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York University takes academic program to Markham with new space at IBM Canada

Dignitaries from different levels of government join senior leaders from York University and IBM for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the York University space in IBM’s headquarters in Markham

York University is continuing to expand its footprint in Markham, Ont., by offering academic programming for the first time at IBM Canada’s headquarters.

The classes will provide York University students the opportunity to benefit from a high-profile and dynamic environment where they can learn among academics, small and large businesses, entrepreneurs, startups and developers. The new space opened this month at the IBM headquarters while plans continued to establish a York University campus in Markham Centre.

Dignitaries from different levels of government join senior leaders from York University and IBM for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the York University space in IBM’s headquarters in Markham
Dignitaries from different levels of government join senior leaders from York University and IBM for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the York University space in IBM’s headquarters in Markham

“York University is committed to better serving the growing population of 18- to 24-year-olds seeking post-secondary education in York Region, and to support entrepreneurship in the region through cross-sectoral collaboration,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton. “York and IBM have a long history of supporting innovation, research and development, and we are excited to have the opportunity to expand experiential learning for our students through this new initiative.”

The need for this type of innovative cross-sectoral collaboration is increasing.

York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton speaks to more than 100 guests at the official opening event for York University’s space in IBM’s headquarters in Markham

“We know that two-thirds of all emerging jobs will require higher education and about 50 per cent of all existing jobs are being impacted by automation and artificial intelligence,” said Lenton in her remarks delivered at an event held at the IBM headquarters on Sept. 25. As such, she noted, many current jobs will be replaced with new jobs.

“York University is responding to emerging curricular needs for new programming and to help workers upskill and reskill to ensure that Markham, York Region and Ontario have the talent needed for the future,” said Lenton.

Third- and fourth-year School of Administrative Studies students in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) are taking bachelor of commerce courses at the new location and looking forward to the introduction of work-integrated learning opportunities.

“Opening this space has always been about our students,” said J.J. McMurtry, interim dean of LA&PS. “In the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, we are always striving for better, more innovative ways to give students the education they need and to prepare them for their future careers, no matter what they go on to do. Today is really a celebration of them and the tiny seed of an idea that started in our Faculty and became this space. It could not have been made possible without the commitment and leadership of many of you from across the University and at IBM.”

J.J. McMurtry, interim dean of LA&PS

Activities for the space that are scheduled for this fall include networking events and lunchtime seminars for York University students and IBM employees. The program is also expected to have IBM employees as guest lecturers in relevant classes, to share knowledge and experience that directly supports the curriculum. Discussions are underway to expand internship opportunities for York students and explore how the micro-credentials of learning badges already offered by IBM may augment and support learning opportunities for students.

“York University and IBM have been strong collaborators for several decades, spanning research and development, teaching and learning initiatives,” said Beth Bell, vice-president, enterprise and commercial, IBM Canada. “Today, we are excited to extend that partnership and welcome York University to our headquarters in Markham. Partnerships such as these are demonstrative of how cities, education institutions and technology companies can come together to shape the learning experience for students and build the skills of tomorrow.”

Markham is already home to Innovation York, which is located at IBM, and to YSpace, which opened in downtown Markham in 2018. This new initiative with IBM further expands the University’s presence in Markham and York Region.

The technology incubator ventureLAB, which supports tech startups, is also located in IBM Canada’s headquarters, along with IBM Innovation Space, a hub to more than 40 tech companies.

Collaborative environments such as these create a strong opportunity for students with access to expertise, resources, and technologies needed to grow and enhance their skills.

“This now gives students an additional opportunity to study closer to home at IBM, one of Markham and Canada’s leading technology companies, and Markham’s largest employer,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “Markham is a hub for talent in the heart of York Region, Canada’s second-largest tech cluster. I applaud this collaboration; York University students will benefit from the opportunity to learn in a high-profile and dynamic environment among some of the best innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs.”

DARE winners to display summer research at upcoming celebration

On Oct. 2, this year’s cohort of Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE) winners will showcase the work completed in the summer of 2019 under the leadership of professors from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS).

Student participants will attend the DARE Research Poster Session and Celebration to present their research and engage with attendees. All are welcome to attend the event, which will take place from noon to 2:30 p.m. in the Collaboratory located in the Scott Library on the Keele Campus. Light refreshments will be served.

“The quality and range of research projects carried out by DARE awardees is a point of pride for LA&PS,” said J.J. McMurtry, interim dean of LA&PS. “The upcoming celebration is a way to honour their hard work and valuable contributions to our Faculty.”

This year, 40 student researchers received the DARE award, which included $5,000 in funding to work collaboratively with LA&PS faculty on a research project throughout the Summer 2019 term. (Learn more about DARE in the YFile article “LA&PS announces winners of 2019’s Dean’s Award for Research Excellence” and view the 2019-20 award recipients in the winners’ gallery.)

“DARE engages our students with all aspects of the research process,” said David Cuff, director, strategic research and partnerships, Office of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies & Research. “These projects showcase the value of learning how to communicate research results to audiences who will really stand to benefit from this work.” 

Projects are diverse in their themes and scopes, with subjects ranging from disability in the disaster context to refugee advocacy under former prime minister Stephen Harper and the political economy of plastic packaging.

“When we created the DARE program two years ago, we knew that this was a truly unique opportunity for both our researchers and our students,” said Sandra Whitworth, associate dean, graduate studies and research. “It’s wonderful to see the results of these projects expressed in such creative and insightful ways.”

History T-shirts travel the world

Iceland. Jamaica. New Zealand.

These are just some of the destinations where the Department of History’s T-shirts have been photographed as part of the Travelling T-Shirt Contest.

Department of History Professor Sean Kheraj on location at Machu Picchu

The contest started after Department of History Professor and Associate Dean Sean Kheraj shared a photo of himself wearing the shirt in Machu Picchu.

Knowing it would be difficult to outdo this epic image, he challenged his colleagues to snap their own photos around the world.

Kheraj said he couldn’t have imagined a better outcome. From the Great Barrier Reef to Mount Zion, history faculty and staff took the challenge in stride.

“It’s been so exciting to see my colleagues try to top my excellent photo,” Kheraj said with a laugh. “I hope the tradition will continue throughout the year, as staff and faculty explore the world for research, conferences and holidays.”

Winners were announced just in time for the new school year.

Click here to see the winning photos, along with all the other submissions.

Photos have also been shared on the History Department’s Twitter and Instagram accounts, with the hashtag #TravellingTShirtContest.

Founders College event series honours the late Professor Christopher Innes

Christopher Innes
Christopher Innes

From Sept. 26 to 28, Founders College is hosting an event series titled “Calypso, Carnival, Steel Band: Expressive Cultures of the Caribbean Diaspora” in honour of the late York University Professor Christopher Innes, whose contributions to the study of carnival have been inspirational to the event organizers and participants alike.

In collaboration with the Toronto Mass Bands Association, the Organization of Calypso Performing Artists, the Ontario Steelpan Association and the organizers of the Notting Hill Carnival in the U.K., the Founders College event series will feature scholarly discussions and panels, steel band and calypso concerts, various daytime activities and multimedia exhibitions. The participants include academics, performers and community activists drawn from a variety of Caribbean diaspora locations.

All are welcome to participate in these events and explore the cultural art forms that have captivated the Caribbean, Canada, the U.S., Central America and England. All events will take place in the Founders College Assembly Hall, Keele Campus. The daytime activities will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the live performances will begin at 7 p.m.

Founders College Calypso event
Two carnival dancers posing for a selfie. Photo by Quinten de Graaf on Unsplash

Trinidad’s Carnival has inspired expansion throughout the Caribbean diaspora, as evidenced by other city’s celebrations like London’s Notting Hill, Costa Rica’s Cahuita, New York’s West Indian Labor Day and Toronto’s Caribana. The Trinidadian influence on these festivals is seen through the expressive cultures of calypso, mas and steel band. This carnival tradition represents the cultural and political health of various Caribbean communities as they challenge the state in their various diasporan locations.

Event attendees will learn about the origins, achievements and the current state of calypso, carnival and steel band in a global context during the event’s panel discussions. The aim of the discussions is to create a dialogue on the major influences in the development of carnival in different diasporic locations, the various ways the public has been involved in carnival expression, government authorities’ responses to the spontaneity of carnival, and the ways calypso music has influenced community and identity.

Following the daily panel discussions, stick around for three evening concerts by calypsonians Alexander D. Great from London, U.K., and Manuel Montesel from Costa Rica.

For more information on this event series, visit the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean event page.

Book exploring connections between students and institutions will launch Sept. 27

A photo of an open book on a table
A photo of an open book on a table

A new book co-edited by York University Associate Professor Ann Kim, investigating the connections between students and institutions, will celebrate an official launch on Sept 27. Outward and Upward Mobilities: International Students in Canada, Their Families, and Structuring Institutions (University of Toronto Press, 2019) will be featured at the event, along with a panel discussion on international education in Canada with three of the book’s contributors and a business expert in the field. The event begins at 10 a.m. in 280N York Lanes. All are welcome.

Photo of Ann Kim
Ann Kim

Kim, of the Department of Sociology and the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR), co-edited the book with Min-Jung Kwak (Saint Mary’s University), who will Chair the panel.

Outward and Upward Mobilities is the culmination of Kim’s research project that was funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Academy of Korean Studies, and Population Change and Life Course Cluster. The project was supported by YCAR and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

York University book contributors include: Elena Chou (sociology), Stella Dentakos (psychology), Amira El Masri (education), Ann Kim (sociology), Sangyoo Lee (social work), Guida Man (sociology), Jean Michel Montsion (multidisciplinary studies), Roopa Trilokekar (education), Maxine Gallander Wintre (psychology) and Lorna Wright (Schulich).

“Like other migrant groups, student mobility is a form of social mobility, and one that requires access from a host state,” said Kim. “But there are multiple institutions with which students interact and that influence the processes of social mobility. The collection features works by key scholars in the field that explores how international students and their families fare in local ethnic communities, educational and professional institutions, and the labour market.”

The panellists for the Sept. 27 launch include Trilokekar and El Masri, Vinitha Gengatharan (York International) and Margaret Walton-Roberts (Wilfrid Laurier University).

“I’m excited about the book’s release,” said Kim. “It presents an important aspect of international student life, of students’ interactions with that meso layer of groups and institutions, which often shape whether they have positive experiences and want to live in Canada or leave.”

Some collaborators on this book project are also involved in a new SSHRC-funded project that will shed light on the experiences of international students, titled “Asian International Students to Canadian Universities: Examining the Racialization of Chinese, Indian and Korean Students in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.” Researchers are considering these students as migrants to specific communities, beyond their academic affiliation, by using the ways in which racialization affects them on and off campus, and has repercussions on their migratory experiences and trajectories as a whole.

To learn more about the Racialization of Asian International Students project, visit ycar.apps01.yorku.ca/rais.

York University announces winners of the 2019 Bryden Alumni Awards

Now in its 19th year, the Bryden Alumni Awards celebrate outstanding York University alumni who have achieved the extraordinary and made remarkable contributions to their fields, communities and the University. The leaders who will be honoured on Nov. 21 at a celebration at Arcadian Court are:

  • Eva Marszewski (OOnt, LSM, BA ’70, LLB ’73), founder and director, Peacebuilders International (Canada);
  • Robert Krembil (CM, MBA ’71, LLD ’00), president and CEO, Chiefswood Holdings Ltd. and its subsidiaries;
  • Suzanne Katsi’tsiarihshion Brant (MES ’05), president, First Nations Technical Institute; and
  • Kimberly Badal (BSc ’12) co-founder, Caribbean Cancer Research Initiative.

“This year’s Bryden Alumni Award recipients illustrate the achievements and impact that York University alumni have locally and internationally,” said Jeff O’Hagan, vice-president advancement. “Like the honourees in previous years, our 2019 recipients set an example for students and alumni, and remind us of the change that is possible with a York University degree. We look forward to celebrating them at the awards ceremony this fall.”

There are four categories of Bryden Alumni Awards, each of which honour a distinct set of achievements and contributions.

Outstanding Achievement

An alumnus or alumna who has achieved distinction in their field and whose integrity and ability inspire alumni, faculty, staff and students.

Eva Marszewski

Eva Marszewski
Eva Marszewski

Eva Marszewski is passionate about restorative justice and creating more just and peaceful communities that support youth to succeed. She started running restorative justice programs for youth in Toronto in 2002. Marszewski studied at York University, completing degrees in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies as well as Osgoode Hall Law School. She is a former adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where she taught the course Law and Social Change: Restorative Justice. Marszewski was one of the founders of the SPIDR youth initiative and YouCAN! She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Conflict Resolution and the executive of the Ontario Bar Association, ADR Section. Marszewski is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Smart Justice Network of Canada.

For her pioneering work in adapting peacebuilding circles to Toronto’s diverse communities, Marszewski was awarded the prestigious Law Society Medal from the Law Society of Upper Canada, the YMCA Peace Medallion in 2006, the Canadian Criminal Justice Association Crime Prevention Award in 2007 and the Dianne Martin Medal for Social Justice Through Law in 2009. Marszewski became a Fellow of the Ashoka Foundation in 2010 and was the first recipient of the Roy McMurtry Community Service Award in 2013. Marszewski was awarded the 2015 Order of Ontario, which is the province’s highest official honour, recognizing her individual excellence and achievement in restorative justice. In 2019, Marszewski’s career contributions were recognized by the Ontario Bar Association with an Award for Distinguished Service.

Outstanding Contribution

An alumnus or alumna who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of York and its students through exceptional service, commitment and/or philanthropic contributions.

Robert Krembil

Robert Krembil
Robert Krembil

Robert Krembil is the president of Chiefswood Holdings Ltd. and its subsidiaries. He is the Chair of the Krembil Foundation, a director and founding partner of EdgePoint Investment Group, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Schulich School of Business.

Krembil studied at the Schulich School of Business, the University of Saskatchewan and the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts. He received a doctor of laws degree honoris causa from York University in 2000. In 2005, he became a member of the Order of Canada.

Through the Krembil Foundation, he began investing in student scholarships at Schulich in 2001. Since then, more than 106 Krembil Scholars have benefited from his visionary support that now totals more than $7.4 million. With an initial $2-million pledge in 2001, the Robert Krembil Scholarship of Merit was established to cover full tuition costs in addition to a living subsidy for MBA students. Likewise, the Robert Krembil Entrance Award, the Robert Krembil MBA Award and the Robert Krembil PhD Award funded tuition costs in a significant way. In 2002, he committed $2 million to the Schulich Executive Education Centre.

Krembil has more than 50 years of experience as an investment analyst and portfolio manager. Prior to July 2000, he was Chair and CEO of Trimark Financial Corporation, which he co-founded in 1981.

Tentanda Via

An alumnus or alumna who has demonstrated innovative, unconventional, and daring leadership and success, reflecting the University’s motto, “The way must be tried.”

Suzanne Katsi’tsiarihshion Brant

Suzanne Katsi’tsiarihshion Brant
Suzanne Katsi’tsiarihshion Brant

As president of First Nations Technical Institute, Suzanne Brant is focused on ensuring that Indigenous knowledge is woven through all aspects of the institute and is committed to the idea that responsive education remains the hallmark of her vision. Brant completed a master’s degree in environmental studies with a focus on Indigenous post-secondary programming. She is a recognized traditional health educator and program developer, having graduated from the Institute of Integrated Medicine as an integrated medical clinician. Brant is a current and founding board member of Honouring Indigenous Peoples. She is a past board member of: Aboriginal Institutes Consortium (vice-chair), St. Lawrence College Board of Governors, Tyendinaga Head Start program, CKWE Tyendinaga radio (founding board member) and Great Lakes United (international). She is also a committee member of: Remedial Action Plan/Bay of Quinte; Environmental Advisory committee, Mohawks of Bay of Quinte; Health Advisory committee, Mohawks of Bay of Quinte; and the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force.

Brant has a strong commitment to Haudenosaunee language, culture and traditions. She is an accomplished visual artist and photographer who has exhibited her work at the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ont., and at Gallery 121 in Belleville, Ont.. Brant is a seasoned gardener and grower, specializing in Haudenosaunee traditional food systems and medicinal plants. She has four children and two granddaughters.

One to Watch

An alumnus or alumna who has made a significant impact in their field and/or community within 15 years of a bachelor’s degree or 10 years of a professional/graduate degree.

Kimberly Badal

Kimberly Badal
Kimberly Badal

Kimberly Badal is a cancer researcher and advocate working in the Caribbean region. In August 2016, Badal founded the Caribbean Cancer Research Initiative (CCRI), a non-profit organization focused on evidence-based solutions for cancer prevention and management. Badal believes that there will be radical improvement when she is able to shape her research agenda and measure success based on the patient experience. CCRI is currently working on its flagship project, the introduction of cancer patient navigation in the Caribbean – helping guide patients and families through the cancer care system. They are also setting up genetic testing and counselling services for patients at high risk for cancer and other illnesses.

Badal earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical science at York University and a master’s degree in biomedical science at St. Radboud University in the Netherlands. She is currently pursuing her PhD in molecular genetics at the University of the West Indies.

Sponsored by premiere sponsor TD Insurance, the awards are named after the late Bruce Bryden (BA ’64). Bryden was the founder of the York University Alumni Association and the first alumni Chair of the York University Board of Governors. A passionate member of the community for nearly 30 years, Bryden’s inspiring commitment, vision and contributions helped shape York into the vibrant and innovative university it is today.

Visit alumniandfriends.yorku.ca/connect/events/bryden-alumni-awards/join-us for more information about the Bryden Awards, to learn more about the recipients or to purchase tickets.

Bookstore to host launch of Prof. B.W. Powe’s new publication

A new book by York University Professor B.W. Powe explores the radical transformation of consciousness and sensibility through the advent of digital communications technologies. A poet and novelist who has been teaching in York’s Department of English since 1995, Powe released the book The Charge in the Global Membrane (Neo Poiesis Press, 2019) earlier this year and will celebrate its release with a launch on Oct. 2 at the Keele Campus.

The event will run from 4 to 6 p.m. at the York University Bookstore in York Lanes.

The Charge-Poster-11x17inch.jpgThe book, which includes street art photos by Marshall Soules, uses poetry, journal entries, essays, memoir, aphorism, fragments, letters and meditative prose to explore the heightened conditions of emergent flux and speed, and of spiritual emergency. Responding to the transformations, this word-image work seeks the heartbeat inside the genesis overdrive of our present. It’s a book of pulses and intuitions, all of which record and reflect our deepening engulfment in manifesting generations of electricity. This book is about the charging of our time, and our charge for perceiving.

Robert K. Logan, an eminent physicist and a collaborator with Marshall McLuhan in his final works, commended Powe for his original perceptions in The Charge. Elena Lamberti at the University of Bologna said, “[This book] transcends the paper membrane and turns the act of reading into an empowering visionary experience.”

The global membrane is an evolutionary jump from the global village and global theatre into sensory, psychic alterations in which communications bring us at once closer and into sharp, painful divisions. It explores elements of what we all experience, including: ecology, the afflictions of the Trump phenomenon, the quick-time evolutions of the internet, the rush of data influx, the upsurges in nationalism, trolls and hackers, spiritual distress, crises of identity and A-literacy, #MeToo, the netgens, the search for silence and rest, the intimations of a worldwide linked consciousness, the transfiguration of digital experience into cellular intimacies and addictions, the work of Simone Weil, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, the crying out of souls longing to grasp and express this dislocating jump drive and its illuminating hopes, and the shape-shifting artistic expressions of the current.

Powe’s influential writings on Marshall McLuhan, Northrop Frye and Pierre Trudeau have been widely praised, as have his poetry and novels, including Outage and These Shadows Remain, longlisted for the ReLit Prize. His work has been nominated for six awards through the Media Ecology Association. His new research has been into visionary and inspirational traditions, from Hildegard von Bingen, Rimbaud and Emily Dickinson to Patti Smith, Susan Howe and Anne Carson. This past year has seen his poetry and non-fiction published in HA&L (Hamilton Arts & Letters) and he has an e-book coming next year. Powe helped to found the McLuhan Initiative for the Study of Literacies at York University, and he served as program director of the Creative Writing program at York. He has written regularly for the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star, and has been featured in the Times Literary Supplement, the New York Times and on CBC and Bravo TV.

LA&PS faculty receive awards for teaching, research and curricular development

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) held its annual awards ceremony on Sept. 12. The event celebrates excellence in teaching and research in the Faculty. This year’s award recipients demonstrated outstanding work in an array of disciplines. The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognized three faculty members and one teaching assistant for their commitment and dedication to students. The LA&PS Awards for Distinction in Research honoured one emerging researcher, two established researchers and one social justice researcher, while the Ann Shteir Award recognized one faculty member for excellence in program development and curricular leadership.

From left: Patrick Phillips, Ameera Ali, Natalie Neill, Andrea Davis, Nirupama Agrawal, Carmella Murdocca, Chris Chapman, Chris Robinson, and LA&PS Interim Dean JJ McMurtry. Absent from the photo is Shobna Nijhawan.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Ameera Ali – Teaching Assistant Category

Working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Sociology, LA&PS teaching award winner Ameera Ali is a York University PhD candidate in the Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies program. She is committed to making her classes approachable and providing diverse learning opportunities. Holding a master of arts degree in early childhood studies, Ali is a natural educator. In fact, this year’s teaching award is not her first – just two years ago, she received the John O’Neill Award for Teaching Excellence. “I am so grateful to be a part of the diverse teaching community at York,” said Ali. “As much as my students may learn from me, I too continuously learn from them.”

Patrick Phillips – Contract Faculty Category

Teaching in the Department of Philosophy, Patrick Phillips (MA ’91, PhD ’04) was honoured for  excellence in the Contract Faculty category. Incorporating humour and real-life examples in the classroom, Phillips facilitates learning by connecting with his students. He also makes it his mission to support students in demographics often overlooked in post-secondary settings. “A university education ought to be a stimulant, not a narcotic,” Phillips said. “I am gratified to be selected to receive the Dean’s Award among a group of equally gifted teachers who possess the sagacity to enact this pedagogical principle.”

Natalie Neill (Honourable Mention) – Contract Faculty Category

During the teaching awards ceremony, Natalie Neill (PhD ’09) was recognized in the Contract Faculty category with an an honourable mention. Neill’s strong support for students sets positive examples for others. She makes herself a resource for students, consistently hosts virtual office hours, always offers productive feedback, and consistently goes out of her way to accommodate group and individual needs. “I am delighted to be recognized with an honourable mention for my teaching,” Neill said. “Of course, teaching is its own reward, but receiving news of this honour was a wonderful way to begin the new year.”

Chris Robinson – Tenured/Tenure Stream Category

For his excellence in the School of Administrative Studies, Professor Chris Robinson received the teaching award in the Tenured/Tenure Stream category at this year’s event. Throughout Robinson’s long career, his commitment to innovation and experiential learning has helped students prepare for employment in their respective fields. From leading high-impact lectures to assisting in the creation of the only university program in Canada dedicated to financial planning, he’s inspired students and staff alike. “I have so much fun teaching that I don’t need this award,” Robinson said. “I get a prize every time I meet a class or mark their assignments.”

LA&PS Award for Distinction in Research

Chris Chapman – Emerging Research Category

At this year’s ceremony, Professor Chris Chapman was presented with an award in the Emerging Research category for exceptional work in expanding the field of disability research. Authoring various pieces pertaining to disability and mad studies, Chapman’s research reaches beyond York University and Canada, shedding light on these social issues for an international readership. Their research tackles these topics head on, assessing the interlocking oppression that exists between them and informing countless groups in and outside of academia. Chapman has also co-authored a play, published five journal articles and co-authored a book. 

Nirupama Agrawal – Established Researcher Category

One of this year’s recipients of the LA&PS Award in the Established Researcher category is Professor Nirupama Agrawal of the School of Administrative Studies. “Research is essential for comprehension, improvement and advancement,” she said. A founding member of the Disaster & Emergency Management program and an accomplished researcher in her field, Professor Agrawal sets the example for others to follow. Her work includes two books, articles in 18 peer-reviewed journals and many other pieces co-published with graduate students – all showcasing her familiarity with disaster and risk management from a global perspective. 

Shobna Nijhawan – Established Researcher Category

With an impressive publishing record and notable research contributions, Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics Professor Shobna Nijhawan also received an award in the Established Researcher category. Lauded for her work focusing on South Asian literatures and languages, as well as gender, feminist and women’s studies, Nijhawan’s research offers quality, quantity, scope and breadth. Her writing credits include two monographs and several book chapters on record, each illustrating her excellent talents as a leading international scholar. 

Carmela Murdocca – Distinction in Social Justice Research

This year’s recipient of the LA&PS Award for Distinction in Social Justice Research is Professor Carmela Murdocca from the Department of Sociology. Focusing on the sociology of law, race and gender, Murdocca’s research aims to shed light on various injustices. Her in-depth analysis of criminalization, racial violence, and social exclusion experienced by racialized and Indigenous people in Canada is thought-provoking and informative. For this reason, she’s been described as “the quintessential engaged scholar.” Murdocca been recognized as a Canada-U.S. Fulbright Scholar, as well as a Visiting Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law & Culture at Columbia University.

Ann Shteir Prize

Andrea Davis

Recognized for her work proposing and advocating for York’s one-of-a-kind Black Canadian Studies Certificate, Professor Andrea Davis, Chair of the Department of Humanities, received the Ann Shteir Prize for excellence in program development and curricular leadership. Earning her this esteemed honour, the Black Canadian Studies Certificate program provides students with an examination of the historical expressive productions of people of African descent. Thanks to her ongoing efforts, courses in the program take innovative humanities and fine arts approaches in the way they are taught – exploring music, literature and other cultural contributions. “It was an incredible honour to receive the inaugural Ann Shteir Prize in recognition of my work and students’ advocacy in centring Black Canadian studies into the curriculum,” Davis said. “York is uniquely positioned to take leadership in transforming the curriculum to address the needs of our diverse students. I’m glad to have played a small role in that transformation.”

Professor Margaret Schotte’s new book ‘Sailing School’ offers new approach to maritime history

A new book released this summer by Margaret E. Schotte, York University associate professor of history, pushes us to rethink the relationship among maritime history, the scientific revolution, and the rise of print culture during a period of unparalleled innovation and global expansion.

Margaret Schotte
Margaret Schotte

Join Schotte to celebrate the launch of Sailing School in the Scott Library (Marsden Salon, second floor) on Oct. 3, from 3 to 5 p.m. As part of the launch event, a selection of early navigational books and manuscripts from the Clara Thomas Archives will be on display. To assist organizers with preparations for the launch, faculty, staff and students are asked to RSVP by emailing to sailbk@yorku.ca.

Sailing School: Navigating Science and Skill, 1550-1800 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019) has been called a “deft and scholarly chronicle” by the journal Nature. This richly illustrated comparative study offers an important new approach to maritime history, bringing together the history of science and the history of print culture. Schotte uncovers the stories of European navigators by analyzing hundreds of published textbooks and never-before-studied manuscripts crafted by practitioners themselves. She takes readers from a Dutch bookshop stocked with maritime manuals, to a French trigonometry lesson on the coast of Normandy, to the examination hall for England’s Royal Navy. The book concludes on the deck of a British ship, foundering after being hit by an iceberg in the turbulent Indian Ocean. In all these locales, Schotte shows how mariners deployed a hybrid form of technical expertise, one dependent on book learning and mathematics.

Book cover of Sailing School. Image used with permission from the author

“You might envision an early navigator tying knots and reefing sails as adroitly as he sets a course, but would you also credit him with a mastery of multiplication tables, trigonometry and logarithms? Thanks to Margaret Schotte’s personal voyage through several centuries’ worth of seamen’s texts from maritime countries, Sailing School teaches us what sailors had to learn on land to find their way at sea,” wrote Dava Sobel, author of Longitude in a recent review.

“Well-conceived and rich in empirical detail, this fascinating study traverses with ease between the worlds of print, teaching, and book learning and the worlds of seafaring, navigational practice, and instrumentation. Sailing School beautifully shows the extremely rich traditions of navigational print and the cross-dissemination across linguistic, political, and geographical boundaries. An outstanding, highly original piece of scholarship, this will be the standard, go-to book for years to come,” noted Pamela O. Long, author of Artisan/Practitioners and the Rise of the New Sciences, 1400–1600, in her review of the book.

Some of Schotte’s undergraduate courses at York University include Technologies of Communication: A History of Reading from the Codex to the Kindle, and Revolutions in the Stars: Science in the Age of Galileo. Her research focuses on the intersection of maritime history and the history of science and technology. She is currently investigating technical education on sea and shore, from the desk of a French East India Company vessel to a school in New France. To learn more, visit SailingSchoolBook.com.

Schotte will be a keynote speaker at the Canadian Science & Technology Historical Association in Halifax this November.

Supporting diversity through universal instructional design

image shows a class in the Curtis Lecture hall

Using inclusive teaching practices may contribute to diversity in post-secondary education, according to Andrew Molas, a York University PhD candidate in philosophy and a peer tutor with the University’s Teaching Commons, who has personally experienced accessibility issues.

Molas led a session about inclusive pedagogy and universal instructional design (UID) at the Teaching in Focus Conference in May, an annual event mounted by the Teaching Commons. He believes that these practices may affect a university’s retention/graduation rates and support diversity in higher education.

“Maclean’s magazine reported that York has a retention/graduation rate of 72.5 per cent,” Molas said. “It means that 25 per cent of our students don’t finish. Why is that and how can we help?” (To read the full story, visit bit.ly/2krdedu.)

Andrew Molas presenting at the Teaching in Focus conference

At York University, there is a real diversity of students, including first-generation university students, part-time and full-time students, students with language barriers and working students. Molas said this diversity requires a more inclusive approach than the traditional, lecture-style class that provides limited interaction and makes it difficult for the teacher to assess if the students understand the content.

“It is a one-size-fits-all learning model that can create inequities and prevent access and success for all,” he said, “while inclusive pedagogy and universal design are flexible and try to engage with everyone.”

Using the definition provided by the Inclusion & Dialogue Center at Emory & Henry College, Molas explained that inclusive pedagogy “incorporates dynamic practices and learning styles, multiple contexts and varied means of assessment with the goal of promising student academic success.”

The benefits of the inclusive approach are many, including:

  • fostering an open-ended view of learning potential;
  • fostering social connections between students and between students and teachers;
  • providing opportunities to connect, collaborate and share learning; and
  • supporting first-year students in their transition from high school.

Inclusive pedagogy is easy to use with the framework of universal instructional design, Molas said. This content design strategy is based on three principles:

  • using multiple means of representation to accommodate various learning styles;
  • employing multiple means of demonstrating understanding of the material, making diversity the norm; and
  • using multiple means of engagement.

“UID is a design intervention,” Molas said. “It requires flexible instructional practices and provides for a learner-centred curriculum. Because it is applicable to all students, it promotes a respectful classroom climate.”

Carolyn Steele, a faculty member in the Department of Humanities, has used UID in her classes in the form of a collaborative reading model.

“I discovered my students had such busy lives with working and commuting that they didn’t have enough time to do all of the required readings,” Steele said. “We do the reading in class with everyone deeply reading a section and explaining it to the others. When I listen to their precis, I can see if they understand and can comment. This process enables all students to participate rather than relying on some students to carry the burden of the group.

“We also create a class Google document. They have to refer to it and need it for the lab component of the course, which follows, so they apply what they’ve just read.”

Molas offered a number of suggestions that promote success in using inclusive pedagogy and UID, such as:

  • Build meaningful connections with your students; treat them like colleagues.
  • Be mindful of your tone and avoid exclusionary language.
  • Do not be afraid to use technology in class.
  • Use visuals and alternate ways of conveying course content.
  • Incorporate paired activities and small groups.
  • Provide substitutes for oral assignments for students dealing with anxiety; make this option available for all students.

He believes it is helpful to use a mix of private, interpersonal and group activities.

“Don’t be afraid to try new activities,” Molas said. “The benefits for students can be like night and day.”

He maintains that it is up to educators to improve diversity in higher education.

“We need to take responsibility,” he said. “Ask your students, ‘What can I do to improve your learning experience?’ They really appreciate it. Remember, equity is giving everyone what they need to be successful.”

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer to Innovatus