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Summer course teaches cultural understanding through movement

Professor Patrick Alcedo with York University students after the Philippine Folk Dance and Culture course’s first recital at the Philippine Women’s University in Manila.
Professor Patrick Alcedo with York University students after the Philippine Folk Dance and Culture course’s first recital at the Philippine Women’s University in Manila.

By Elaine Smith

After 16 years of teaching Philippine folk dance to York University students in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, Professor Patrick Alcedo decided it was time to take students to the Southeast Asian nation to learn new dances in their original settings.

Alcedo’s Summer 2024 course, Philippine Folk Dance and Culture, immersed the students in the world of Philippine dance for three weeks, bringing them into contact with students and faculty from five universities, as well as a national dance troupe, as they learned new steps and movement sequences.

“It was time to offer a course in situ, and it’s especially meaningful this year because it’s the 75th anniversary of Canada-Philippines diplomatic relations,” said Alcedo. “York has an agreement with a consortium of five universities, and we visited all of them in three weeks. It was a whirlwind.”

The course provided the 11 student participants with a mixture of studio work, lectures and performance opportunities. They learned dances from teachers at each of the universities and put on three recitals. They also learned about the cultural context of the different styles of dance and how they related to the country’s colonial past.

“This experience allowed me to integrate with other students, to learn from world-renowned dancers, and to learn the cultural history of folk dance and the Philippines,” said fourth-year student Anna Paddon.

York U students in rehearsal for their first dance recital at the Philippine Women’s University
York U students in rehearsal for their first dance recital at the Philippine Women’s University, under the direction of faculty member Leo Lorilla, who is also a Bayanihan performing artist.

Students began their adventure at Philippine Women’s University in Manila, home to the Bayanihan – the national dance company of the Philippines. There, they learned six new dances in one week and also took a day trip to Ateneo de Manila, one of the country’s oldest universities.

Next came a visit to Bulacan State University, one of the country’s fastest-growing post-secondary institutions. York U students joined Bulacan students for a screening of Alcedo’s documentary film, A Will to Dream, which focuses on underprivileged dancers and the power of movement to change their lives. After the screening, the two groups were led to the university’s performance hall to dance together.

After heading back to Manila for a visit to Eastern University, a private school known for its art deco-style architecture, York U students learned a new dance from local instructors while Alcedo taught a group of local students.

The next stop was the Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation, home to the dance program for at-risk youth featured in Alcedo’s documentary. There, the York U class enjoyed a student performance followed by an Indigenous music class.

“Our students were able to see the power of dance to lift people from poverty with skills for a better future,” Alcedo said.

To close out the trip, the class visited the University of the Philippines in Diliman. In addition to being Alcedo’s alma mater, it is also home to the internationally touring Filipiniana Dance Group, headed by Alcedo’s brother, Peter Alcedo Jr., who is also a dancer. The York U students learned four new dances, including a northern Philippines folk dance based on research done by the Alcedo brothers.

Overall, the York U students learned 15 new dances in four different Philippine styles: Filipinized Spanish dance; lowland Christian dance, seen in agricultural areas; Muslim Philippine dance, prevalent in the south of the country; and Cordillera dances from the north.

“This was the heart of the course – really experiencing the different ways Philippine folk dance is practised in the country,” explained Alcedo. “The plurality of practices demonstrates how people respond to colonialism and modernity in different ways…. this transnational work enriches our dance program.”

This type of summer program also fulfils one of the goals of the York University Academic Plan, Advancing Global Engagement, and puts the University’s Global Engagement Strategy into practice.

Study abroad course in Cuba breaks new ground

York International group in Cuba

By Elaine Smith

Two groups of York University students travelled to Cuba this spring as part of a new Faculty of Health course exploring human rights, Cuban culture and the country’s health-care system. The course – Experience Cuba: Enacting the human right to health and health equity, taught by Jessica Vorstermans, an associate professor in the School of Health Policy & Management – marked the first simultaneous collaboration between York U, the University of Holguin and the Medical University of Holguin. It is an offering the Faculty of Health hopes to strengthen and continue.

The 34 students in the Experience Cuba course were part of a cohort of more than 300 York University students participating in faculty-led study abroad programs this spring and summer. They received funding support through York International’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Action Program, which is funded by the Government of Canada’s Global Skills Opportunity.

The course provided a look at how the Cuban health-care system flourishes amidst a landscape of economic crisis. The country has been under a United States trade embargo since 1962, resulting in a scarcity of many goods – including medicines and modern medical equipment. Nonetheless, many Cuban indicators of health are comparable to those in Canada, said Vorstermans.

“Cuba is an example of everything we want an equitable and universal system to look like, but in an environment of great scarcity,” Vorstermans said. “It’s a system that prioritizes preventive and primary care.”

Developed by Vorstermans and supported by Julie Hard, director of global and community partnerships in the Faculty of Health, the new course attracted so much interest that the Faculty chose to run two sessions back to back to accommodate more students.

While in Cuba, the students attended lectures about the health-care system at the partner universities and visited the neighbourhood network of clinics – the first stop for patients. They toured the medical school and learned about the curriculum, which also includes dentistry and traditional medicine.

York University students visiting the University of Holguin, listening to a talk about Cuba's history and revolutionary struggle.
York University students visiting the University of Holguin, listening to a talk about Cuba’s history and revolutionary struggle.

It was an eye-opening experience for the students, who were housed with Cuban families in a Holguin neighbourhood, took the university bus to campus, and visited many cultural sites during their visit.

“It was a two-week snapshot of Cuban life,” Hard said. “Most Canadians think of Cuban resorts and beaches, but living in a home in a country coping with scarcity was very different. It was an immersive cultural experience that went way beyond textbooks and the travel brochures.”

They learned about navigating fuel shortages and gained an appreciation for how hard people work to put food on the table. “The state makes sure there is enough,” said Hard, “but there isn’t the same selection to which we’re accustomed.”

The students were amazed by the efficiency of the Cuban health-care system, and couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Canada’s.

“The health care in Cuba is inclusive; it accommodates all types of people,” said El Salvador-born Alexa Rios, a first-year health studies student. “Everything is egalitarian, and everyone gets the same care…. If people with so few resources can create a welcoming system, why can’t we – with all of our opportunities – do the same?”

Sophia Desiri, another first-year health studies student, was very impressed by the strong emphasis on preventive care and the use of local clinics as the first line of defence against illness, rather than emergency rooms.

“This course opened my eyes to what health care really means, which is community,” she said. “The Cuban system looks at patients as people, with feelings and needs.”

Gurher Sidhu, a fourth-year global health student, noted the emphasis the Cuban system places on primary care, with integrated health-care teams that serve the local community at polyclinics.

“The system was designed logically, with common sense,” she said. “The family physicians, for example, live in their communities – so their patients are also their neighbours. If someone doesn’t show up for an appointment, they worry. I wonder how we could foster that commitment to care here.”

Sidhu hopes to take more time to reflect on what she experienced and to consider how lessons learned could be applied within the Canadian context. Looking back at her journal – which she was required to write in while abroad – might offer some insights. At a Knowledge Mobilization Fair held last month at York U, the students shared their takeaways with their families and other invited guests.

“We were very glad to partner with and support the Faculty of Health with the launch of the Experience Cuba summer abroad course this year,” said Helen Balderama, director of global engagement and partnerships at York International. “The insights and observations that were shared by the health students precisely demonstrate the whole point of global learning (and study abroad) programs: to be exposed to new ideas and experiences, reflect on them, and be moved to action or further reflection.”

As for Vorstermans and Hard, they plan to run the course again in 2025 and deepen their partnership with the two Cuban institutions.

“This was a transformative learning experience that was amazing to witness,” Vorstermans says. “We view these connections as the beginning of a long-term partnership that we co-create so it is reciprocal.”

Students gain experiential education in South Korea

Students-at-the-Namsan-Tower-looking-out-to-Seoul BANNER

Fifteen undergraduate students, from across Faculties and disciplines, travelled to South Korea for a Global Political Studies course designed to immerse undergraduates in the history and culture of the country – both academically and experientially.

Each year, students in the course South Korea: The Politics of Youth and Old Age participate in a unique opportunity representative of York University’s commitment to experiential education.

Thomas Klassen
Thomas Klassen

Beginning with one week of study at York U’s Keele Campus, students in the course embark on a three-week trip to Seoul, South Korea. There, the students “take advantage of every opportunity to understand, and participate in, Korean society,” notes Professor Thomas Klassen, who teaches the annual course.

This year, in addition to absorbing the culture through visiting museums, palaces and temples, the students learned to cook, watched live shows and a professional baseball game. They also met with staff at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul for a presentation on Canadian diplomacy and the life of diplomats. The course – and trip – concluded with a full-day guided tour to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Kavindi Perera, a student in the course, says, “Getting to visit and study in South Korea was a dream come true for me. I was able to learn and experience so much.”

During their visit, students spent two days collaborating with Korean undergraduate students at Chung-Ang University, exchanging knowledge on – and designing solutions to – major social problems in both Canada and Korea.    

Each student developed a research project while in Seoul, covering topics such as the K-pop industry, gender inequality, Korean beauty standards, fertility trends, education fever and international relations. Speaking and observing Koreans, seeing local advertisements and clothing, and living in Seoul provided students with a rich knowledge base that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise.  

Students-wearing-traditional-Korea-dress-visiting-a-palace BANNER
York University students wearing traditional Korean clothes while visiting a palace.

“I learned enormously by being immersed in Korean culture, politics and society,” says student Alex Singh. “The knowledge I acquired helped me grow as a person and will be an integral part of my university education.”

Another student, Samantha McConnell, says the course was “the greatest and most fun adventure of my academic career.”

Klassen adds, “The students learned more, not only about Korea but about themselves. They returned with a much deeper understanding of the world around them, but also their place in it, and the possibilities they have to make positive changes.”

Doctoral graduate wins two national awards

Tossing colorful paper confetti from the hands of young people.

Isaac Garcia-Sitton, a recent PhD graduate from the Faculty of Education, has been honoured with two prestigious national awards for his doctoral dissertation in the field of international higher education.

Isaac Garcia-Sitton
Isaac Garcia-Sitton

Garcia-Sitton received the Michel Laferrière Research Award by the Comparative & International Education Society of Canada and the George Geiss Award by the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education for his dissertation titled “Policy Making in Times of Crisis: The Case of Immigration and International Students in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Informed through analysis of policy documents and interviews with policy actors, the study examines how immigration policy measures introduced in Canada during the pandemic affected international student recruitment and retention in the nation’s post-secondary education institutions.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive these awards from national academic societies that have significantly contributed to the fields of higher education and international education,” says Garcia-Sitton, who has over 20 years of experience in international relations and business development as a former diplomat and within the higher education sector. He currently serves as the inaugural executive director of international student enrolment, education and inclusion at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Professor Roopa Desai Trilokekar, Garcia-Sitton’s dissertation supervisor whom he credits for her guidance on his work, commended his achievement, noting: “Isaac’s work and its recognition through two national awards is a reflection of the fruits of humility, hard work and dedication.”

Exploring the various immigration policy measures introduced in Canada from March 2020 to December 2022 to ensure the continued recruitment and retention of international students, Garcia-Sitton’s dissertation highlights how the pandemic acted as a catalyst for policy change, leading to significant adaptations in travel regulations, study provisions, work-related measures and pathways to permanent residency.

The research illustrates, too, the interplay between federal and provincial jurisdictions and how lack of co-ordination can further complicate policy making in uncertain conditions. By identifying and investigating the role of institutional constraints and the alignment of policy actors in decision-making processes, the dissertation provides insights that can inform high-impact and rapid-response policy changes to support the international education sector in Canada.

Garcia-Sitton’s research identifies key factors that facilitated policy changes during the pandemic and highlights the significance of policy entrepreneurs, clear communication and the widespread collaboration in shaping effective policy responses. In addition, by identifying the interconnectedness between global geopolitical shifts and internal policy decisions, the study illustrates how external factors can shape a country’s attractiveness in the international education arena, and advocates for a more comprehensive and holistic approach in policy analysis.

The forward-looking nature of Garcia-Sitton’s disseration are something both awards singled out.

“Isaac’s dissertation presents a compelling case for the significance of analyzing policy changes during times of crisis,” noted the 2024 committee for the Michel Laferrière Research Award, which recognizes outstanding research in the field of comparative and international education. The committee for the George Geiss Award, which has the same goal as the Michel Laferrière Award, echoed that, noting that Garcia-Sitton’s work provides “a valuable case study to guide future analyses and practices.”

“As an immigrant and a scholar-practitioner, this recognition underscores the importance of my journey and the impact of dedicated research on shaping inclusive and supportive policies for international students,” says Garcia-Sitton.

Model EU brings students from across Canada to York U

Model EU at York U

By Elaine Smith

When political science major Sara Harsini heard York University was hosting a Model European Union (EU) for university students nationwide, she signed up to participate and convinced her third-year classmate, Nawal Alhawari, to join her.

Nawal Alhawari (left) and Sara Harsini (right).

The Model EU, a simulation of the work done by the European governing body, was held this spring and organized by Heather MacRae, an associate professor in York U’s Department of Politics. Sponsored by the Delegation of the European Commission in Canada, it brought 55 students from across the country to the Keele Campus to experience politics and diplomacy in action.

“It was an excellent experiential education exercise,” MacRae said. “The students had to do advance work, both reading and research, and then they put it into action. They learned a lot about how the EU works and a lot about climate change.”

The event was the second of its kind to be held in Canada; last year, it was held in Ottawa. According to MacRae, the goal going forward is to have universities assume the role of hosting.

The Hungarian Consulate hosted the opening reception, an event that brought students and diplomats together to hear an opening speech by EU ambassador Melita Gabrič and to discuss the issues of the day. Many of the conversations centred around the European Green Deal – the EU climate law requiring a 55 per cent reduction of emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050 – since it was the focus of the weekend’s sessions. The students were tasked with creating a resolution, addressing how they would achieve its goals.

Students worked in pairs to represent the governments of the 27 EU nations. Alhawari and Harsini chose to represent Austria, because they wanted to embody a nation that was forward thinking in its environmental policies. After researching green policies and Austria’s contribution to the EU, they were delighted to meet a representative from the Austrian Consulate at the reception.

“It was fantastic to meet him and discuss Austria’s green policies,” said Harsini. “A major part of our success came from his commentary and insights.”

Gabriele Alexandru, head of the political, press and information section at the EU Delegation to Canada, gave the opening talk the following day, before the students got to work on their Green Deal resolutions. The event was entirely student run, with a pair from the University of Victoria acting as Chairs.

“It’s an opportunity to hone so many skills, including negotiation, co-operation, public speaking and research,” MacRae said. “There’s an extra benefit getting to know people interested in similar issues from across the country. We’re building a community of European scholars.”

This was the first time Alhawari and Harsini had participated in a simulation exercise. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are considering trying a Model United Nations simulation next.

“We always have a notion that government work takes too long, but this shed light on the fact that every nation’s voice had to be heard,” said Harsini. “Now, I understand why it takes time.”

Added Alhawari, “The actual Green Deal already exists, so we were just adding to it. I realized that if the real EU was able to forge an agreement, so could we.”

MacRae liked the idea of giving students a sponsored opportunity to learn more about the EU.

“There is an EU study tour each summer, which our students can take part in, but it is expensive,” she said. “Since not all students can afford to go to Europe, we bring Europe to them.”

J.J. McMurtry, dean of York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), believes the exercise was extremely valuable.

“Participating in opportunities such as the Model EU simulation is a vital component of experiential learning and internationalization at LA&PS,” he said. “These experiences enhance students’ understanding of global affairs, cultivate critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills. By actively participating in these activities, our students not only enrich their academic pursuits but also develop the necessary competencies to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world.”

By giving students a greater understanding of European governance, MacRae is helping to fulfil the University Academic Plan‘s goal of advancing global engagement and bring its new Internationalization and Global Engagement Strategy to life.

York U mature students take their studies abroad this summer

Map plane travel international world

By Elaine Smith

York University’s summertime, faculty-led study abroad opportunities continue to be popular post-pandemic, and it’s not only 20-somethings who are taking advantage of the chance to broaden their cultural horizons. Mature students, too, are registering for courses that take them across the globe.

York International, the University’s hub for both international students and international education programs, supports Faculties and academic units in offering study abroad opportunities led by York U course directors, and mature students are eager to participate.

F. Evnur Taran on a research trip in Georgia.

Human geography PhD student F. Evnur Taran, for example, studied in Mexico City last month. Meanwhile, undergraduate student Paula Kaston is off to York U’s Las Nubes EcoCampus in Costa Rica and Richard Smith has headed to China. None of them had studied abroad previously, but their life experiences made them confident that they would succeed in an unfamiliar environment.

“I’m excited,” says Taran. Called Free Trade, Unfree Labour and Environmental Justice in Continental North America, it looks at the current North American free trade agreement. Students in this intensive course, led by Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change (EUC) Professor Anna Zalik, spend a week studying with peers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City and reconvened the following week at York U.

“It’s an opportunity to be in a university in another country and see what their system is like,” says Taran.

Taran loves both travelling and learning. Once her children were grown, she earned a second bachelor’s degree at Glendon College. Next came a master’s degree in international development studies, which led her to apply for the PhD program in human geography.

“I’m living my second youth,” she says. “I love to study and to be active, and I’ll continue as long as life permits me.”

Kaston, who is retired, is finishing her bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability. She decided that a course at York U’s EcoCampus would be a wonderful end to her undergraduate studies.

Years earlier, career opportunities lured Kaston away from her university studies, so she is fulfilling her long-term goal now by earning a degree. In fact, she has enjoyed the experience so much that she is continuing on to a master’s program in environmental science this fall.

“Environmental sustainability has been a passion of mine for a long time,” she says, “and when I found the York program, I decided to go full on.”

Kaston registered for a course called Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing, led by EUC professor and Las Nubes director Felipe Montoya. The course explores the ways Costa Rica is succeeding with sustainable development.

“I want to see what these initiatives that we read about really look like on the ground,” Kaston says.

Smith, who retired from York U last year as director of institutional planning, began taking language courses prior to retirement. This summer, he embarked on an intensive course in Mandarin – Intermediate Chinese Language and Culture in China: Shanghai as an International and Chinese Centre – taught by Assistant Professor Gang Pan in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. It brought him to China at the end of May.

“I’m fascinated by how people in other countries do the same things in different and often surprising ways,” he says.

To help support his trip, Smith received a $2,000 award from the Government of Canada’s Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program Global Skills Opportunity (GSO). The funding is meant to offset the cost of travel while increasing the participation of under-represented groups in international learning opportunities.

Smith and 10 of his classmates studied at Fudan University in Shanghai for a month, lived in the residences there and ate in the dining hall. Their course was intensive, with five hours of language classes daily, but the month-long session ended with a five-day trip to the cities of Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanjing, as well as the Shaolin monastery (the birthplace of Buddhism) and the countryside of Zhejiang Province to experience first-hand the culture, history and landscapes – and put their language skills to the ultimate test.

“I’ve been dropped into cities with a different language before,” Smith says, “but here, it may be hard to find English speakers, so I’ll pretty much have to rely on my Chinese.”

Ashley Laracy, associate director of global learning for York International, urges students of all ages to follow in the footsteps of these mature students.

“Faculty-led study abroad programs create a supportive space for students to travel abroad with a group of their known peers,” she says. “We’re excited to see the diversity of our student population reflected in our global learning programs. Our Global Engagement Strategy outlines York’s commitment to building and facilitating opportunities that are inclusive and accessible to our students. Global learning is lifelong learning.”

This summer, York University has more than 300 students abroad as part of faculty-led programs. With the help of the GSO funding, the University has been able to increase its participation levels in summer study abroad initiatives, with more than 220 participating students receiving financial support towards their global learning.

For more information about York University faculty-led abroad opportunities, contact yuabroad@yorku.ca.

YSpace participates in federal program supporting prospective immigrant entrepreneurs

YSpace

By Elaine Smith

This month, as one of the designated organizations in the Government of Canada’s Start-up Visa Program, YSpace – York University’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub – is welcoming a group of entrepreneurs from 10 startup companies based outside of Canada who are seeking to expand their businesses here. Advancing global entrepreneurship through initiatives like this one, in both Canada and overseas, is a priority of York U’s Global Engagement Strategy.

The federal government’s Start-up Visa Program targets immigrant entrepreneurs with the skills and potential to build innovative businesses in Canada that will create jobs. As one of the program’s selected partners, YSpace, which has a long history of assisting startups seeking to enter the North American market, works with these potential immigrant entrepreneurs to familiarize them with the Canadian business landscape.

“There are a limited number of designated organizations and it’s a highly coveted label,” said David Kwok, director of entrepreneurship and innovation at YSpace. “We are one of the few at the university level.”

YSpace received its formal designation last August and has since shepherded a pilot cohort and a full cohort of entrepreneurs through the program – 15 companies in total, primarily originating from South America and Asia. The team is planning to promote the program to European entrepreneurs next.

YSpace's Jason Muloongo (right) with John Beluca, a participant in the Start-up Visa Program and founder of Gipo.
YSpace’s Jason Muloongo (right) with John Beluca, a participant in the Start-up Visa Program and founder of Gipo.

Each Government of Canada-designated organization creates its own process for the program and chooses its own entrepreneurs to mentor. YSpace’s Start-up Visa Program focuses on innovative technology companies across all sectors but has gained the most traction with artificial intelligence (AI) ventures. It accepts applications throughout the year and invites a selection of companies to participate.

YSpace’s process begins with Blueprint, a six-week boot camp where entrepreneurs assess the Canadian market and do a feasibility study for their business. Upon successful completion of Blueprint, participants become eligible for the Launchpad program, a year-long coaching and mentorship experience designed to provide strategic advice while ensuring consistent progress. YSpace works with the startups – up to five people from each company – to create and execute their business plans and facilitate opportunities to meet potential customers and buyers.

The businesses the Start-up Visa Program assists are not new ventures, but ones that are already operational in their home countries.

“We help them adapt their existing strategy to new markets,” said Ellen Kim, Start-up Visa Program officer. “It’s a new way to support industry looking to come to Canada and seeking a way to explore the market.”

For instance, the Korean company Kloser recently launched its AI-powered referral marketing tool in Canada after working with YSpace. The innovation hub is also working with Brazilian entrepreneur Milo Andreo to help him launch an English version of his successful piano learning app.

“These companies want to tap into the AI talent here in Canada and leverage the English-speaking local talent to adapt their products to the North American market,” said Jason Muloongo, Start-up Visa Program advisor.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), based at the Korean Consulate in Toronto, has placed a company in each of YSpace’s Start-up Visa Program cohorts to date and encourages its startups to work with YSpace.

“The partnership between YSpace and KOTRA Toronto has been beneficial for us,” said Miki Cho, deputy general manager of KOTRA Toronto. “Our collaborative efforts have provided invaluable resources and support, enabling Korean entrepreneurs to thrive in the Canadian market.”

When it comes to assisting startups, YSpace has a proven track record. Through its wide array of programs, it has supported 985 ventures to date, which have collectively generated $277 million in revenue, raised $143 million in funding and created 1,493 jobs. This federal program involvement will allow YSpace to further solidify its reputation as an industry-leading incubator for entrepreneurs and innovators alike.

“The growing interest in YSpace’s Start-up Visa Program is an indication of YSpace’s success in moving towards the goal of building York University into a global brand for entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Kwok. “The recent success has led to an increased interest in our soft-landing and market discovery programs from trade agencies across the world.”

Project brings together dance students from York U, Japan

Lisa Sandlos in Japan with dance students

By Elaine Smith

Students from York University have an opportunity to collaborate with students from Japan’s Mukogawa Women’s University this month as the result of a globally networked learning (GNL) award granted to Lisa Sandlos, a contract faculty member in York U’s School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies and the Faculty of Education, by the GNL team at York International.

GNL is an approach to teaching and learning that enables people from different locations worldwide to work together on knowledge-making processes and research projects. It provides cross-cultural opportunities for students who might not have the chance to study abroad – a definite benefit in today’s global economy.

Sandlos will be pairing students in her summer course GSWS/DANC4528 3.0 – Feminism, Dance and The Body: Performance, Movement and Transformation – with students in a course at Mukogawa Women’s University taught by Naoko Murakoshi, who offers a seminar focusing on somatic movement, education and dance. The two women studied together in a professional training program at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre (now called the Dance Arts Institute) and were faculty colleagues at York U for several years before Murakoshi returned to teach in her native Japan.

Lisa Sandlos and Naoko Murakosh.
Lisa Sandlos in Japan with students.

Thanks to a Hyogo Overseas Research Network fellowship, Sandlos was able to travel to Japan this spring and plan the GNL exercise with Murakoshi in person.

“Because we are considering bodies, movement and dance, it was helpful to be together in a physical space with her students,” Sandlos said. “I was there doing research, but I also taught five classes and gave a lecture on gender, sexuality and sexualization in competitive dance.”

Murakoshi noted, “It was good to have Lisa here so we could create the GNL plans together. The process is very important, and we wanted to share our thoughts.”

The York U course, which began at the end of June, is six weeks long. Sandlos introduced the GNL component during the second class, and provided another assignment option for students who preferred not to participate.

As part of the GNL component, both students in each pair will create a video “about any aspect of their identity that they wish to share,” Sandlos said. “They will then observe their partner’s video and write a reflection on what they observe and what they have experienced. They will also reflect on what the body can tell us, especially through movement and dance.”

Once the students begin the project, they will be able to work either asynchronously or synchronously, but the 13-hour time difference will likely play a part in their decisions.

Through this project, the two professors hope their students will gain an understanding of the cultural and social dimensions of movement.

“Ideas about the body are social and cultural and aren’t fixed,” Sandlos said. “When we communicate cross-culturally, we realize that people collectively create their understanding about the world and the body. Movement is culturally coded and we need to understand the level of diversity that exists in order to communicate effectively.”

Murakoshi noted that bodies are socially conditioned. In Eastern philosophy and Japanese culture, she explained, small gestures can carry great meaning.

“This exchange will help the students start to reveal their own biases and understand that how they perceive things is societal,” said Murakoshi. “This is revealed clearly when they exchange movement, and I want them to experience that with peers.”

Sandlos hopes students will find the GNL project informative, not only as a cross-cultural exchange but as experiential education, which was her impetus for creating it.

York U prof co-curates international art exhibit

Art from Marvelous Utopia exhibition in France
Rik Lina (1942-), The Sea of Sleep, 2004, oil on canvas, 100 by 135 centimetres (Netherlands).

Born in France in the wake of the First World War, the surrealist movement positioned itself as an artistic, poetic, and philosophical investigation of the unconscious and the irrational, in pursuit of revolutionizing the human experience. In honour of the centenary of the publication of the Manifesto of Surrealism by the movement’s founder, André Breton, events around the world are being held to commemorate surrealism’s aesthetic, ethical and political dimensions.

Artwork by Susana Wald, Marine Duality, 1972, acrylic on paper, 72 by 53 centimetres (Canada/Mexico)
Event poster, featuring artwork by Susana Wald – Marine Duality, 1972, acrylic on paper, 72 by 53 centimetres (Canada/Mexico).

One such event is a major international art exhibit co-curated by York University Department of Humanities Professor S. D. Chrostowska with the Paris Surrealist Group of which she is a member. Dedicated to the persistence of surrealism as a living movement 10 years after its founding, Marvelous Utopia will run from July 6 to Sept. 7 in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France. It will bring together some 100 artworks, including paintings dating back to the movement’s beginnings in the 1920s as well as new pieces created specifically for this occasion.

The first such show to be organized by surrealists on French soil since 1965, Marvelous Utopia is conceived as a poetic and initiatory voyage across a “utopian archipelago” of five “isles”: Dreams, Revolt, Metamorphoses, Love and Abundance. To highlight surrealism’s history and continued vitality worldwide, the exhibit features not only surrealists who had been part of the original Paris Surrealist Group – most notably Hans Bellmer, Unica Zürn, Jorge Camacho and Michel Zimbacca – but also contemporary sculptors, painters and collagists active in France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden, the U.K., the U.S., Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Surrealism has long been present in French and English Canada as well, going back to Breton’s travels in Gaspé, Que., in 1944. Canadian surrealists on display at Marvelous Utopia include Mimi Parent, Jean Benoît, Susana Wald and Bernard Sanschagrin. The show also features self-taught, “outsider” artists whose creative expression has enriched the surrealist vision from the 1940s onwards. Each contribution, Chrostowska says, offers a unique window into another reality.

“The exhibit’s theme – ‘utopia’ combined with ‘the marvelous’ – is meant to symbolize how surrealism today continues to champion the emancipatory value of the imagination,” explains Chrostowska, “unchained from the culture industry and the art-market commodification of taste.”

For more information about Marvelous Utopia and how to attend, for those fortunate enough to be in France this summer, visit the exhibit’s web page.

York University rises to top 35 globally in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

THE 2024 General_YFile Story

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Dear colleagues,

York University has risen an impressive five spots to be among the top 35 institutions in the world for advancing the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to this year’s Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, published today.

This is a testament to the growing recognition for York’s global leadership on the SDG Challenge and has been made possible by our community of changemakers – faculty, staff, students, course directors, alumni and our many partners. It is your commitment to our shared values of sustainability, inclusivity and equity that has enabled us to achieve our highest ranking yet.

On behalf of the University, thank you for your individual contributions and collective efforts in interdisciplinary research, teaching, and a myriad of campus initiatives and community projects, which have led to this success.

With an additional 300+ universities joining the rankings this year, York has continued to hold its leading position among more than 2,100+ universities worldwide for the sixth consecutive year. York has a particularly strong global standing in the following categories: 

  • SDG 1 (No Poverty) – #2 in the world and #1 in Canada;
  • SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) – 33rd in the world and #1 in Canada; and
  • SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) – tied for 13th in the world.

This is an achievement we all share and one that the entire York community can take great pride in. We are delighted to see the community united by our common goals: to realize the University Academic Plan 2020-25 and to answer the call of the SDG Challenge.

When we work together to create positive change there is no limit on York’s ability to address the most pressing global issues of our time. Read the News@York story for more details.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Lenton
President & Vice-Chancellor

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic

Amir Asif
Vice-President Research & Innovation

Those who wish to share the news in social media posts or email signatures can find instructions on how to do so in the THE Impact Rankings Toolkit.