January 5, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows ChatGPT and the Future of AI by Terrence J. Sejnowski (2024) Discussion leader: Daphne Maurer An accessible and timely introduction to how ChatGPT works on the surface and under the hood by someone at the forefront of AI and neuroscience. The author illustrates his points […]
Speaker: Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases, Medicine, U of T Title: “Emerging Infections and How to Fight Them” Abstract: We will discuss how infectious diseases emerge and ultimately spread around the world, and then delve into mechanisms to best prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks, including discussing how misinformation and disinformation play a role. Bio: Isaac […]
Speaker: Neil Besner, English, U of Winnipeg Title: Montreal Standard Time, 1944-1950: Mavis Gallant’s Short Stories and Her Early Journalism Abstract: Gallant’s early journalism for The Montreal Standard has not been available in print since 1950 and has rarely been discussed in relation to her well-known career as a writer of some of our […]
Speaker: David Townsend, English and Medieval Studies, U of T. Title: “Imagination, Historical Knowledge, and Public Discourse” Abstract: Guilty pleasure or serious cultural work? Academics have vexed relationships with historical fiction. If we cross over to writing it ourselves (as some of us do), how do we understand the enterprise? What is the relationship of […]
Colloquium, January 22, 2026, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “What is the purpose of education?” Organized by: Mary Finlay Lunch before the colloquium: The lunch is 12:30pm at TBD. Please note, the location is approximately a 10 min walk (350.0 m) from the Senior College Centre. The colloquium is at 2pm […]
Speaker: Daphne Maurer, Psychology, McMaster U Title: “An Invisible Pandemic” Abstract: In this century, most schoolchildren are becoming nearsighted--80% to 90% of them in Asia--and nearsightedness in school often causes blindness later in life: retinal detachment or macular degeneration. I recently sat on an expert panel of the (U.S.) National Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and […]
February 2, 2026, 2-4 pm - Fellows and External Fellows The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi (2020) Discussion Leaders: David Milne and Jon Allen While the Palestine question is invariably front-page news, we have an urgent need for a good historical account of the […]
Speaker: Jennifer DeSilva, Woodsworth College, U of T Title: "Women's Labour in Renaissance Florence's Streets and Taverns" Abstract: Early modern men writing in Florence depicted their taverns as wonderful and raucous places that were central to masculine sociability and a threat to female chastity. In contrast to the male-centric tavern, this presentation explores sixteenth-century Florentine […]
Speaker: Beatrix Dart, Rotman School of Management, U of T Title: “Retired, Not Expired: The Longevity Economy Unveiled” Abstract: As Canada’s population ages, a powerful economic and social shift is underway—one that places older adults at the heart of innovation, purpose, and prosperity. The Longevity Economy represents not just a demographic trend, but a profound […]
Speaker: Laura Hug, Environmental Microbiology, Biology, U of Waterloo Title: “Man's Trash Is a Microbe's Treasure: The Microbiology of Landfills” Abstract: Landfills house our discarded waste, but also support a diverse community of microorganisms. These microbes degrade wastes, transform contaminants, and generate greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and methane. My research studies these microbes, to see […]
Speaker: Stephen Brooke, History, York University Title: "‘Gleaming Obelisks’ and ‘Dilapidated Streets’: London in the 1980s: Abstract: This talk will explore the history of London in the 1980s, examining how the city was a political battleground between the rise of right-wing neoliberalism in the form of Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party and the appearance […]
March 2, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) Discussion Leader: Lisa Steele The “bardo” is a Tibetan Buddhist concept referring to an intermediate state between death and rebirth. Set in 1862, the early years of the American Civil War, the novel opens with President Abraham […]
Speaker: Ira Wells, President, PEN Canada; Victoria College, U of T. Title: “On Book Banning: Saving Children from the Harm of Books” Abstract: From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today’s state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans arise from the impulse toward social control. Recently, school libraries have emerged as an […]
Speaker: Carl Knappett, Art History, U of T Title: “The Coastal World of Minoan Palaikastro” Abstract: Lying on the eastern tip of Crete, Palaikastro was one of the largest towns on the island during the Bronze Age. Much of the archaeological exploration of the site has set out to find its presumed palatial centre. Yet, […]
Speaker: Jennifer Bonnell, History, York U Title: “Place and People at the Margins: A History of Toronto’s Don River Valley” Abstract: In this richly illustrated talk, environmental historian Jennifer Bonnell will walk us through the history of the Don Valley as a “place at the edges” of the evolving city. Moving from the straightening of […]
Speaker: Nick Terpstra, History, U of T; Provost, Trinity College. Title: “Moving Targets: Young People in the Early Modern World” Abstract: Where do we find youths in the early modern world? Where did they find themselves? Often it was on the road or on the seas, in motion from home to some other place or […]
April 6, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times that Made Handel’s “Messiah” by Charles King (2024) Discussion Leaders: Linda Hutcheon and Michael Hutcheon George Frideric Handel’s (1741) Messiah is an oratorio that has been called “the greatest piece of participatory art ever created.” Choirs and orchestras perform […]
May 4, 2026, 2-4 pm – Fellows and External Fellows Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962) Discussion Leader: Sara Shettleworth Published only 64 years ago, Silent Spring already qualifies as a classic. As an accessible popular account of the damage being done to the environment by substances such as the then-common pesticide DDT, it was […]
