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Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies renews fellowship program for Glendon undergrads

A fellowship program supporting undergraduate students at York University’s Glendon Campus launched for the second year on Nov. 7 through the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. The Fellows for the 2019-20 academic year are: Grace Dietrich, Olivia Pellicciotta, Renae Brady, Suzana Younes, Dael Vasquez, Nera-Lei Vasilko, Jay Ghandi and Senior Robarts Centre Fellows Anastasiya Dvuzhylov and Ana Kraljević.

The Robarts Centre Fellowship was created in 2018 with the explicit purpose of giving visibility and support to the Canadian Studies Program at Glendon College, notably by giving interested students access to various opportunities in the study of Canada arising in York networks.

From left to right: Audrey Pyée (Chair, Department of History, Glendon); three fellows: Anastasiya Dvuzhylov, Ana Kraljević and Renae Brady; Elaine Gold (director, Canadian Languages Museum)

The official launch event was held in collaboration with the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs during a reception event in honour of Mel Cappe, former clerk of the Privy Council of Canada. Annie Demirjian, director of the school, noted “It is great to be able to celebrate the accomplishments of such an important public servant and diplomat, while ensuring that the next generation of scholars and practitioners have a chance to learn from the insights and experience of Mr. Cappe.”

Earlier this fall, some of the Robarts Centre Fellows attended a weekend retreat with students from the Canadian Studies Program at Trent University at the Windy Pine Conference Centre to discuss various aspects in the study of Canada.

Professor Colin Coates led the delegation, and said the retreat provided an opportunity for the Robarts Centre Fellows and Canadian Studies students to meet their counterparts from Trent University, explore some complex issues in contemporary Canadian debates, and take advantage of the beautiful environment that the Windy Pine Conference Centre offers.

“It was a key step in establishing links between the two Canadian Studies Programs, and we plan to invite the Trent students to York in the spring,” said Coates.

Joint retreat of Glendon Campus and Trent University at Windy Pine Conference Centre in September. Back row from left to right: Rachael Cummings, Nera-Lei Vasilko, Heather Nicol, Bronwyn Funston, Ana Kraljević, Dael Vasquez, Bo Joseph, Olivia Silk and Mark Dickinson. Front row left to right: Cameron Ewing, and Colin Coates

In its second year, the initiative requires Robarts Centre Fellows to attend centre events, lectures and workshops, where they: develop specific marketable skills of their choosing through volunteering in Robarts Centre activities and partner institutions such as the Canadian Languages Museum; engage in various networking and mentoring activities; and present their own perspective on a selected topic relevant to Canadian Studies. Upon completion of the program in May 2020, the Robarts Centre Fellows will receive a certificate of recognition and their work will be published on the website of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. The reflections from 2018-19 Robarts Centre Fellows are available online.

Back row: Robarts Fellows Grace Dietrich, Olivia Pellicciotta and Dael Vasquez; from row: Director of the Robarts Centre Gabrielle Slowey and Deputy Director Jean Michel Montsion

As a research engine that facilitates and mobilizes research pertaining to various aspects of the study of Canada in the York community, the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies supports initiatives and events that help expand its research community and the overall impact of the work of its members.

Gabrielle Slowey, director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, says “The Robarts Centre Fellows offers amazing research and network opportunities and it is a way for the Robarts Centre to integrate interested undergraduate students to our research community. The mandate of the Centre is to support and amplify the work done at York on Canada. What better way to achieve this goal than to engage undergraduate students directly, and have them start their own research project by witnessing the great scholarship unfolding at York?”

For more information on how the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies supports research at York, visit its website.

Glendon hosts colloquium to address Indigenous language legislation

Participants at the Glendon colloquium on Indigenous language legislation

A three-day national colloquium on Canada’s Indigenous language policies was held at York University’s Glendon Campus Dec. 6 to 8 in the wake of the new federal legislation Bill C-91. The colloquium was convened to discuss the state of Indigenous language policy and address challenges with the legislation.

Bill C-81, or the Indigenous Languages Act, was created to, among other goals, “support the efforts of Indigenous peoples to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages.” Discussions at the colloquium examined the problems of implementing this legislation at the provincial/territorial and local levels.

The Indigenous Languages Act was enacted 50 years after the adoption of Canada’s Official Languages Act in 1969.

Participants at the Glendon colloquium on Indigenous language legislation

Prior to this year’s colloquium, Glendon hosted a gathering called “Indigenous Language Policy Implications of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada and the Related Responsibilities of Post-Secondary Institutions,” organized by Amos Key Jr. (Brock University), Ian Martin (Glendon Campus, York University), Jean Michel Montsion (Glendon Campus, York University) and Maya Chacaby (York University and University of Toronto). This event resulted in the creation of the Glendon Truth and Reconciliation Declaration on Indigenous Language Policy (2016).

Building off this important work, this year’s colloquium was organized by Martin and Key Jr. to focus on First Nations and Inuit language policy. Perspectives from Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples from academia, policy and more, were shared to bring awareness to the passing of the new law and the need for sustained effort on Indigenous language revitalization and education.

Presenters and participants from across Canada attended to voice current best practices and highlight additional needs in their communities, including:

  • the need for accessible services for those within the deaf Indigenous language community;
  • the need for more services to be available, from education to the justice system, in Indigenous languages, and;
  • the lack of protections for Indigenous languages that could rival the Official Languages Act, given that Bill C-91 creates a hierarchy between French and English and Indigenous languages in Canada.

Aluki Kotierk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the land affirmation organization of the Inuit of Nunavut, delivered a keynote address and spoke of the effects of neglecting Inuktut, the majority language of the territory, in favour of English. She revealed a secret cabinet document from the Mulroney years, which initiated a policy of blocking the use of Inuktut in governance, health, law and education. During her talk, she called for bold, audacious political pressure to replace colonial language policies with policies which guarantee constitutionalized, actionable, Indigenous language rights at a level no less than that provided to official language minorities throughout the country.

“What I want to see is concrete action to ensure that Inuktut continues to thrive,” said Kotierk.

An action committee was formed on the final day of the colloquium, and includes: Key Jr. (vice-provost, Indigenous Initiatives, Brock University), Ian Martin (associate professor, English, Glendon Campus), Qajaaq Ellsworth (Office of the President of Nunavut Tunngavik), David Leitch (language rights lawyer), and Jodie Williams (president, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Education Organization of Ontario).

The event was registered with UNESCO as one of Canada’s responses to 2019, the UN Year of Indigenous Languages. It was made possible by support from: the Centre for Research on Language and Culture Contact (Glendon Campus); the Canadian Language Museum; the Office of Glendon Vice-Principal, Research and Graduate Studies; the Centre for Indigenous Studies of the University of Toronto; the Office of the Associate Vice-President of Research of York University; the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies (York University); and the Nordik Research Institute of Algoma University.

Glendon MPIA students participate in United Nations Security Council discussions

Glendon MPIA students outside of the UN headquarters in New York

Students from the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) Master’s in Public and International Affairs (MPIA) program participated in two discussions led by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York City, this fall. The two high-profile discussions on Oct. 28 and 29 featured a UNSC update on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, and a UNSC discussion and resolution vote on women, peace and security.

The Oct. 28 discussion focused on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. Palestinian and Israeli Ambassadors first took the floor respectively, followed by all 15 security council ambassadors. The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (P5 members), other elected SC members and ambassadors reflected upon the politics and political positions of their respective countries vis-à-vis events in the Middle East, Israel and Palestine.

Glendon MPIA students outside of the UN headquarters in New York

During the first colloquium, Ambassadors Louise Blais and Richard Arbeiter led a discussion on Canada’s bid for a seat on the UNSC one of two seats for a two-year term that would begin in 2021.

The second colloquium was led by Senator Marilou McPhedran, who was in NYC to participate at the next UNSC session on women, peace and security. McPhedran is a lawyer, human rights expert and has taught at York University. In her remarks, she reflected on the role of UN in human rights, gender equity and the challenges facing women in conflict zones.

The third colloquium of the day was led by Paddy Tornsey and Alessandro Motter of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (permanent observer to the UN). Both Tornsey and Motter are Canadians.

On Oct. 29, MPIA students saw the UNSC’s processes live, including the participation of the Secretary General Antonio Guterres, several ministers and 15 security council members during the discussion on women, peace and security. This session was chaired by the South African Minister of International Relations and co-Operation, Limliwe Sisulu, and allowed students to see a security council vote on Resolution 2492 in support of women’s equality and rights, as well as their role in conflict and post-conflict situations, which was unanimously adopted.

The first colloquium during this discussion was led by the Director, Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Juwang Zhu, and Anni Haataja, at UNDESA. UNDESA is responsible for supporting governance and public management capacities of developing countries. The presentation and discussion focused on the challenges of building resilient institutions and sustainable development.

A partnership is underway between UNDESA officials and Glendon faculty and students, whereby Glendon community members will discuss how to develop academic courses alongside UNDESA which aim to help implement Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) from an academic institutional standpoint.

The second and final colloquium was led by the Executive Director of UNSC, Hasmik Egian, who left the floor to brief the students on the machinery of the UNSC, including its role on the world stage and in international diplomacy, its mandate, how it sets its agendas, and more.

Student Courtney Smith said the visit was an enriching experience that presented a unique perspective of the UNSC.

“Being able to witness the unanimous vote during the Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security left a long-lasting impression. Some of the speeches made during this discussion were so inspirational and it was an honour to be able to applaud this in person,” she said.

Canadian Studies professor launches new edited collection on Canadian environmental history

A talk by York University Canadian Studies Professor Colin Coates on Nov. 21 on the theme of agriculture and rural life as a framework in Canadian environmental history provided an opportunity to highlight the launch of a new edited collection on the topic.

Hosted by the Department of Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) at Glendon College, in collaborations with the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, the talk “Going Back to the Land: The Nature of Canada” was presented as one of the MDS Research Talks that include short presentations from members of the department. These events are designed to support collegiality and potential research synergies in a department that hosts many academic programs.

“Our monthly departmental talks are a great way for colleagues, students and members of our community to stay up to date with the research projects of others in the department,” said Chair of the Department, Professor Betsey Price.

From left to right: Professor Colin Coates (Canadian Studies Program), Professor Jean Michel Montsion (deputy director, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies), and Professor Betsey Price (Chair, MDS Department)

The new edited collection titled The Nature of Canada (UBC Press) was co-edited by Coats and Professor Graeme Wynn from the University of British Columbia. Speaking of the book, Coates indicated that he and Wynn wanted to create an “accessible collection of articles that would give a taste of what environmental history offers to our understanding of Canada.”

The book covers topics ranging from the cod and beaver trades, mining, gender, environmentalism, to climate change.

The launch of the book, a key text in the growing field of Canadian environmental history, was supported by the Environmental Research Group of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. A Robarts Centre research cluster, this group is composed of various students and faculty members of York University that research the multiple dimensions of the Canadian environment from a broad range of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields, including sciences, social sciences, humanities, fine arts and health. Representing the group at the event, Professor Jennifer Bonnell said they are always looking for members of the York community to join this growing network. Her group will host quarterly presentations of works-in-progress, beginning with the first meeting Dec. 10, 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Robarts Centre, 7th floor of the Kaneff Tower. For more information, contact Bonnell at bonnellj@yorku.ca.

During the Nov. 21 event, a second book was also highlighted. For this book titled La Confédération, 1864-1999: nouvelles perspectives (University of Calgary Press), Coates coordinated the translation of the original English-language collection of essays, edited by Daniel Heidt. The work of the translation and revision team was made possible by a Canada150@York grant. Also supported by the Robarts Centre through its groupe de recherche sur le Canada francophone, francophile et en français, the book launch was an opportunity to celebrate this important collection, especially useful for French-speaking academics working on and teaching Canadian politics and history.

“This book brings new analyses of Confederation by examining this process from a regional perspective and considering the impact on Indigenous Peoples,” said Professor Audrey Pyée. “We particularly welcome a new resource in French about the entire country. There are too few of them.”

Book Launch of The Nature of Canada and La Confédération 1864-1999: nouvelles perspectives, from left to right: Professor Audrey Pyée (Chair, History, Glendon), Professor Jennifer Bonnell (History, LA&PS), Professor Colin Coates (Canadian Studies Program, Glendon), Professor Jean Michel Montsion (deputy director, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies)

The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies is a research centre that facilitates and mobilizes research pertaining to various aspects of the study of Canada in the York community. Through various research clusters such as the Environmental Research Group and the Francophone Canada Research Group, the Robarts Centre promotes emerging inter-Faculty, collaborative and interdisciplinary fields in Canadian Studies. For more information about the Centre and its research clusters, visit its website.

Lassonde hosts three climate experts at a Climate & Severe Weather Symposium

The Lassonde School of Engineering and the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) presented a Climate & Severe Weather Symposium on Nov. 18 featuring climatologist and severe weather researcher Francis Zwiers, McMurtry Fellow Dianne Saxe (York), and Toronto author and poet Christopher Dewdney (Glendon).

Climate change has become a central topic in Canadian public discourse and politics. Extreme weather and climate events – including drought, flooding, extreme heat, intense storms and wildfire – are perceived as becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, and consequently causing more damage.

Lassonde Dean Jane Goodyer made the introductory remarks for the event.

Peter Taylor

“As Canadians, we must clearly make our contribution to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said event organizer, York University Professor Peter Taylor. “At the same time, we must plan ahead for adaptation to the weather and climate changes that are now starting to appear and will almost certainly accelerate over the next few decades. Mitigation and adaptation are both essential and our research and expertise can contribute.”

In his presentation “Extreme Weather – Not an Alternative Fact,” Zwiers explored the changes in temperature and precipitation extremes and how human influence affects these changes. He illustrated his findings using specific examples including the 2016 Fort McMurray Fire, which forced upwards of 88,000 Albertans out of their homes.

Saxe’s discussion centered around the human impact on climate change. In her talk “Climate Changes Everything,” she considered Canada’s role as a top 10 emitting country, one that’s heating up faster than the global average. She also addressed the expected risks of climate change, which includes more severe weather, and what actions must be taken to address these risks.

To close the evening, guests were treated to a reading and discussion from prize-winning writer Dewdney on his book 18 Miles: The Epic Drama of Our Atmosphere and its Weather. This is his sixth work of non-fiction and explores how the atmosphere and weather have shaped the world and human history.

This symposium was made possible thanks to the Lassonde School of Engineering, the Earth & Space Science & Engineering Department, the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Sciences (CRESS), and the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS).

About the speakers

Francis Zwiers directs the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC) at the University of Victoria. His former roles include chief of the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis and director of the Climate Research Division, both at Environment and Climate Change Canada. He has served the IPCC in numerous roles, including as a coordinating lead author and bureau member. Zwiers is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society, a recipient of the Patterson Medal and the CMOS President’s Prize.

Dianne Saxe is one of Canada’s most respected environmental lawyers and former environmental commissioner of Ontario. She was appointed unanimously by all MPPs to report to the Legislature on Ontario’s environmental, energy and climate performance, and to be the guardian of the Environmental Bill of Rights. She is now heading Saxe Facts, a business providing strategic advice and presentations on climate, energy and environment. Saxe was appointed a McMurtry Fellow for the 2019-20 academic year with the Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Osgoode Hall Law School.

Christopher Dewdney is a prize-winning Canadian poet and essayist. His poetry reflects his interest in natural history. His book Acquainted with the Night, an investigation into darkness was nominated for both the Charles Taylor Prize and the Governor General’s Award. His latest book, 18 miles, is “a kaleidoscopic and fact-filled journey that uncovers our obsession with the atmosphere and weather.” Dewdney teaches writing and poetry courses at Glendon Campus.

Welcome to the November 2019 issue of Innovatus

Innovatus

Welcome to the November 2019 edition of Innovatus, a special issue of YFile that is devoted to teaching and learning innovation at York University.

Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt

This month, I am delighted to partner with Glendon on this special faculty spotlight edition. Together, Interim Co-Principals Ian Roberge and Dominique Scheffel-Dunand and I have the pleasure of sharing with you many of the exciting teaching and learning initiatives Glendon has undertaken for the 2019-20 year. There’s a wonderful focus at Glendon on experimenting and being ahead of the curve when imagining the foundations of the future of knowledge.

Experiential education takes many interesting and innovative forms at Glendon and there’s a wealth of high-impact experiences infused into student learning. Glendon students participate in many inquiry-based and experiential learning opportunities. They enjoy the integration of technologies and access to digital media labs, which foster explorations and research in the classroom, and students participate in co-curricular projects across the sciences, social sciences, humanities, creative arts and “professional” programs offered by Glendon.

Co-Principals Dominique Scheffel-Dunand (left) and Ian Roberge

Diverse learning pathways provide Glendon students with many opportunities to enrich their appetite for solving local and global complex challenges, while sensitizing them to the impact of a successful mobilization and translation of knowledge across cultures and languages.

Pedagogical approaches building upon internationalization, community building and digital literacy give Glendon students access to local and international networks. This engages Glendon students in developing a bilingual, plurilingual and global mindset that can set them apart and inspires them to work towards improving the world’s thought, creativity, invention, sustainability and store of knowledge.

This issue will explore just some of the many fascinating and imaginative approaches by Glendon faculty to teaching, learning and the student experience.

Featured in this edition of Innovatus:  

Technology and eLearning are in the spotlight at Glendon
Across the Glendon Campus, technology has become more readily available and courses frequently include an online component or an eLearning option. One of the key participants in supporting technology enhanced learning is the Glendon Digital Media Lab. The lab offers students and faculty access to professional media hardware and software and direct, hands-on experience in digital production. Read more.

Internationalization is an important aspect of the Glendon experience
As work continues at York University to formulate an integrated institutional international strategic plan with input from the community, the students at Glendon are proof of the benefits of international experience. Read more.

Glendon offers students practical opportunities to impact the world
At Glendon, innovation, open pedagogy and entrepreneurship are at the forefront of its vision to prepare students to acquire competencies for the future of work, to contribute to knowledge creation, and to have an impact on the York University community and the wider world. Three examples of how this vision is transferred into action are profiled. Read more.

Experiential education thrives at Glendon
Glendon students are given the opportunity to enrich their academic experiences through placements in organizations whose work dovetails with course content. The breadth of these experiential learning experiences offered by Glendon showcases the immense value of experiential education in enhancing teaching, learning and the student experience. Read more.

Creativity in the classroom part of the Glendon experience
Creativity is a broad concept that, in a university setting, can refer to the culmination of work in the arts, and to innovative thought and approaches found in any field. At Glendon, both types of creativity are at work, as evidenced by a very diverse group of courses that also offer students a wealth of experiential education opportunities. Read more.

Innovatus is produced by the Office of the Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning in partnership with Communications & Public Affairs.

In closing, 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.

Sincerely,

Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt
Associate Vice-President Teaching & Learning

Technology and eLearning are in the spotlight at Glendon

Both faculty members and students benefit from the equipment and the training that the lab provides

Many Glendon faculty and staff promote digital literacy to strengthen student engagement and learning outcomes. Across the Glendon Campus, technology has become more readily available and courses frequently include an online component or an eLearning option.

One of the key participants in supporting technology enhanced learning is the Glendon Digital Media Lab (GDML). The lab, first established with an Academic Innovation Fund grant, offers students and faculty access to professional media hardware and software and direct, hands-on experience in digital production and has expanded to three locations on the campus.

Audrey Pyée co-directs the Glendon Digital Media Lab

“Digital literacy is a key competency to set students up for success both during their studies and post-graduation,” said Audrey Pyée, associate professor, Chair of the Department of History and a project co-lead with Mark Jurdjevic, associate professor in the Department of History, and Philippe Theophanidis, assistant professor of communications. All three are co-directors of the lab. “Media literacy has not only become increasingly essential as a pedagogical tool but has also become a highly sought-after skill by all employers. Educators need flexible digital equipment to integrate a variety of media-related experiential education experiences across a range of courses.”

Mark Jurdjevic co-directs the Glendon Digital Media Lab

The lab creates various opportunities to explore the digital realm: from virtual field trips to video interviews, podcast creation, website design and management, audiovisual translation, 3D environment design, telecollaboration, digital storytelling and edition, and visual identity creation. In addition, it brings learning outside the classroom walls with an interactive speaker’s series and the student-run Glendon Digital Media Club.

“Through the Digital Media Lab, Glendon offers unparalleled opportunities that provide students a competitive edge over other post secondary institutions,” said Dael Vasquez, a BA (Hons.) graduate in communications and political science. “Surrounded by world-class technology, Glendon students are limited only by the potential contained within their vastly creative imaginations.”

Both faculty members and students benefit from the equipment and the training that the lab provides.

Both faculty members and students benefit from the equipment and the training that the Glendon Digital Media lab provides

“I started teaching with GDML’s lab computers and equipment a year ago,” said Sarah Choukah, a lecturer in communications. “Their availability enabled a radical change in my teaching approach and vision.”

Philippe Theophanidis co-directs the Glendon Digital Media Lab

Through GDML resources and skilled support from the co-directors and librarians, course activities and projects consistently went from conception to production at an exciting speed. Putting new skills in practice never dovetailed so well with deeper capacities for critical questioning and insight. For students, it also opened new possibilities for learning through team leadership and initiative, as well as individual creativity and ethos.

The digital world also provides another way to support students who require linguistic assistance with some of their disciplinary courses. Usha Viswanathan and Marie-Élaine Lebel, two professors from the Language Training Centre for Studies in French, identified this need and created a series of online modules to help students improve their facility with French.

“This allows them to make the most of their university experience,” said Lebel. “Lack of language skills remains one of the main barriers to Glendon students’ participation in courses taught in French.”

The modules are accessible on Moodle and are tailored to the needs of all Glendon students: francophones, francophiles and anglophones.

The six modules focus on grammar, grammatical category, stylistic components, the art of writing, the art of reading, style and grammatical accuracy. The students are given exercises that are intended to help them understand how to write a bibliography in French (including the structures and conventions), and to recognise “anglicisms,” or English-style grammatical patterns. The modules also encourage students to improve their reading skills and help them understand context better.

The exercises are automatically corrected, enabling students to receive immediate feedback. Students can complete the exercises at their own pace and can redo an exercise if they want additional reinforcement.

“I have had the benefit of language support in my introductory Canadian Studies class, GL/CDNS 1920 6.0 (FR) Comprendre le Canada contemporain,” said Geoffrey Ewen, assistant professor of Canadian studies and history. “This has been a wonderful help for the students. Most students have consulted the language support assistant in the writing of their essays and the individual attention and feedback has allowed them to produce significantly better work. The [online] exercises that have been produced are helpful not only to French second language learners, but to francophones as well.”

By Elaine Smith, with files from Julie Marguet and Agnes Lemesre-Valy

Glendon offers students practical opportunities to impact the world

Genial Students and faculty

At Glendon, innovation, open pedagogy and entrepreneurship are at the forefront of its vision to prepare students to acquire competencies for the future of work, to contribute to knowledge creation, and to have an impact on the York University community and the wider world.

Glendon’s new g21 inquiry-based program offers students the opportunity to help tackle the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through research and innovation. This unique collaborative program, run under the aegis of Glendon’s Research and Innovation Office, will offer students three credits – and the associated lab/class time and space – to design and execute their own relevant projects. Participants are chosen based on commitment, civic engagement and passion, rather than GPA.

United Nations SDGsThe York University community is already hard at work on solutions to the sustainable development goals including, good health and well-being, sustainable cities and communities, peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnerships for the goals. The program galvanizes interest in pursuing solutions to the goals by providing the dedicated time and resources to do so.

Students participating in the program will have access to mentorship and the appropriate tools and facilities on campus: classrooms for brainstorming and making plans; conference rooms for meeting with external partners; a lab for creative pursuits using high-tech software; a workshop for hands-on projects; and 3D printers for prototyping. There are few constraints; they can establish partnerships with local or international groups or organizations and have the opportunity to pursue their passions.

Glendon Interim Co-Principal Dominique Scheffel-Dunand

“G21 builds on the Glendon top scholars program and gives Glendon the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to providing opportunities for its community members to cultivate their passion and take their initiatives from ideation to execution,” said Dominique Scheffel-Dunand, Glendon’s co-interim principal and associate principal of research and graduate studies.

The g21 program was also inspired by the Bilingual Open Educational Resources (OER) project. The project was funded by the Academic Innovation Fund (AIF) to support Glendon’s future bilingual certificate in Civic and Social Stewardship. It allowed faculty and staff to garner best practices in engaging students in problem-solving related to the UN SDGs.

In fact, the OER project enabled faculty and staff to push the boundaries of student-centred learning by asking the students to take responsibility for creating three digital learning modules: one centred around intercultural competence, one about plurilingual communication and a third addressing academic and informational literacy. Approximately 60 students contributed to the project and the resulting educational modules are available online to the York community.

“The greatest part is that these module activities have been designed entirely by students, for students. Who better to identify the needs of students on exchange than those currently living the experience?” said Scheffel-Dunand, who is also the AIF project’s team lead.

Two Glendon students give a presentation for Genial initiative

One of the pedagogical approaches adopted by the project was to run Ideathons in two different locations, playing on the hackathon approach, but engaging liberal arts students from diverse linguistic and academic backgrounds. Liam Bekirsky, research associate for the project, led a team of Glendon exchange students in Paris, France who connected with their counterparts, a team comprised of bilingual Glendon students and French students on exchange led by Glendon Experiential Education Coordinators Laura Waddell and Agnès Lemesre-Valy, to work transnationally to design activities that would support students like them trying to integrate into an unfamiliar academic culture.

“Part of the challenge and value of the exercise was for students to articulate these challenges, tackling them head on, and thus reflecting on their learning,” said Scheffel-Dunand.

Genial Students and faculty

The students weren’t the only people to benefit from the exercise; the team overseeing the project employed open pedagogy throughout the design process, which involves a new understanding of the role of teacher and student. Glendon students were paired with students in the Lassonde School of Engineering in the prototyping workshops meant to transfer ideas from the Ideathon into online resources. Some of these projects are now included in the York University C4 capstone projects.

An equally potent example of impact is Glendon’s new student business incubator that is one of the resources and services offered by the G-EN-I-A-L initiative to enable students to gain entrepreneurship experience and kick start their entrepreneurial ideas through the Entrepreneurial Skills Passport Program, and in the language of their choice.

Angelo Dossou-Yovo

Created by Angelo Dossou-Yovo, an associate professor in the Department of International Studies who teaches management and entrepreneurship courses, G-EN-I-A-L has its origin in the new Glendon/EMLyon dual degree undergraduate program in International Studies and Business Administration. A key component of this program is the bilingual Entrepreneurial Skills Passport, which allows students to develop their own e-commerce business. Some of the program’s students have turned their e-commerce projects into thriving businesses, such as Social Fibre, a social enterprise that produces and sells wool slippers and contributes to helping end chronic homelessness by employing vulnerable youth.

Now open to all students at Glendon, the G-EN-I-A-L initiative is a stimulating and innovative space for entrepreneurship by francophone, Francophile and bilingual liberal arts and science students. Students reap numerous benefits from their association with the business incubator: a 15-week bilingual entrepreneurship program; workshops and conferences; mentoring and coaching; resources and practical tools for starting a business; and spaces and equipment dedicated to the creation of products or services.

“G-EN-I-A-L is designed to be flexible to cater to students’ diverse needs and ideas,” Dossou-Yovo said, “and the incubator will enable students to experiment entrepreneurship and start their entrepreneurial ideas in the best conditions, and in the language of their choice.”

By Elaine Smith, with files from Agnes Lemesre-Valy

Experiential education thrives at Glendon

Experiential education (EE) initiatives thrive at Glendon. In a variety of courses, Glendon offers students the opportunity to enrich their academic experiences through placements in organizations whose work dovetails with course content.

Co-Interim Principal of Glendon Campus Ian Roberge
Co-Interim Principal of Glendon Campus Ian Roberge

A dedication to EE is woven into the very fabric of the wider York community, as demonstrated by the University Academic Plan 2015-20. There is a focus on experiential education as one of the key means of enhancing the quality of teaching and student learning throughout York University. The breadth of these experiential learning experiences offered by Glendon showcases its immense value in enhancing teaching, learning and the student experience.

“Experiential education is a priority for Glendon as we see the positive impact it has on student lives inside and outside the classroom,” said Glendon Co-Interim Principal Ian Roberge. “The exchange of ideas that is fostered during EE programs is truly beneficial to students, but also to our community, as we strive to continually offer new ways to engage with course material.”

The YU ROC! (York University Research on Campus) program, for example, not only offers a hands-on environmental monitoring experience, but provides students with a chance to be part of two larger international wildlife monitoring networks. The program, offered by Laura McKinnon, assistant professor of biology, takes students out of the classroom and into the natural environment of Glendon’s 34.3 hectares of ravines, park lands and gardens as part of a pilot project to document the biodiversity that exists there.

“Students have the chance to acquire meaningful hands-on experience in running biodiversity monitoring programs while fostering a sense of environmental stewardship for their campus,” said McKinnon, who notes that the programming, which targets first-year students, is student driven.

The Glendon Campus is home to 34.3 hectares of ravines, park lands and gardens that provides students with many opportunities to study the area’s rich and diverse flora and fauna

The goal of the program is for students to establish a long-term biodiversity monitoring program covering four taxonomic groups: invertebrates, plants, birds and mammals. Students can choose to focus on their taxa of interest and contribute to an ongoing record of the changes to the biodiversity of the campus. Throughout their degree, they document the growth and decline among various types of flora and fauna and try to understand the underlying reasons for any changes. The data they collect contributes to larger conservation efforts by the Urban Wildlife Information Network, based at the Chicago Zoo, and the Global Malaise Trap Program based at the University of Guelph.

“We have turned our entire campus into a classroom and invited students to explore its surroundings and develop a sense of environmental stewardship,” said McKinnon. “In an era of intense anthropogenic stressors, it is extremely valuable to understand how to measure changes scientifically and to see how our data are connected to larger patterns around the world.”

Glendon students enrolled in Le français par l’expérience (Experiencing French), similarly gain skills in their field through an immersive placement with a community partner organization. The course is offered by Usha Viswanathan, assistant professor at the Language Training Centre for Studies in French, and allows students to significantly improve their French language skills

“By being fully engaged in a francophone environment, students boost their confidence through second language acquisition and strengthen their intercultural competencies,” said Viswanathan.

They also gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges, concerns and successes that affect local francophone communities.

The partners who have provided Viswanathan’s students with work placement opportunities include various francophone schools; the newspaper L’Express de Toronto; Centre d’accueil d’héritage, a heritage centre; Club canadien de Toronto, a hub for the French-speaking community; Éditions du GREF, a French-language publishing company; and Groupe Média TFO, a production company for French media content.

Last year, Glendon students Alaina Thomas and Juan Moncaleano worked with seniors at Centre d’accueil d’héritage, offering digital literacy workshops each week. They deepened their connections with the francophone community and their understanding of la francophonie while providing valuable services to an often under-served population.

Last term, Nicole Blommesteyn, an international studies major at Glendon, accepted a work placement at Morse Street Junior Public School, a Toronto French immersion school.

“I was offered an internship placement through FSL 2200 that enabled me to practice my French language skills outside of the classroom,” Blommesteyn said. “This internship gave me the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in FSL courses at Glendon to a practical conversational setting. I would recommend this course to anyone who would like to improve their speaking skills while exploring a new learning environment. It was a lot of fun and will definitely be a highlight of my time at Glendon.”

Glendon students view a selection of archived public history documents

Students who register for Histoire vivante: créer l’histoire du grand Toronto, a fourth-year public history course at Glendon, are given a hands-on experience to learn about the theory, methodologies and practices of professional historians who work outside academic institutions in places such as museums, libraries, archives and the media. Audrey Pyée, associate professor of in the Department of History, asks students to bring Toronto’s history to life through experiential education projects. During the fall term, students explored relevant literature from the field and created podcasts or videos to disseminate interesting information on a site of historical commemoration.

“This project allows them to apply theory to practice and sharpens both their communication and media literacy skills,” said Pyée.

The students have an in-depth opportunity to bridge theory and practice during the winter term, when they each undertake a 12-week placement with a heritage or cultural institution, such as Heritage Toronto, the Textile Museum of Canada and the Multicultural History Society of Canada. These placements not only give the students an opportunity to bring Toronto’s history to life, they also acquire value skills that will serve them well professionally.

As part of their experiential learning, this group of Glendon students paid a visit to the historic Spadina House in Toronto

In 2017-18, three students did work placements at the Canadian Language Museum where they created a video on Indigenous languages in Toronto titled Two Row Wampum: Preserving Indigenous Languages in Toronto. The project required them to interview Indigenous-language speakers from across Canada who are now living in the Greater Toronto Area. The documentary is now part of the museum’s digital exhibit.

“In this course, students examine the production of public history,” said Pyée. “They spend 12 weeks discovering how cultural and historical institutions function, and they are responsible for researching and creating a project explaining an aspect of Toronto’s public history. They explore their interest in history outside the academic context, utilizing methods from the discipline. The course also teaches them about the possibilities of careers in history in various types of organizations, such as historic sites, museums and archives.”

These courses and more at Glendon showcase a myriad of ways in which faculty members can provide their students with valuable experiential learning opportunities that enhance both their knowledge and their skills.

By Elaine Smith, with files from Julie Marguet

Creativity in the classroom part of the Glendon experience

Creativity is a broad concept that, in a university setting, can refer to the culmination of work in the arts, and to innovative thought and approaches found in any field.

At Glendon, both types of creativity are at work, as evidenced by a very diverse group of courses that also offer students a wealth of experiential education opportunities: Smoke and Mirrors: An Introduction to Technical Theatre; the sociology courses taught by Véronique Tomaszewski, an award-winning contract faculty member; and the philosophy course taught by one of Glendon’s newest faculty members, Andrée-Anne Cormier. They are the embodiment of out-of-the box thinking at its best.

Duncan Appleton, the course director for Smoke and Mirrors, is a media technologist at Glendon and a winner of the 2019 Principal’s Teaching Excellence Award. His creative talents are recognized outside the campus, too, notably through his collaborations with the Toronto-based Théâtre La Tangente theatre company for performances at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, as well as with Le Théâtre français de Toronto.

Students, faculty and staff engaged in theatre programs at Glendon pose for a cameo

Appleton’s passion for theatre translates well to the classroom, where he teaches students in Glendon’s Drama Studies program the skills necessary for making a production successful, giving them a solid grounding in the workings of scenery, lighting, sound, properties, publicity and production stage management. Appleton then encourages the students to experiment with what they learn. Ultimately, each person supports one Drama Studies production during the year.

Glendon students participate in a variety of productions and bring them to life

“The experience brings learning to life while granting students relevant professional experience and fostering a more in-depth understanding of the subject matter at hand,” Appleton said.

Véronique Tomaszewski
Véronique Tomaszewski

Tomaszewski, a past-winner of one of the President’s University-wide Teaching Awards, fosters creativity and experiential learning among her students through field trips to various social and cultural institutions and celebrations throughout Toronto.

Her use of field trips is also grounded in a commitment to student well-being, part of her belief in holistic, mindful pedagogy. Through a study published in 2016 in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology, Tomaszewski became aware that students at 15 colleges and universities across Canada had requested support for mood disorders and anxiety. To support students at Glendon, she introduced “my holistic, mindful, pedagogy (mind – body – heart – Earth connections). It provides students with: a grounding, whole perception of themselves in an environment; contact awareness to improve the co-presence of all involved; a greater appreciation of their worth; and abilities to connect their studies to their sense of being.”

Tomaszewski’s students have taken field trips to Hindu Diwali celebrations; to Toronto’s Nuit Blanche, an all-night, city-wide arts event; and to the Ismaili Centre, among others. During each field trip, the students acted as participant-observers, taking part in the activities on offer and interviewing key participants. During class, they took part in group discussions to compare their information, and, afterward, each student gave an individual presentation that incorporated both sociological theory and their own feelings about the experience.

Glendon students at the Nuit Blanche art festival

“Field trips are life-affirming moments of personal and intellectual growth that train students to work in groups and to subject concepts to real life analysis,” Tomaszewski said. “A complete immersion, body – mind – heart allows for an empowerment and an authentic connection to theories come to life, building strong, resilient and engaged students.”

Meanwhile, learning philosophy has been given a new twist by Cormier, an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, who teaches multiple courses in the certificate program in Law and Social Thought. Cormier is eager to engage her students, rather than simply deliver lectures and does so in a number of ways, all designed to improve their critical thinking, reasoning and communication skills.

For example, students are required to select one or more texts from their readings and write an essay linking the text, the author’s reflections and their own personal experience or debates taking place in Canada. “This approach,” said Cormier, “allows them to integrate personal experiences or important current topics debated in society into scientific and philosophical conversations in a relevant and rigorous manner.”

Social, political and legal controversies also form the basis for collaborative work in the classroom. Working in small groups, students are asked to discuss a news item or concrete examples from modern life that highlight an ethical issue or philosophical question. They are asked to solve, or reflect on, these societal problems using concepts they have learned in class.

Andrée-Anne Cormier

Cormier has also integrated the natural world into the class experience, in the belief that the natural world offers benefits to our thought processes. She assigns a question for discussion and debate and sends the students off in small groups to discuss and debate the question for 20 minutes in the forest surrounding the campus. Next, the groups come together for half an hour to share the results of their discussions. Finally, the small groups spend another 20 minutes walking and reflecting on what they have learned and what they have experienced.

“Philosophy is usually taught in a more traditional fashion,” Cormier said, “but since I want my students to learn how to live and communicate effectively in a pluralistic society, and to discover how to disagree with others in a respectful and fruitful manner, a more participatory and discussion-intensive approach seems especially relevant.”

Each of these teachers strive to exemplify the promise of the University Academic Plan 2015-20 to “incorporate to the extent possible an experiential component in every program.”

By Elaine Smith, with files from Julie Marguet and Agnes Lemesre-Valy