first book: an amusing chronicle of the experiences of an ant.
Since he began working at York full-time at the beginning of 1986, having previously served as a casual temporary worker, he has worked in undergraduate and graduate admissions, the Faculty of Education, international exchange, language testing, entrance scholarship eligibility and transfer credits. He is one of a handful of assessors in a group focused on the School of Nursing admissions.
David Mills
His work sees him dealing primarily with international students and navigating educational systems around the world that are constantly changing and updating. “What I like about my job is that it’s constantly evolving,” Mills said. “It’s not a job you can get bored in because you’re constantly seeing something you’ve never seen before.”
When he isn’t helping to bring the next generation of students to York University, Mills continues to pursue his passion for writing. Primarily a comedy writer, he regularly posts new poems, short stories, articles and other works on his website davidjmillswriter.com.
In addition to a novel published in 2019, Mills’ literary resume includes an unpublished science fiction novel, dozens of short stories, non-fiction articles, and proposals for a children’s patterning book and a dictionary of phrases and idioms.
Mills studied English at Western University. “I had a feeling that if you want to be a writer, you study writers,” he explained.
He began by writing short stories, later becoming enamoured with poetry after joining a group of aspiring poets on campus. He found it rewarding to write parodies of the writers he was exploring in his academic work. He says he always had the idea of publishing a major novel in the back of his mind.
Mills’ first novel, Of Hearts and Livers (Asquith Press, 2019) was originally conceived in his late 20s as a serious text, which he later returned to and re-wrote.
“I think it works much better as a comedy,” he said.
Mills categorizes his poems and stories as part of the “light side” or “dark side,” in order to draw a strong contrast between his typical work and the other genres he explores as a challenge.
Many of his “light” pieces of work include historic parodies, such as a poem that asks what it would be like to have Jesus as a sibling, or an upcoming story featuring descriptions of a golf shot from many of history’s great authors.
Mills, a golfer himself, thought the “blunt and bare” way Ernest Hemingway would describe a shot would be an amusing contrast to how a writer like Virgina Woolf might.
He is close to finishing his first science fiction novel, which will feature two characters living and being observed in an enclosure on another planet.
Mills says that while inspiration can come from anywhere, much of his writing draws on experiences from his past, such as a semi-autobiographical story of a first date, exaggerated to ridiculous extents to make them funny. While some of his characters originate from real people, none are direct representations. Although the main characters in Of Hearts and Livers are students, Mills does not specify their university, nor their city.
Mills has held readings for the novel and his poems in a small group setting at York and before 200 people at the Art Bar (The Victory Café) in downtown Toronto.
He says the writer who has most influenced his work is P.G. Wodehouse, who has been called one of the greatest humourists of the 20th century – a characterization Mills enthusiastically agrees with.
Of serious writers, he appreciates John Steinbeck, listing The Grapes of Wrath as a favourite book.
Mills’ website contains a handful of his short stories, poems and other writing, although he says he preserves his best writing – like his thoroughly researched dystopian look at miracle pharmaceuticals – hoping to eventually publish those works more widely.
He has spent his time in quarantine working on revisions for an upcoming novel, promoting his existing work and writing haikus about the pandemic experience.
Three York University professors earn York-Massey appointments
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York University Professors Carmela Murdocca, Mark Winfield and Deborah Britzman have earned Massey College appointments for the 2020-21 academic year. Murdocca, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, has been offered the position of York-Massey Fellowship; while Britzman, Faculty of Education, and Winfield, Faculty of Environmental Studies, were awarded York-Massey Visiting Scholarships.
Amir Asif
“We are very pleased that Professors Murdocca, Britzman and Winfield were awarded these honours,” said Amir Asif, vice-president Research & Innovation at York University. “The York-Massey Fellowships and Visiting Scholarships represent an important opportunity for our academics and researchers to expand their areas of scholarship and contribution to their various disciplines in a broader context.”
Massey College is an independent college situated on the University of Toronto campus. The fellowship provides the selected faculty member with prime office space in the college for the academic year and the status of a full senior resident of the college, with all privileges enjoyed by senior Fellows. The title “York Fellow of Massey College” remains for life or while mutually agreeable. Membership in the Massey Alumni Association is granted to visiting scholars at the completion of their program.
Murdocca will use this fellowship to work on her book manuscript titled “Testimony, Racial Violence and Redress.” She will also begin the research project Colonial and Racial Genealogies of Socio-Legal Personhood.
“Testimony, Racial Violence and Redress” explores the social, legal and representational field of testimonies of racial violence in an era of political redress. The book’s manuscript considers the relationship between testimony, ongoing racial violence, criminalization and the politics of redress.
To better understand the interconnections between testimony, racial violence and redress, the book outlines a national landscape of redress in Canadian politics and culture in response to racial violence, focusing on diverse testimonial sites that mark racial and human difference.
Murdocca’s research explores the intersections of racial carceral violence and the socio-legal politics of repair.
York-Massey Visiting Scholarship (2020-21): Mark Winfield
A major focus of Winfield’s research over the 2020-21 period will be examining the impact of the emergence of populist governments in Canada, United States, European Union and elsewhere on climate change mitigation and low-carbon sustainable energy transition policies. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, “these developments have highlighted the political fragility of low-carbon transitional strategies in unexpected ways,” he said. They also represent significant threats to the capacity of the global community to respond to the climate change challenge.
The principle outputs of the visitorship will be two major book projects. An edited volume on low-carbon sustainable energy transitions in the age of populism and pandemic will bring together an interdisciplinary team of leading researchers from Canada on climate change policy and low-carbon energy system transitions. Winfield will also be completing a sole-authored monograph on environmental politics and policy in Ontario focused specifically on the long-term challenges facing the province, including climate change, decision-making around major infrastructure investments and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
To learn more about the York-Massey Visiting Scholarship (2020-21) for Professor Deborah Britzman, see this previously published YFile story.
About Massey College
Massey College consists of junior Fellows, made up of graduate students; senior Fellows, consisting primarily of faculty; journalism Fellows; members of the Quadrangle Society (leaders in business, the legal profession and philanthropy); as well as visiting scholars and alumni, of whom an increasing number come from York University. The college offers an extraordinary experience by providing a community that allows all members to expand their horizons academically, socially and culturally.
The York-Massey Fellowship and York-Massey Visiting Scholarships were open to full-time faculty members planning to go on sabbatical or other leave during 2020-21.
Webinar features York VP Sheila Cote-Meek discussing decolonizing and Indigenizing education in Canada
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Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada (Women’s Press, Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2020)
Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada (Women’s Press, Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2020)
An expansive collection of essays exploring the complexities of decolonization and the Indigenization of education will be launched Thursday, June 25 at 11 a.m. with a free webinar. The book, Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada (Women’s Press, Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2020) is co-edited by York University Vice-President of Equity, People and Culture Sheila Cote-Meek, and Laurentian University Professor Taima Moeke-Pickering.
Seeking to advance critical scholarship on issues including the place of Indigenous epistemologies, knowledges, curriculum, and pedagogy, Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada aims to build space in the academy for Indigenous peoples and resistance and reconciliation. This 18-chapter collection is built around the two connecting themes of Indigenous epistemologies and decolonizing postsecondary institutions. Aiming to advance and transform the Canadian academy, the authors of this volume discuss strategies for shifting power dynamics and Eurocentric perspectives within higher education.
Sheila Cote-Meek
Written by academics from across Canada, the text reflects the critical importance of the discourse on truth and reconciliation in educational contexts and how these discourses are viewed in institutions across the country. This expansive resource is essential to students and scholars focusing on Indigenous knowledges, education and pedagogies, and curriculum studies.
Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada will be formally launched today during a free Zoom webinar hosted by Women’s Press and Canadian Scholars’ Press.
The webinar will be moderated by Mark Solomon, dean of Students & Indigenous Education at Seneca College and will feature opening remarks by York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. Both Cote-Meek and Moeke-Pickering will speak about the book, its purpose and importance in postsecondary education. Contributing authors Keri Cheechoo and Patricia McGuire will also give remarks.
About the speakers
Professor Sheila Cote-Meek (Anishnaabe-Kwe) is the Vice-President, Equity, People and Culture at York University. She has worked in higher education for 30 years and has extensive experience leading Indigenous initiatives as well as senior academic faculty relations experience. She has led several successful strategic initiatives which are aimed at creating more equitable and inclusive environments for Indigenous peoples.
Professor Taima Moeke-Pickering is a Maori of the Ngati Pukeko and Tuhoe tribes. She is a full professor in the School of Indigenous Relations at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario where she teaches courses on Indigenous research methodologies, international Indigenous issues, and United Nations and Indigenous social work. Her Ph.D used a decolonizing methodology to evaluate Indigenous-based programs. Dr. Moeke-Pickering is an author of numerous articles dedicated to promoting Decolonization strategies, social change, and Indigenous well-being. She has extensive experience working with international Indigenous communities, women empowerment, evaluative research, big data analysis, and photovoice methodologies.
Keri Cheechoo (she/her), an Iskwew from the community of Long Lake #58 First Nation, is an emergent Cree scholar who situates her pedagogy through both a praxis of ethical relationality, and her Nisgaa methodological framework which is framed by protocol, mamatowisin, or engaging inner mindfulness, and reciprocity. A published poet and an assistant professor of education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa, Cheechoo uses poetic inquiry (an arts-based methodology) in a way that connects her spiritual aptitude for writing with educational research. Cheechoo seeks to share the missing histories, and the intergenerational and contemporary impacts of colonial violence on Indigenous women’s bodies, as a part of her commitment to the educational and reconciliation process toward Indigenizing school curricula.
Patricia McGuire is a professor at Carleton University’s School of Social Work. She has worked in direct practice and with postsecondary and Indigenous institutes. McGuire is Anishinaabe Wiisaakodewikwe. She is affiliated with Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabe and has community connections at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabe. A consistent theme in her work is creating respectful frameworks for including Anishinaabe knowledge(s) in broader academic, social and political contexts. McGuire has written peer-reviewed articles and co-edited First Voices – An Aboriginal Women’s Reader (2009). Her research program is in Indigenous knowledge(s), resilience, healing practices, safe spaces and community resurgence, as well as ethical research with Indigenous people.
A major focus of Winfield’s research over the 2020-21 period will be examining the impact of the emergence of populist governments in Canada, United States, European Union and elsewhere on climate change mitigation and low-carbon sustainable energy transition policies. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, “these developments have highlighted the political fragility of low-carbon transitional strategies in unexpected ways,” he said. They also represent significant threats to the capacity of the global community to respond to the climate change challenge.
