LA&PS improves access to experiential education with new database
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LA&PS new internship program
The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) has launched a new work-integrated learning (WIL) database that will improve access to experiential education opportunities for its students.
WIL is a process of curricular experiential education which formally and intentionally integrates a student’s academic studies within a workplace or practice setting, ranging from capstone courses with external partners, to part-time placements for academic credit, to full-time paid internships/co-op programs. This database highlights courses that meet the definition of WIL set out by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL).
The database allows students to search for WIL opportunities available to them by academic department or school.
The database allows students to search for WIL opportunities available to them by academic department or school. Some WIL experiences – such as placement courses and practicums – are unique to specific academic programs. Others – such as the LA&PS Internship Program, the Work Study Program and the Cross Campus Capstone Classroom – are available to eligible students in any academic discipline.
“We are excited to offer this streamlined service to students because work-integrated learning experiences can enhance a student’s education and help connect academic knowledge with workplace skills,” Associate Dean, Programs, Sean Kheraj said. “There are so many great WIL opportunities available to LA&PS students and we want as many students as possible to take advantage of all the ways that they can get work experience while they learn.”
Melanie Belore, associate director, experiential education, said that traditionally, work-integrated learning has found a more natural home in the Faculty’s professional programs; however, after working closely with employer partners and students over the years it is evident that some of the skills most sought after in the workplace – critical thinking, cross-cultural communication, creativity, flexibility – are being cultivated in the Faculty’s liberal arts programs.
“I believe that creating more intentional pathways into diverse career paths, especially for our liberal arts students, is critical not only for program recruitment and retention, but because the world today desperately needs liberal arts thinkers across all sectors,” Belore said.
The database will create more visibility for students seeking experiential education opportunities within LA&PS programming.
“We hope that the WIL database will help students become familiar with the different types of opportunities that can help prepare them for post-graduation early on in their studies, so they have ample time to prepare for their upper years,” Experiential Education Coordinator, Irene Seo, said.
Seo encourages prospective, new and current students to use the WIL database to:
view WIL courses and opportunities that are available in each department/school
learn more about WIL and customize how to gain work experience prior to graduation
plan out academic pathways by checking WIL prerequisites early
search for both curricular and co-curricular WIL opportunities
read student testimonials (not available for all opportunities yet).
For faculty members and program directors who have work-integrated learning courses that they would like included in the WIL database, contact eelaps@yorku.ca.
The show must go on: How York theatre students helped adapt a local high-school musical for pandemic times
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A year-end musical theatre production can be as important to the heart and soul of a high school as its season-opening football game or senior prom. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year and began robbing students of some of their most formative experiences, drama educators scrambled to keep the curtains from closing.
Marlis Schweitzer
Karen O’Meara, department head of dramatic arts at Richmond Green Secondary School in Richmond Hill, Ont., was one such teacher. Determined to forge ahead with her combined Grade 11 and 12 musical theatre production, she reached out to Marlis Schweitzer, professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre in York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, whom she had been collaborating with on workshops for drama teachers. They both decided that this was the perfect opportunity to combine forces in a new way.
“At the time,” explains O’Meara, “I was putting on a production, which I then had to translate into an online production. What ended up resulting from that conversation was a number of York theatre students saying, ‘Hey, we don’t have anything to do. It’s the pandemic and everything is locked down; we would love to help with your show.’ So those were the initial seeds of this project.”
Karen O’Meara
With the help of those enthusiastic student volunteers, Richmond Green presented its first online production in spring 2020 – and it was a huge success. Heading into the next pandemic-impacted school year, Schweitzer decided to take the project one step further by officially incorporating it into York’s theatre curriculum as a for-credit experiential education offering called the Independent Production Practicum.
The course kicked off in January of this year and the seven enrolled students – Isabella Liscio, Megan Keatings, Hannah Smith, Rachel D’Arpino, DaveHarack, Laura Nigro and Joshua Kilimnik – jumped right into planning mode, joining O’Meara for a two-hour meeting on Zoom every Monday night. When the high-school semester began the following month, the York students took the high schoolers through a series of theatre workshops, which O’Meara says “set the bar high for the students and gave them a fantastic foundation to continue with creative exploration.”
Through breakout rooms on their weekly Zoom calls, the York students went on to provide mentorship in areas where they had passion and interest. There were rooms for choreography, vocals, directing, producing and script-writing, to name a few. They attended the high-school classes whenever they could, and provided leadership within the classroom setting – running scenes and coaching students on various aspects of the show. Their contributions did not go unnoticed.
Isabella Liscio
“The York students were outstanding,” says O’Meara. “They had so much genuine enthusiasm for what our students were doing. They were always willing to offer their expertise, make suggestions and provide great feedback.”
One of the York theatre students, Liscio, who just finished her third year specializing in performance creation and research, started working with O’Meara in May 2020 as a volunteer to get classroom hours for her teachers college application. She has now helped Richmond Green put on three productions. “This experience has meant so much,” she says. “I want to be a drama teacher and I didn’t have much experience working with high-school students before. I got to learn and explore with them what this genre of online theatre is and work with them in the areas of acting, directing, marketing and production.”
Rachel D’Arpino
Another third-year student, D’Arpino, who is majoring in performing arts and concurrent education, originally applied for the course thinking it was a volunteer opportunity that would serve her well as she pursues a future as a high-school drama teacher. She was thrilled to discover that it had become a for-credit course and she hopes to continue her involvement with the school. “Karen wants our opinion, asks us to help and gets everyone involved,” she says. “The kids are so immersed in everything, learning it all and putting it together from scratch. It has been such an amazing opportunity to give input and watch the whole experience come to life.”
Like the others, Harack, who will be heading into his third year of York’s theatre production program in the fall, plans to attend teachers college post-graduation. He knows this experience with Richmond Green will help him thrive in that setting and in the industry at large. “Seeing the students take the lead has been really awesome,” he says. “To see them progress from an idea to filming scenes and then editing, it was a really rewarding experience.”
Putting on a large-scale production during pandemic times certainly had its challenges, though, requiring the students to adapt on the fly to the ever-changing restrictions. “We knew we were only going to get a very short time together in person and we had to take advantage of every minute,” says O’Meara. “Our biggest learning was that if you want to produce work virtually, you have to be very organized, have a solid plan and be flexible to change.”
And change they did. The 28-person high-school class was expecting to have two in-person blocks for filming, but when everything was shut down after the first block, they had to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the script accordingly. “But because we had such a good plan at the start and a very good scene-by-scene vision, that really helped guide us when we had to make a change,” says O’Meara.
Student-designed promotional poster for the “Out of Sync” production
The end result was “Out of Sync,” a completely student-written musical that went live on the evening of June 23 via Zoom, of course. The show was about four high schools – one private, one public, one arts-focused and one sports-focused – competing against each other in a lip-sync battle. As the rival schools went from cut-throat saboteurs to considerate allies, the show left its audience with the feel-good takeaway that music has the power to unite people from all walks of life.
Understandably, signs of the pandemic were everywhere in the production – students in masks, physical distancing, scenes filmed in students’ homes, in parks, on Zoom and some spliced together to make it appear that the cast was in the same place when in reality they were not. And perhaps that was part of the show’s charm, serving as a sort of time capsule for the strange and surreal year that was.
No one yet knows what the next school year has in store, but one thing is certain: the educational experience gained from putting on this production in such turbulent times will have a lasting impact for all involved.
“I’m delighted that our students have had such an exciting opportunity to work closely with Ms. O’Meara and the students at Richmond Green on the development of a new musical,” says Schweitzer. “Through this collaboration, they’ve developed leadership and teaching skills that will enhance their careers, whether they decide to go on to become high-school drama teachers themselves or pursue other creative avenues. I look forward to seeing this kind of partnership grow in the future.”
Are you interested in learning more about the many advantages of globally networked learning (GNL)? Why not consider joining a free GNL webinar on July 7, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. EDT? The webinar features an exciting GNL opportunity known as the Virtual Journal Club, presented by Assistant Professor Karen Bernhardt-Walther (teaching stream, economics). You can learn more about Bernhardt-Walther’s work using the Virtual Journal Club in the following story. At the webinar, you can also meet the York-GNL team and find out about available funding, supports and mentorship opportunities. Register here: yorku.zoom.us/j/98086572037?pwd=Q1g5YzU0VHoveHhRQmt3N2JvakhrQT09.
On a Thursday morning in January, a group of York University economics students are deeply engaged in discussing economic questions regarding trade, history and geography during their weekly Zoom session with fellow economics students at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich, under the guidance of professors Karen Bernhardt-Walther (York) and Matthias Lang (LMU).
Karen Bernhardt-Walther
The students’ discussions are based on readings they complete each week and are often a continuation of forum discussions online in Moodle. The topics vary but the students always scrutinize questions of real-world relevance using economic analysis: how to help children succeed; how to limit inequalities and ensure equal opportunities; and what managers in firms do and how that differs across countries.
This co-curricular Virtual Journal Club (VJC) is an example of globally networked learning at its best: an approach to teaching and learning that enables students and faculty based in different locations worldwide to participate and collaborate.
The VJC was initiated by Bernhardt-Walther, an assistant professor of economics in the teaching stream.
“More than ever, during the pandemic we need to reach out and connect internationally,” said Bernhardt-Walther. “There is a risk of lockdowns and travel restrictions narrowing our horizons. Yet, many of the problems we face are global, so building these connections is more important than ever.”
A longtime champion of improving undergraduate education, Bernhardt-Walther – who did her own undergraduate education in Germany – co-created this project to allow students to connect across continents and to give undergraduate economics students a better idea of what economics research and a career in the field might be like.
“Compared with other fields, such as chemistry or psychology, undergraduate students in economics rarely have a chance to experience economic research before they graduate,” explained Bernhardt-Walther. “This likely has a disproportionate impact on students with minority backgrounds who are underrepresented at the graduate level. Even if these students are strong academically, they lack the opportunity to find out that research and graduate studies might be a possibility for them. Without role models or other encouragement, many never consider it.”
Reaching out to her colleagues in Germany, Bernhardt-Walther quickly connected with Lang, who is an associate professor of economics at LMU.
“I was excited right away by this opportunity to connect and offer our students an international exchange experience when all in-person exchanges had been cancelled,” said Lang.
Together they applied for funding from the inaugural Initiative for Virtual Academic Collaboration (IVAC) call run by the German Foreign Exchange Service (DAAD). The York U-LMU Virtual Journal Club was one of five projects with Canadian institutions to receive funding
The funding from York’s GNL initiative and the DAAD-IVAC program – supported by the German Ministry for Research and Education – helped to pay for library subscriptions for eBooks and to hire teaching assistants at LMU. Together, Bernhardt-Walther and Lang created a reading list of books and research papers for the journal club seminar course.
“In the core curriculum, students learn all the standard micro- and macro-economic theories,” said Bernhardt-Walther. “That’s important; students need those foundations. But there is not enough time to showcase the breath of the applicability of economic models. In the VJC, we get to discuss some of those topics. It’s an exciting sampler of what’s out there for students to study in the wider economics universe.”
Recruiting participants, the professors were looking for students who would share their excitement for economics and who were interested in connecting with transatlantic peers. They admitted 10 applicants from each university who fit the bill.
Lang suggests the VJC may have hit a sweet spot, offering social interactions, economic discourse and an international exchange experience. “In the middle of the pandemic, many students felt like lone wolves,” said Lang. “When offered the opportunity to creatively engage in cross-cultural debates of economic questions with students from different countries and across two continents, our students jumped at the chance.”
Given LMU’s academic calendar, the GNL project began in October 2020 and finished at the end of March 2021. The weekly online sessions last 90 minutes. At the beginning of each session, students typically share something personal or cultural such as a favourite musician they enjoy listening to, what they might do on a rainy day or holiday traditions.
“We started this as an ice breaker in the first week to get students to talk,” explained Bernhardt-Walther. “We noticed how much it put students at ease as they discovered some differences and often similar preferences, so we kept the question and had fun with it.”
After the opening, students break into small groups to discuss the week’s topic and reading assignment: whether students are convinced by the arguments presented, why it was (or wasn’t) contentious, where else a similar argument could be applied, but also what worked well in the writing and what it contributed to the field. Each session ends with a wrap up, where Bernhardt-Walther shares a key takeaway message and directs the students to relate lessons learned to their own real-world observation.
Overall, the VJC is a great success.
“We’re getting amazing feedback. We have seen students leveraging their digital competencies into forming relationships across continents,” said Lang. “Pedagogically, it’s been terra nova for me – and very exciting.”
Both partners plan to repeat the VJC during the next academic year. They believe it will be attractive even after the pandemic ends.
“Globally networked learning is an equitable way for students to gain cross-cultural experience. It allows students to participate who might financially or otherwise be constrained to join an international exchange.” – Karen Bernhardt-Walther
Besides the co-curricular VJC, York supports eight other GNL-enhanced courses.
“Globally networked learning has a lot to offer,” said Helen Balderama, York International’s associate director, international partnerships and programs. “GNL collaborations can be single activity with students at a partner university, an entire course or anything in between. Both faculty members and students come away from the experience enriched.”
Balderama encourages interested faculty to contact the University’s GNL project team for additional information (yorkinternational.yorku.ca/gnl-contact).
This article is a collaboration involving Karen Bernhardt-Walther, Matthias Lang and Elaine Smith
Lassonde welcomes undergraduate student researchers for Summer 2021 term
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In May, the Lassonde School of Engineering welcomed 62 undergraduate student researchers for the seventh annual Lassonde Undergraduate Research Awards (LURA) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC USRA) programs.
John Moores
The students will be working on various research projects alongside Lassonde faculty members for the duration of the summer term. “For many of us, summer encounters with research can be the spark that ignites a lifelong passion for inquiry in engineering and science,” says Lassonde Professor John Moores, associate dean, Research and Graduate Studies. “Getting to experience how world-class research is actually done provides our students with a sense of accomplishment and the confidence that they, too, can make a contribution to advance knowledge and solve global problems.”
This year, the Lassonde School of Engineering awarded 17 NSERC USRA and 45 LURA, with each student receiving a minimum stipend of $10,000. Incoming students include representatives from programs across the Lassonde School of Engineering and York University as well as the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo and McGill University.
The undergraduate summer research program focuses on providing undergraduate students with experience in a professional research environment and giving them a chance to take part in experiential education. In 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students have embarked on meaningful research experiences with the faculty members across all four departments. This year, students are conducting much of their work remotely, but some may be able to access campus facilities to conduct laboratory research, depending on regulations.
“Thanks to LURA, I had the opportunity to participate in research as an undergraduate student. This opportunity helped me see how curiosity, collaboration and creative problem-solving can be integral parts of the research process,” said Arma Khan, a student in the 2020 LURA program, now an MASc student in mechanical engineering with Professor Marina Freire-Gormaly. “It led me to appreciate the role researchers have in the scientific community and inspired me to pursue my master’s, where I can further delve into research.”
A virtual rendering of the 2020 Lassonde Undergraduate Summer Student Research Conference. The event took place entirely online
This year, professors have worked tirelessly to provide students with flexible opportunities for engagement and create research environments for students to hone their skills, solve problems, analyze data, write reports and disseminate their findings.
The research projects span across a variety of areas, many of which support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), including UN SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being; UN SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; and UN SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Research projects include:
protecting heritage structures from climate and fire;
robot-based disinfection of COVID-19;
development of autonomous vehicles;
technology to ensure safety of drinking water; and
human-computer interaction in virtual environments
In August, each student will get the opportunity to present their findings at the 2021 Summer Undergraduate Conference taking place virtually on Aug. 17.
In 2020, the Summer Undergraduate Conference included live oral and pre-recorded video presentations from over 60 students, and a keynote address from Caroline Floyd (BSc ’01). Attendees included government officials, professors, industry experts and students.
Indigenous students shine online in virtual pilot program
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When Jennifer Rokaya Sedgewick wears beaded earrings, she’s making a statement about resistance to colonial norms and making herself visible as an Indigenous woman. In fact, the York University PhD student has largely decolonized her wardrobe, ensuring that her clothing choices reflect her identity.
“Eurocentric norms dictate proper appearance,” said Sedgewick, who is Métis. “Fashion is resistance.”
Sedgewick’s thoughts about the statements fashion can make were only one of the explorations of Indigenous cultures, languages, spiritualities, and histories that came to life online April 7 as students from Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and the Philippines presented their final projects for the International Indigenous Student Exchange Program. This eight-week virtual pilot program brought together 16 Indigenous students from various countries and communities to learn about their commonalities and differences.
Pictured above: Consuelo Fernández-Salvador (top-left), associate professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador; C. Elizabeth Best (top-right), Métis, York University; Jennifer Sedgewick (bottom-left), Métis, York University; and, Sara Fuentes Maldonado (bottom right), Kichwa-Otavalo, Universidad San Francisco de Quito
The program, funded by a grant from the Canada Outbound Student Mobility Innovation Fund and York International, was created by a team at York University in partnership with four other universities: Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, Universidad de San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, the University of Costa Rica, and the University of the Philippines. Students attended weekly online talks and lectures together and also worked in groups to investigate topics of interest to them in more depth.
At the April 7 event, Randy Pitawanakwat, manager, Indigenous student services at York’s Centre for Aboriginal Student Services (CASS), offered an opening prayer, followed by welcomes from Lisa Phillips, provost and vice-president academic, and Lily Cho, associate dean of global and community engagement for York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Then, it was on to student presentations, moderated by Professor Carolyn Podruchny, the course director, and Breanna Berry, Indigenous Recruitment Officer with CASS, and program facilitator.
Students Ángel Solis (Tsotsil), Caleb Wesley (Cree) and Felipe Bañez (Boruca) talked about how technology can help to keep Indigenous languages alive by making resources available online. These websites and social media sites become preservation resources, as well as empowerment tools.
“With social media we are able to collaborate and share resources and content,” said Wesley.
For their project, Quenses Quela (Ibaloi), Christina Da Costa (First Nations) and Amy House (Inuk and Mi’kmaw) created Settler Greed, Indigenous Land, a comprehensive timeline of the dispossessions of land Indigenous peoples have faced at the hands of Canadian and Filipino governments between 1900 and 2020.
“Land displacement directly caused by colonialism is an ongoing process and an issue for Indigenous people worldwide,” said House.
She and her peers cited numerous incidents including the High Artic relocation of 92 Inuit in 1953 and 1955, which “was portrayed as humanitarian by the government but actually extended their borders of control.”
Da Costa also pointed to the hundreds of boil water advisories that are still in place on reserves across Canada, despite the federal government’s promise to make them unnecessary by 2020.
“Many people on reserves live in Third World conditions due to greed,” she said.
Focusing on Indigenous languages, Samay Ainaguano Baltazar (Quichwa-Chibuleo), Aleria Mckay (Haudenosaunee and Teme Augama Anishnabai) and Rosalyn González (Boruca) each interviewed speakers of their own Indigenous languages – Kichwa, Anishinaabemowin, and Boruca – to research language revitalization.
“Many of us are working hard to learn was has been lost,” Mckay said.
Professor Gabrielle Fletcher of Deakin University in Australia noted that often, efforts to rescue languages are community driven. “Language reclamation is a political act and one of preservation, not only of language but of world views and cultures,” Fletcher said.
Elizabeth Best (Métis), Sara Fuentes (Quichwa-Otavalo) and Jennifer Sedgewick (Métis) joined together to create an e-zine called Disrupting the Colonization of Everyday Life that offered tales of personal struggle and individual and community resistance in the face of colonialism, whether subtle or overt.
In the publication, complementing Sedgewick’s efforts to “decolonize her closet,” Best displayed her beadwork, created by traditional techniques, and focused on everyday acts of resistance to colonialism.
“My existence and my art are my resistance,” Best said. “Resistance is finding ways to serve my community and finding happiness to replace my trauma and hurt.”
Fuentes told the story of women in her community, including her grandmother, who bodily resisted efforts to divert the community’s water source. Their resistance manifested their three main values: “with one collective hand, one heart and one mindset.”
“I admire all of the bravery and vulnerability you bring to this project,” Berry told the team. “Our existence and our continuation of practices unique to our Indigenous nations are our resistance, resilience and resurgence.”
The final group of students examined whether there was a place for spirituality in Western academy. Jandrea Rose Oddoc (Kalinga), Jen Bolton (Anishinaabe) and Emma Litschko (Mi’kmaq) expressed concern that often Indigenous spirituality is reduced to spectacle, rather than taken seriously or seen as intellectual.
“Academics separate themselves from their work, but as Indigenous people, we are mentally, emotionally and spiritually involved in our work,” Litschko noted.
Drawing on Indigenous stories, the team noted, keeps them grounded, focused on their goal and provides the moral values that guide them through academia.”
The program was meaningful to the faculty and staff involved, as well as the students.
Professor Michael Hill of Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, said, “Indigenous communities and knowledges are certainly often localized, but there are scarce opportunities in the academy to also transnationalize and globalize Indigeneity in ways that allow Indigenous students themselves to share their perspectives across local, national, or regional boundaries. This program, however, disrupted that pattern and provided all of us, and especially the students, with a safe space in which we could come to know one another better and appreciate both the shared challenges facing Indigenous peoples as well as unique Indigenous histories.”
Professor Leah Abayao from the University of the Philippines, said, “For me, the program provided explorations and critical reflections on Indigeneity. The workshops and the Knowledge Fair elevated discussions into discoveries of deep Indigenous spiritualities and the desire to change the conventional restrictive platforms into enabling spaces where one can think and act with respect and cultural empathy, and allow students to build resilience in becoming Indigenous intellectuals”.
Podruchny, the course director, said “I feel lucky to be involved and humbled by the students.” Given the success of the program, she added that the group is planning to offer the program this fall, with the addition of Deakin University in Australia to the mix. They are also exploring opportunities for in-person connections once the pandemic related travel restrictions are lifted.
In closing, Vinitha Gengatharan, executive director of York International shared how grateful she is for the trust, generosity and commitment of the students and faculty who took part in the pilot initiative. “We need to continue to co-create more spaces for reflection, healing, empowerment, and connections to place and community and continually be willing to challenge the power dynamics, our curriculum and structures. We are committed to continuing the work and to expand this pilot initiative,” said Gengatharan.
By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer, York International
Libraries celebrate undergraduate changemakers at Research Fair and Art Walk
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Nearly 40 posters and eight pieces of artwork from more than 60 students were highlighted at the ninth annual Undergraduate Research Fair and Art Walk, which took place online on March 10.
One of the most anticipated and uplifting events of the academic year, the Undergraduate Research Fair and Art Walk honours student researchers and provides them with an opportunity to share work that creates positive change. The annual celebration is co-sponsored by York University Libraries and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.
Remarks were also given by President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton and Vice President Research and Innovation Amir Asif, who joined organizers, participants, family, friends, members of the York University community and other attendees. The awards ceremony featured Provost and Vice-President Academic Lisa Philipps, Faculty of Graduate Studies Dean Thomas Loebel and School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) Professor Norma Fisher-Stitt announcing winners.
The fair provides an experiential education opportunity for undergraduates to participate in the cycle of knowledge production and dissemination, and to advance work that tackles complex societal challenges. This year, students from the Keele and Glendon campuses, representing a diverse range of Faculties and disciplines, attended the virtual event and were eager to demonstrate their findings.
Joy Kirchner
“We hope we’ve cultivated a space for multidisciplinary sharing, which is a hallmark of the Undergraduate Research Fair,” said Joy Kirchner, dean of Libraries, of the fair’s novel virtual format. “We wanted to provide experiential learning opportunities for all of our participants that were meaningful to the current context of remote learning.”
Fair participants received training on designing academic posters, as well as the opportunity to present and discuss key content, findings and research from their projects in five-minute presentations, followed by a Q-and-A, as part of interdisciplinary Zoom panels.
Students submitted projects advancing purposeful research in a range of topics, from politics, with Ayeda Khan’s “Western Medicine: Inroads for Colonialism and Neocolonial Suffocation of Indigenous Medicine,” to psychology, as demonstrated in “An Analysis of Extraversion, Competitiveness, and Humour” by Alexandra Markwell, Danika Wagner, Andreja Stajduhar and Lucas Norton, and geography, considered in Jonelle Waugh’s “Food Insecurity and Food Deserts in Toronto.”
Many students addressed social justice topics, such as Harmoni Watson, who submitted “The Consequences of Police Brutality on Psychological Well-Being and Collective Action,” and Moboluwajidide Joseph, whose project explored “Stolen People on Stolen Land.”
Some student researchers chose to focus on timely pandemic-related research, such as Dolunay Kocabag, who wrote about “Social Identity of Blindness and Its Impact on Well-being During the Pandemic,” and Promise Busulwa, whose paper was titled, “Coping During COVID: A Pilot Study on Social Support, Mental Health and the Internet.”
“It’s always so uplifting to hear your presentations,” Kirchner told this year’s participants. “York likes to teach our students to be global citizens. The fair is a clear demonstration of how this plays out in the classroom. So many of the presentations represented a global reach in one way or another. It really makes you feel proud to be part of the York community. I was thoroughly impressed.”
Awards were presented in seven different categories, with students taking home monetary prizes for Best Lower-Year and Upper-Year Project, Best Honours Thesis Project, Best Group Project, Art Walk Exhibit Award, Best Poster Presentation and the Libraries’ Information Literacy Award. Students voiced the importance of cash prizes, which were increased this year due to the unprecedented impact of the pandemic.
All presenters received an invitation to submit an article on their project, to be considered for publication in the refereed e-journal Review YOUR Review(York Online Undergraduate Research Review), published by York University Libraries and associated with the fair. The Art Walk award-winning submission will appear on the cover of the e-journal.
For more information on the Undergraduate Research Fair and Art Walk, visit the event’s website. Information about the next Undergraduate Research Fair will be available in December 2021.
This year’s award winners
Dr. James Wu Award for Best Lower-Year Project
1st place: Dara Dillon – Anti-Black Racism is Endemic!
2nd place: Meaghan Landry & Ryan Yacknovets – Hiring Discrimination Towards Transgender Nonbinary Job Applicants
Dr. James Wu Award for Best Upper-Year Project
1st place: Catherine Morin-Mitchell – A Path Toward Mental Health Equity: Assessing Classic Literature as a Source of Racial Trauma in the Classroom
2nd place: Manminder Singh – Information Diffusion, Environmental Degradation & Modernization: How COVID-19 Revealed Society’s Vulnerability to Disaster
Dr. James Wu Award for Best Honours Thesis Project
1st place: Harmoni Watson – The Consequences of Police Brutality on Psychological Well-Being and Collective Action
2nd place: Braxton Hartman – Atypical Brain Connectivity in Autism
Information Literacy Award
1st place: Tiana Putric – Neuroweapons: The Future of Warfare
2nd place: Claudia Dias Martins – Impact of Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Bilingualism on French Language Development in Early French Immersion
2nd place: Yasmin Dini & Yanet Habtom – eHealth in the 21st Century: The Case of the Fitbit Versa 2
Art Walk Exhibit Award
1st place: Asha Cabaca – Wild Apples (The Fruit of Labour)
2nd place: Shifra Hetherington & Jaelyn Jones – Skinscape
Best Poster Presentation
1st place: Hannah Santilli – Redesign the Ill-Defined: Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Implications of Low Socioeconomic Status
2nd place: Ayeda Khan – Western Medicine: Inroads for Colonialism and Neocolonial Suffocation of Indigenous Medicine
Welcome to the April 2021 issue of ‘Innovatus’
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InnovatusHeaderFEATURED
Welcome to the April 2021 issue of ‘Innovatus,’ a special issue of YFile devoted to teaching and learning at York University. This month, ‘Innovatus’ explores some of the exciting innovations happening in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change.
Will Gage
It is my distinct pleasure to present this collection of stories to you. Here’s why. As we continue to navigate what is an epoch-defining pandemic, there’s much to be considered when we think about the future of our planet. The Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) is taking a future-forward approach to educating and preparing the changemakers of tomorrow who will carry the responsibility of leading our world through the many challenges brought into focus by the pandemic. Future generations are facing unprecedented hurdles, including climate change and its associated forced migration of peoples, working in a warming world, food security, urbanization, environmental degradation, habitat loss, and so much more. And yet, I remain so hopeful and this is in large part due to the extraordinary work in teaching, learning and the student experience that’s happening within EUC and York University.
In her letter to the community, EUC Dean and Professor Alice Hovorka speaks to the Faculty’s focus on hands-on experiential learning in providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to be sustainability champions and global leaders. The saying “walk the talk” is fully evident in the wonderful stories presented in this issue of ‘Innovatus.’ The appreciation of diverse ways of knowing, the power of innovation, the importance of collaboration and creativity are all evident in the stories in the April issue of ‘Innovatus,’ which by no mere coincidence is being published in advance of Earth Week.
As you read these stories, take a moment to think about your personal role as a changemaker. How can you enhance your own approach to sustainability and using only what you need? How will you become a sustainability champion? I will leave you to consider those questions.
Thank you, as always, for the many suggestions and comments about the stories and concepts presented in ‘Innovatus.’ Please keep them coming.
Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change students are all about planning Students in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change are working with the Climate Risk Institute, in partnership with Ontario Professional Planners Institute and Risk Sciences International, on climate change adaptation to extreme weather events and training for professional planners in a win-win experiential education endeavour. Read full story.
Student experiences benefit the planet
Environmental and Urban Change students are engaged in valuable experiential education opportunities designed to give students practical training on precision agriculture, climate change solutions and local sustainable development strategies, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and the Earth Charter as guidelines. Read full story.
Unique course has students seeing the land blossom online
Since Black Creek Community Farm (BCCF) is within shouting distance of York University’s Keele Campus, it seemed odd for Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change Assistant Professor Sarah Rotz to be taking her Land and Food Politics class there virtually, but such is life during the pandemic. Rotz has embraced the challenge and the result is a meaningful experience for her students. Read full story.
From conversation to action: powerful collaboration yields impactful report
The Public Involvement in Planning: Engaging Black People and Power course, created and taught by Jay Pitter, an award-winning placemaker, author, and urban lecturer, provided students with the opportunity to collaborate with Black urbanists to create a collective book of case studies, policy analysis and recommendations for how to engage Black people and power. Read full story.
‘Innovatus’ is produced by the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning in partnership with Communications & Public Affairs.
I extend a personal invitation to you to share your experiences in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience through the ‘Innovatus’ story form, which is available at tl.apps01.yorku.ca/machform/view.php?id=16573.
Will Gage Associate Vice-President, Teaching & Learning
From conversation to action: powerful collaboration yields impactful report
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Featured image Jay Pinter story YFile, Photo by Marcus Lenk from Pexels
During a year of lockdown and online learning, who knew a group of planning students would become engaged armchair travellers, visiting many North American cities to evaluate their planning prowess and learn and engage with amazing Black urbanists?
Jay Pitter
York University’s Public Involvement in Planning: Engaging Black People and Power course, created and taught by Jay Pitter an award-winning placemaker, author and urban lecturer, through the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, provided an impactful learning experience for graduate students.
The course offered students the opportunity to collaborate with Black urbanists, producing a collective book of case studies, policy analysis, and recommendations for how to engage Black people and power. It brought students closer to Black urbanism, engagement, and diverse ways of knowing. The resulting publication, Engaging Black People and Power, proved that impactful learning has a place online, and for this group of graduate students, redefined what it means to move across cities, experiences, and disciplinary boundaries.
Cover of the report Engaging Black People and Power
The act of co-creating encouraged students to interrogate the meaning of urbanism using an interdisciplinary approach to understanding planning and policy. They were provided with a multifaceted understanding of community engagement initiatives undertaken by Black urbanists with expertise in urban planning, policy, technology, housing, law, urban design and activism. Engaging Black People and Power particularly seeks to address a gap in the professional field and literature of planning for communities by drawing on Black expertise and experiences that are necessary to understand the complexities of cities across North America. The publication integrates and amplifies their contributions, while also providing the necessary tools to inform planning processes in Black communities.
Extending their classroom conversations to exploring real-world action initiatives, students interviewed notable Black urbanists, including NYC Parks’ Commissioner, Mitchell Silver. When asked what Black urbanism means to him, for example, he shared excellent insights by framing it as the power of lived experiences to understand place and space providing decades of expertise.
Engaging Black People and Power also includes case studies derived from conversations with notable Black urbanists and practitioners across North American cities. The principles and approaches shared by these experts describe a varied landscape of public engagement that is highly context-dependent. Approaches of engagement are contingent on how each community carries the histories of systemic racism and the degree of trust in local institutions and power structures, translating into different engagement approaches in Los Angeles through arts and education versus Niagara region through mentorship opportunities for Black youth to promote civic participation.
Despite differences across cities, key themes emerged in equitable engagement practices, such as acknowledging that urban design is not neutral and highlighting the importance of building relationships and trust. Students also discovered new ways of looking at engagement, the value of considering a broad scope of barriers and “the importance of ‘who’s at the table.’”
The case studies ask the students and readers alike to think critically on the impacts of seemingly neutral policies on communities, and to understand how engagement can move beyond extraction to knowledge sharing and community building.
Of course, academic knowledge and co-creation were only part of Pitter’s course. It also embodied emotions, relations and feelings. The course provided a space for students to be themselves and to feel seen. Students were inspired by Pitter’s practice and the way she centers joy and compassion within her work. The course forced the class to challenge traditional ways of thinking and to incorporate a sense of humanity within their work.
Students also experienced “teaching moments” where Pitter encouraged students to “be comfortable with the uncomfortable,” an approach not always promoted in academia. One student noted, “[the course] gave me hope that there is actually space for me as a Black person in the planning field.”
A feature page from the report Engaging Black People and Power
Pitter displayed effective ways and strategies to centre people and community within urban planning practices and processes. She taught the class that understanding people and history is a critical part of public engagement. The emotion and truth she brought into the classroom encouraged students to challenge themselves and think differently about the way people plan and develop communities.
Racialized individuals don’t see themselves reflected among peers and in successful professionals often enough. Not only did Pitter create a welcoming space, but she also centred Blackness within the course. It was the first time many Black students have ever been surrounded by so many professionals who resembled them. In fact, 92 per cent of the students who responded to a class survey noted that learning from and being taught by a Black urbanist had a significant impact on their learnings.
Having Pitter teach and develop this course reiterated the significance and necessity of having more representation within the planning profession, but also within the Faculty. Recognizing the need for racial equity in order to provide students with an honest and full academic experience, EUC continues to be committed to diversifying narratives and accurately representing the populations and communities many York students will be serving. Efforts in EUC to reduce the risk of unjust curriculum and moving away from White-dominant narratives include ongoing equity community discussions of best practices for anti-oppression pedagogy and curriculum, as well as York University’s 2021 Framework and Action Plan for Black Inclusion.
Despite students having to learn remotely, this course made virtual learning feel like anything but remote. In a year defined by crisis and a reckoning for racial justice it responded to the moment, Pitter draws upon her experience and her community to deftly fuse the professional and the personal – leading to an unassailable formative and undeniably poignant pedagogical turning point in her students’ education and future careers.
Pitter reminded students that they, like the communities featured in Engaging Black People and Power whose voices and needs have been neglected and oppressed for far too long, “don’t need to be empowered – they are already powerful.” And while nothing is certain for them in a world still in the midst of an epoch-defining pandemic which has put gaping inequities into stark relief, those who were a part of this course will be uniquely prepared to help create a more just and sustainable path, motivated by their newfound and lifelong capabilities for how to – in Pitter’s words – “speak power to power.”
Submitted by Selam Eyob, Sean Karmali, Merve Kolcak, Justin Minor, Jasmine Mohamed, Vidya Rajasingam and Corals Zheng
Land-based learning deepens Health graduate students’ knowledge of Indigenous land, rights and health
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York University students in the Graduate Program in Health Policy & Equity recently had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Indigenous land, rights and health during a land-based learning experience taught by local Indigenous Knowledge-keepers.
Jessica Vorstermans
The experience was organized as part of the Health Equity & Human Rights graduate course (HLTH 6220), taught by Jessica Vorstermans, assistant professor at the School of Health Policy & Management in the Faculty of Health. During the course, students examine human rights and health equity in terms of theory and legal frameworks and engage critically with research and concepts related to ways rights are lived out in specific contexts. The course also emphasizes the land acknowledgement with a different student facilitating the land acknowledgement each week, moving it forward in a way that furthers their learning and prompts action.
To deepen their learning, Vorstermans developed an experiential learning opportunity that would help students understand Indigenous ontologies and approaches to wellness, health, rights and land. She partnered with Joce TwoCrows and Jennifer LaFontaine of the Sweet Grass Roots Collective to facilitate the experience, which was funded by a York University Indigenous Teaching & Learning (ITLF) grant.
“I decided to include the land-based learning experience into the course as a way of working to decolonize the learning we are doing together,” says Vorstermans. “We cannot begin to read about, discuss, learn and engage with human rights and health equity without recognizing the land we are doing it from, our own positionality and relationship to the land. As a settler and someone who works to be an ally to Indigenous Peoples, I wanted to open space for Indigenous knowledges, ways of being and knowing as an essential part of learning on this land, right now, for each of us.”
The original plan was for students to visit the Black Creek Community Farm next to York’s Keele Campus, which is an urban organic farm that engages, educates, and empowers diverse communities through sustainable food access and develops leaders in food justice. Sweet Grass Roots Collective, an Indigenous group that carries out land- and place-based education, earthwork and arts, and storytelling, stewards a Three-Sisters garden and a medicine wheel garden at the farm.
However, after the most recent COVID-19 lockdown forced the farm to close, Vorstermans adapted the experience to incorporate both in-person and virtual learning.
Zainab Khan and Megan Bailey (Healthy Policy & Equity MA students) and some curious visitors, two niska (Canada geese)
A small group – comprised of Vorstermans, two students and the two facilitators – gathered on the grass near Stong pond on Keele Campus for a (masked and distanced) morning of learning. The day began with a Thanksgiving address, a traditional practice that provides an opportunity to connect with the universe and give thanks to all of our relations. After, students engaged in storytelling as Indigenous methodology, and also learned about Indigenous methods of reciprocal and honourable harvesting as they made an offering of sema (tobacco) to a cedar tree and then harvested cedar, which has medicinal and healing properties. The group also discussed Indigenous methods of carrying grief and wellness and thought about them in the context of COVID-19.
In the afternoon, the whole class met online for a live-streamed session from the land of Black Creek Community Farm led by TwoCrows and LaFontaine, who shared teachings about Indigenous ways of taking care of the land and demonstrated the honourable harvest of the sweet water from a maple tree.
Joce TwoCrows, member of Sweet Grass Roots Collective and facilitator for the day, listening for the sweet water after tapping a maple tree
Afterwards, students shared their takeaways from the land-based learning experience in reflection assignments that were read and responded to by TwoCrows and LaFontaine. Many of the students expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn first-hand Indigenous knowledge and traditions, and for the time and space to acknowledge the land on which they live and learn.
“As students, especially in this virtual learning era, we often forget to take a moment to absorb and acknowledge that land of which we learn and live off of,” wrote Megan Bailey and Zainab Khan, the two students who attended in person, in their reflection. “There is so much to be grateful for and so many forms of life at work on different scales, which was part of the beauty of this experience. Reconnecting with nature and removing ourselves from our electronic devices allowed us to recognize the centrality of land.
Jennifer LaFontaine, member of Sweet Grass Roots Collective and facilitator for the day, with buckets to collect sweet water (sap) from maple trees
“The opportunity to learn from Indigenous peoples who taught us first-hand traditions was an invaluable experience. This land-based educational experience allowed us as students to appreciate the life that surrounds us,” they added.
Students also acknowledged that although learning about Indigenous practices is crucial for building a connection with Indigenous communities, appreciating Indigenous knowledge is only one step when it comes to addressing systemic inequities.
“The land-based education challenged me to recognize these issues of access and think about how to centre and mobilize Indigenous teachings to challenge this colonial dominance,” wrote student Azeezah Jafry. “As settlers, we can appreciate how Indigenous beliefs and practices are reflected in our own to build a connection between our communities and further appreciate how they contribute to unique forms of knowledge. However, our responsibility as settlers does not stop with an appreciation for Indigenous communities and knowledge; it requires us to actively engage in their reclamation of social, economic and political freedoms.”
C4 crew creates an exciting, interdisciplinary summer experience for students
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If the Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4) piqued your curiosity, but you’ve been wary of committing to a two-semester project, rejoice: C4, the summer edition, is here.
C4 is the award-winning initiative that brings students from different disciplines together to work in teams on solutions to real-life problems with a variety of partners and mentors. During the academic year, the course runs for two semesters. In 2020-21, the second year of C4, 160 students are working in 24 teams on a project they selected from among 70 possibilities.
Danielle Robinson
“We’re growing, diversifying and trying to mix it up a bit,” said Danielle Robinson, associate professor of dance in the Faculty of Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) and one of the co-founders of C4. “The summer session will involve the entire class of 50 students working together on one project in partnership with the MaRS Discovery District. For 40 of the students, it will be an introduction to interdisciplinary teamwork. We are saving the other 10 spots for C4 alumni who will hone their management and leadership skills.”
Franz Newland
Franz Newland, associate professor in the teaching stream at the Lassonde School of Engineering and the other co-founder of C4, said, “It’s exciting to have those who have been through it before help those who have not. It changes the dynamic. We’re looking to have an impact, and we’re looking to the management group to drive the project forward.”
The C4 alumni management group acquired project management skills from their previous C4 experience. They will also receive guidance from Zemina Meghji, project manager and analyst for the Lassonde Educational Innovation Studio housed within the Lassonde School of Engineering.
“It’s important for the C4 alumni management team to be mindful of the management styles they choose,” said Meghji. “They need to know the origins of these practices; some grew out of slavery. We want to guide and coach them to be the best leaders they can be. It’s part of their development.”
Robinson is excited that the students will be working closely with MaRS. “We were looking for a partner who was innovative and invested in collaborating with students on creative problem solving,” she said.
The challenge the student team will be addressing was inspired by the pandemic. In looking at community spaces that were impacted during the pandemic, it became apparent that there are generally only two- or three-season spaces available for the public, so the task will be to explore how it is possible to set public space up to foster community connections year-round.
C4 students meet to plan their projects (the image was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic)
Andrea Kalmin, a course director in the Department of Social Sciences in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, will serve as the academic director for the summer C4 pilot.
“Being part of a C4 teaching team is a unique experience,” said Kalmin “It’s more about mentoring, shaping, facilitating and guiding, rather than lecturing. It will be all about creating a structure to facilitate their journey.”
That structure will take the shape of a weekly, three-hour virtual session for the entire group that will include time for a meeting and break-out sessions. The students will also gather virtually outside of class time to work on the project each week.
“In this case, because of the compressed format, we’ve chosen the project partner and the particular focus,” said Kalmin, “but there is still space for the students to make the project their own. It lends itself to a variety of interests and to interdisciplinarity. They can approach the challenge as they see fit.”
The C4 team will check in with students at “pivotal points” in the project, and there will also be frequent virtual meetings where the students can connect with the instructors, mentors and project partners about their progress.
The team has held two town halls to answer questions about the summer version of C4, with the last one scheduled for March 25 at 11 a.m. Applications to participate in summer C4 are due on March 26. There are more interested students than spaces, because the program has developed the reputation for being exciting, challenging and transformative. Those selected will be required to do some preparatory work for the upcoming project.
“When Danielle and I created C4, we were excited about the potential for cross-disciplinary collaboration, but we were most excited about the potential for participants to bring all of themselves to the space,” said Newland. “We want them to recognize that their discipline adds to their toolkit, but it doesn’t define them. We are all more than we realize.”
This alchemy can produce remarkable results, so stay tuned.
By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer to Innovatus
