A new award open to York University students enrolled in the Elementary Portuguese course (POR1000) will reward the academic excellence of one student with a free trip to Azores, Portugal.

Sponsored by SATA Group, Azores Airlines, the Portuguese Gives you Wings! award will honour the student with the best performance in the class after the 2015-16 academic year has ended and grades are finalized.

Students are graded on performance in reading, writing, speaking and listening – all the skills they will be able to put to use during a trip to Portugal.

The award supports objectives shared by the Portuguese & Luso-Brazilian Studies program and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies to further develop and invest in experiential education.

It is representative of the overall program efforts to provide students  with significant and meaningful opportunities to engage with the language. It offers an opportunity to stimulate language interaction, as well as a sense of belonging to a wider, global community, while valuing cultural difference and the richness of a language within its regional variations.

The recipient will also experience life in the Azores, a group of islands widely recognized, including by UNESCO and National Geographic, for its natural beauty, ecological and sustainable development, and its açorianidade, a term coined by 20th century Azorean intellectual Vitorino Nemésio that stands for the particular identity of the islands and its inhabitants.

The Portuguese & Luso-Brazilian Studies program offers a wide range of courses within a rich interdisciplinary scope. The program uses the latest technology and student-focused teaching platforms to enhance the learning process. It exposes students to a wide range of experiential education opportunities both on and off campus, including community placements, interactive cultural and academic events, and volunteer Portuguese speakers in the classroom.

The SATA Group is a conglomerate dedicated to the aviation industry, with its head office located in Ponta Delgada, in the island of São Miguel, Azores. SATA Canada is also a valued community partner of the program’s advanced experiential education course Language in Context: Portuguese in the Greater Toronto Area.

Lee Maracle is an award-winning novelist, poet and writer who will share from her book Celia’s Song when she is featured at the Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series on Dec. 1 from 7 to 10pm at 206 Accolade West Building.

Maracle is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Ravensong and Daughters Are Forever, as well as her novel for young adults, Will’s Garden. Her published written works also include a book of poetry, Bent Box, and the creative non-fiction book I Am Woman.

Her work has been published in scholarly journals worldwide, and she is the co-editor of numerous anthologies, including My Home As I Remember and Telling It: Women and Language across Culture.

Her most recent novel, Celia’s Song, is a story that follows the Nuu’Chahlnuth family over several generations and explores the destructive legacy of colonial times. It’s set in a village on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Maracle grew up in North Vancouver, and is a member of the Stó:lō Nation. She is the mother of four and grandmother of seven.

Currently, Maracle is an instructor at the University of Toronto, the Traditional Teacher for First Nation’s House, and with the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and the S.A.G.E. (Support for Aboriginal Graduate Education). She is also a writing instructor at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

She has served as Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and the University of Western Washington.

Maracle is the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Letters from St. Thomas University, and recently received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work promoting writing among aboriginal youth.

The Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series, presented by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LAPS), brings Canadian writers to campus for an up-close and personal event.

More events in the series include:

Jan. 12 – Heather O’Neill, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night

Jan. 26 – Gregory Scofield, Louis: The Heretic Poems

Feb. 9 – Colin McAdam, A Beautiful Truth

March 1 – Sue Goyette, Ocean

March 15 – Aisha Sasha John, Thou

For more information, email gailv@yorku.ca or leslie@yorku.ca.

The Department of Political Science is launching a new summer study abroad course that will take students to Seoul, South Korea, in May and June 2016. The course, POLS 3580 6.0 – South Korea: The Politics of Compressed Modernity, is open to all undergraduate students with an interest in Korea. This class is a socio-political overview and analysis of South Korea during the past 50 years. In Seoul, students will hear from experts in the fields of politics and social policy, and will participate and observe different activities and events highlighting the tensions, political debates and cultural shifts that arise from rapid economic and social change.

There will be field trips within Seoul and to other parts of Korea, including the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea. Students in the course will have the opportunity to interact and work with local students at Yonsei University, with which York University has a partnership agreement. “The course is an extraordinary opportunity to learn about South Korea, focusing on its rapid transformation in the past five decades,” says political science Professor Thomas Klassen.

Klassen, an expert on South Korea, is teaching this course and has written extensively about the country. Students in the course are eligible to receive the York International Mobility Award. In addition, students from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies are eligible for the LA&PS International Study Abroad Award to reduce costs. The South Korea course is one of 10 York Abroad courses taking place in six different countries during the summer 2016 term. For more information, visit Klassen’s website and York International.

Twelve field supervisors/instructors affiliated with the School of Social Work were recognized for their dedication to and partnership with York University recently, when they were presented awards naming them adjunct faculty.

The ceremony was part of an agency fair held by the school on Nov. 20. The event brought together students and 25 agency partners, and later in the day featured breakout sessions.

This was the first time in the school’s history that long-standing field supervisors/instructors were appointed to the adjunct faculty rank.

“The School of Social Work is very appreciative of the wonderful work that all the field instructors do with our students in placement,” said School of Social Work Director Barbara Heron. “The field instructors share their wealth of knowledge, skills and experience with our students and help them to understand the realities and amazing possibilities of actually ‘doing’ social work. They are the models our students look up to in social work practice.”

Recipients of the appointment were:

• Geoff Ayton – social worker at Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
• Michelle Del Carmen – executive director of Centre for Dreams
• Gabbey Dessye – manager of Yorktown Shelter for Women
• Samantha Fernandes – manager of the HEAL program at Catholic Family Services of Peel Dufferin
• Veronica Javier – social worker at Scarborough General Hospital
• Kam Lau – manager of Community Services at Unison
• Donna Mason – social worker in the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program at Lakeridge Health
• Srimanta Mohanty – CEO of Social Planning Council of Peel
• Lori Naylor – counsellor at Breakaway Addictions
• Lekan Olawoye – former executive director at For Youth Initiative
• Wangari Tharao – researcher at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
• Franciso Vidal – director of Programs and Services at Centre for Spanish Speaking People

“This year, with the help of the provost and our dean, we are enormously proud to be able to award for the first time the status of adjunct faculty to field instructors who have worked with York’s School of Social Work students for at least three years,” said Heron. “This is a very well-deserved recognition from York University for the invaluable contribution of our long-standing field instructors to our students’ social work education.”

In a given year, the Field Education Program at the School of Social Work places 250 to 260 students who are either in the BSW or MSW program. The school puts significant effort into finding placements that meet students’ learning needs and professional growth.

York University’s School of Public Policy & Administration (SPPA) recognized several of its community members during its annual Student, Alumni & Community Awards Dinner on Nov. 12.

The event included the presentation of four awards, the recognition of two special guests of honour and the reflections of several prominent attendees.

Awards were presented in four categories: Undergraduate Student, Graduate Student, Alumni and Practicum Honoree.

This year’s recipients included:

• Undergraduate Student Award – Kevin Baksh, who served as the president of the Public Policy & Administration Student Association, and since graduating in the spring has been working in various positions and on various projects with the Ontario Ministry of Community & Social Services.
• Graduate Student Award – Sadaf Syed, who graduated with her master of public policy, administration and law (MPPAL) degree in the fall. Syed is also the recipient of the Professor Ian Greene Book Prize for academic achievement. As a dedicated mother of two young children, she took a few minutes to thank family members for their understanding and support, as she spent many hours studying or in classes while working to complete her degree.
• Alumni Award – Corey Davidson, senior adviser, Partnerships & Business Development, ServiceOntario. Davidson graduated from the MPPAL program in 2013 and has served as the president of the SPPA Alumni Association.
• Practicum Honoree Award – Michelle Leung-Elder, who serves as the manager, Corporate Services Unit, Corporate Services Branch, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing, OPS. Leung-Elder accepted the award on behalf of her entire branch.

Two special guests of honour were also highlighted at the event. Professor Saeed Rahnema and Professor Haideh Moghissi, a senior scholar and Trudeau Fellow, were both recognized on the occasion of their retirement from York University.

Among the many noted accomplishments and contributions of these two distinguished professors emeriti was Rahnema’s service to the University as the founding director of the SPPA. Without Rahnema’s hard work, effort and dedication, there would not be an SPPA at York.

There to support the event were several prominent attendees, including: York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; York University Vice-President and Provost Rhonda Lenton; Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Reza Moridi; and Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) Steve Orsini, who is also a York alumnus.

Also in attendance were Master of McLaughlin College, Professor David Leyton-Brown, and the Chair of the Department of Equity Studies, Professor Minoo Derayeh.

The formal portion of the meeting was chaired by Adriano Mena, 2014 Alumni Award winner. It commenced with opening remarks from SPPA Director, Professor James C. Simeon.

Simeon emphasized the importance of highlighting outstanding individual contributions of SPPA, as well as efforts to advance the school and its programs in fulfilling its mission, mandate and values in the furtherance of “good governance” in Canada and abroad.

Those who excel in their field, he said, show us the way forward and inspire us to achieve our full potential – not only as professional public servants, but also as human beings focused on social justice issues and concerns through good governance.

Shoukri was called on to introduce Moridi, and he noted he is extremely well-suited for his dual portfolios having served as the vice-president and chief scientist of the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, as well as a CEO and chair in the electrical industry.

We are privileged, said Shoukri, to have an award-winning scientist, engineer, educator, business and community leader in the province of Ontario as our minister of research and innovation, and of training, colleges and universities.

Moridi shared a few words, offering that the postsecondary educational field is a key sector for Ontario’s economy and is possibly the foremost economic stimulus for innovation and realizing competitive advantage in the province.

He went to on congratulate all of the evening’s award winners and thanked the faculty and staff of the School of Public Policy & Administration for their contribution in preparing those who will be serving in the public service in the years to come – a sentiment echoed by Orsini during his talk.

A highlight of the awards dinner was an address given by Professor H. Ian Macdonald, Schulich School of Business and president emeritus York University (1974-84). Macdonald shared insights from his years as a senior deputy minister in the Ontario Public Service and a resounding call for maintaining a non-partisan public service.

Macdonald was the first chief economist of Ontario in 1965, and later went on to become deputy treasurer and deputy minister of Economics & Intergovernmental Affairs.

During his years in some of the most senior positions in the OPS, he was involved in important public policy issues of the day. His approach – and advice to all public servants and aspiring public servants – was to give the best policy advice in a non-partisan and politically neutral manner.

Macdonald also inspired the OPS’ H. Ian Macdonald visiting economist position in the Ministry of Finance, which is currently held by David Dodge, former governor of the Bank of Canada.

York University Professor Brenda Spotton-Visano took the podium to close the event, remarking on the importance of the awards dinner and recognizing and celebrating excellence.

A panel discussion exploring media reporting on labour issues will be the focus of the Nov. 19 Global Labour Speaker Series.

The event, running noon to 2pm in Ross Building S701, will examine how the media covers the dynamics of the workplace and the labour market; what is and what should be the role of media in reporting on work; and, what impact media reporting can have on raising awareness on critical workplace issues and in affecting progressive social change.

Guest speakers participating in the panel discussion “Labour and the Media/Labour in the Media” include Sara Mojehedzadeh of the Toronto Star, David Bush of RankandFile.ca, and Nora Loreto and Nadine Tkatchevskaia of the Canadian Association of Labour Media.

Mojtehedzadeh is the Toronto Star‘s work and wealth reporter, covering issues including precarious employment and the changing nature of work. Previously, she worked for the BBC World Service covering African current affairs. She also reported for a year on development and human rights issues from Nairobi, Kenya through the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s peace and conflict studies program.

Bush is an editor at RankandFile.ca, a Canadian labour news website. He is a former union organizer with the Service Employees International Union Local 2. Currently, he is working on his PhD at York University in the social and political thought program. He is also an editor at the magazine Canadian Dimension.

Loreto is editor at the Canadian Association of Labour Media. She is a writer, musician and activist based in Québec City with expertise in media literacy, social media and government relations. She is the author of From Demonized to Organized, Building the New Union Movement and regularly writes for Rabble.ca and progressive magazines. She has a BA in public administration and minors in journalism, history and politics from Ryerson University, and a master’s of education at the University of Saskatchewan. She was editor-in-chief of the Ryerson Free Press and was involved in the student movement for almost a decade.

Tkatchevskaia is Canadian Association of Labour Media’s assistant editor. She is a political organizer and activist based in Toronto who specializes in campaigns and digital engagement. She got involved in the student movement during her undergraduate degree and has since branched out to progressive organizing more broadly on municipal, provincial and federal levels. She holds a bilingual honours BA in international studies with a minor in women’s studies from Glendon College at York University. She earned her master’s of arts in gender studies and feminist research from McMaster University.

The Global Labour Speakers Series at York University is a collaboration of the Global Labour Research Centre, the Work and Labour Studies Program, the Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy, and the Canada Research Chair in the Political Economy of Gender and Work.

The event is co-sponsored by York University’s departments of Social Science, Sociology, Geography, Equity Studies, and Political Science, the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, the Office of the Dean – LA&PS, Osgoode Hall Law School and the Office of the Provost.

Refreshments will be served, and all are welcome. For more about the Global Labour Research Centre, visit yorku.ca/glrc; for the Facebook event page, visit facebook.com/events/538924019597841/.

Award-winning historian James Daschuk will present a lecture on Sir John A. Macdonald’s policies toward First Nations of the Great Plains when he is featured in the annual Melville-Nelles-Hoffman Lecture in Environmental History at York U on Nov. 18.

“Clearing the Plains and Clearing the Air: Environmental History and National Memory in 2015” will explore how Canadians can integrate indigenous history into commemorative events for the 150th anniversary of our Confederation.

It runs from 4:45 to 6:45pm in the private dining room in the Schulich Executive Learning Centre.

In light of these commemorative celebrations, Daschuk says that “our understanding of this environmental history has taken on new meaning.”

Daschuk is the author of the bestselling book Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life, which received the John A. Macdonald Prize and the Governor General’s Award for Canadian history.

The book was written as an environmental history of indigenous health and disease in western Canada, and it considered the interrelationship of climate, species and other aspects of environmental change on the Great Plains.

Audiences across Canada were drawn to this national bestseller, finding new and troubling insights into Canada’s history of colonial expansion in the Prairies.

Daschuk is an associate professor at the University of Regina.

This event is open to all members of the public. A reception will begin at 4:15pm, with the lecture at 4:45pm.