Colloquia

SENIOR COLLEGE COLLOQUIUM. This event is online via Zoom. It is for Fellows and External Fellows only. If you did not receive an invitation, then please contact the administrator at senior.college@utoronto.ca. This is for Fellows & External Fellows only Colloquium: October 22: Colloquium: Is there a difference between law and politics? Peter Russell) The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUMTRRWjBXRUw1V0JNWDdNUUxIVTZEQkZRRS4u […]

SENIOR COLLEGE COLLOQUIUM. This event is online via Zoom. It is for Fellows and External Fellows only. If you did not receive an invitation, then please contact the administrator at senior.college@utoronto.ca. This is for Fellows & External Fellows only Colloquium: November 19, Colloquium: Lessons for Democracy: Implications of US Election. Rob Vipond  

SENIOR COLLEGE COLLOQUIUM. This event is online via Zoom. It is for Fellows and External Fellows only. If you did not receive an invitation, then please contact the administrator at senior.college@utoronto.ca. This is for Fellows & External Fellows only Colloquium: December 10, "Why do People Need Scapegoats"  

February 18: Is the COVID crisis an opportunity for change in government policies? Chair: Martin Klein The current crisis has revealed areas in which Canada is vulnerable and caused many of us to ask what can be done to reduce these vulnerabilities. Also, the economic impact of measures taken to protect us has caused serious […]

Topic: How Much has Changed? The Status of Women in Contemporary Society Chair: Giuliana Katz SC Colloquium: March 18, 2:00-4:00pm. Fellows and External Fellows Only. Readings: 1. Globe and Mail on Women and Power: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-power-gap/ 2. U of T to implement salary increase for more than 800 women faculty members: U of T to implement […]

Topic: Should Fake News be Censored? Chair: Phil Sullivan The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo- DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUM1ZaOERTNlo5S0NLSVQ2SFdIM1k5MktCSy4u The deadline to register is 8:00am on the day of the meeting. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

Topic: Colloquium on the CAUT censure of U of T (N.B. New topic) Chair:  Daphne Maurer  On April 22nd, CAUT (the Canadian Association of University Teachers) voted unanimously to censure the University of Toronto because of a perception of political interference in the Search Committee process of the Faculty of Law involving Valentina Azarova last fall. “When reviewing all […]

Topic: What are the Implications of Declining Populations in Industrialized Societies? Chair:  Martin Klein The link to register is https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JsKqeAMvTUuQN7RtVsVSEKo-DHaj3xRAluk2q6EEM7NUQks3WElPREpTV1FENDBWWkdYRlM3QzNMUC4u The deadline to register is 8:00am on the day of the meeting. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only.

Topic: Old Folks at Home?: Re imagining Old Age in a Post Pandemic World Chair: Magdalena Redekop This colloquium is intended to provide an opportunity to follow up on the talk by William Reichmann about new developments in elder care. There was no time that day to have a discussion amongst ourselves. Dr. Reichmann's account of the […]

Topic: Does the structure of social media make it difficult for democracy to deal with tribal identities? Chair and Organizer: Phil Sullivan SUGGESTED READINGS - version 2 1)  The Roots and Impact of Outrage-Mongering in U.S. Political Opinion Media https://scholars.org/print/pdf/node/5055   2) Facebook Spreads Fake News Faster Than Any Other Social Website According to New Research https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2020/03/21/facebook-spreads-fake-news-faster-than-any-other-social-website-according-to-new-research/?sh=3fb5c5986e1a […]

Topic: Is the existence of privileged groups essential to the functioning of societies? Chairs and Organizers: Daphne and Charles Maurer The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/XL0i9nfb0N. The deadline to register is the morning of the talk at 8:00am. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants only on the morning of the event.

Topic: Is the biology of reproduction an insurmountable barrier to sexual equality Chair and Organizer: Maggie Redekop In 1970, Shulamith Firestone lamented “the tyranny of reproduction” and offered a utopian vision of a time when technology would liberate women from biology. In the years since then there have been ongoing debates about how the biology of reproduction […]

Colloquium: December 9, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only Title: Manipulating Gender: Who, Why and When? Chair: Daphne Maurer Topics: How many genders do Homo sapiens have? How do the genders form? How plastic are they? When should doctors get involved? Current vocabulary: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq An academic review of the science is attached ("Gender Identity […]

Colloquium: January 13, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Is Artificial Intelligence Artificial?" Chair: Charles  Maurer If a sales clerk uses a calculator to add HST to $100, is the clerk or the calculator more intelligent? What is the appropriate comparator? Are Siri and Alexa intelligent?If a computer processes information like a brain--in mathematical […]

Colloquium: February 17, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only. Topic: Why have memoirs become so prevalent and influential? How can we judge their authenticity? Does it matter? Chair: Magdalene Redekop Readings: Thomas Larson, "The Age of Memoir" https://www.thomaslarson.com/publications/essays-and-memoirs/76-the-age-of-memoir.html Alison Wearing, "Memoir is Not the Story of Your Life" https://open-book.ca/Writer-in-Residence/Archives/Alison-Wearing/Memoir-is-Not-the-Story-of-Your-Life Bahar Gholipour, […]

Colloquium: March 17, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Should we reform the police in Canada?" Chair: Marty Klein Suggested readings: https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/defund-the-police-abolish-reform_ca_5ee15538c5b6dfc704f97205 https://pressprogress.ca/canadians-are-talking-about-defunding-the-police-heres-what-that-means-and-what-it-could-look-like/ https://rabble.ca/anti-racism/the-fight-to-defund-the-police-continues-across-Canada/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-new-group-aims-to-overhaul-canadian-police-training/ The link to register is https://forms.office.com/r/dGNYNZz4uw The deadline to register is 8:00am on the morning of the event. The Zoom link will be sent to […]

Colloquium: September 15, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only Location: Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street, Suite 412 Title: "Why are people so angry?" Chair: Mary Finlay Reading Colloquium on September 15, 2022 All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised. The event will have a restriction of 15 […]

Colloquium: October 20, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "Should we censor hate speech and if so, where should we draw the line" Chair: Phil Sullivan Location: Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street, Suite 412. Not on zoom All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised. […]

Colloquium: November 17, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: " Is democracy the best for governance? If so, how can we strengthen its positive features and minimize its weaknesses?" Chair:  TBA

Colloquium: December 8, 2-4pm - Fellows & External Fellows Only - Zoom Only Title: "How can we better protect our environment?" Chair: Giuliana Katz

Colloquium: January 19, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Registration deadline extended to Wednesday, January 18 at 8am Title: “"Educating Voters” Co-chairs and Organizers: Phil SullivanColloquium topic: "Educating voters? How can people be educated about the need to vote? How can they be educated about how to decide for whom to vote? Should they […]

Colloquium: February 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Title: "Was Colonization Beneficial for the Colonized?" Chair: Martin Klein Colonization has been important in Canada two ways. First, Canada developed as colonies of two European powers, gradually over four centuries becoming a self-governing state. Second, the original inhabitants of Canada formed […]

Colloquium: March 16, 2023, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Can public and private healthcare systems work well together? If so, how? If not, why not?" William Longan's colloquium All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is […]

Topic: " What is the purpose of school education?" Organizers: Phil Sullivan, Charles Maurer, Ed Barbeau, John Yeomans Readings Alison Lurie, “Do Schools have to be boring?”. New York Review of Books, December 4 and 18, 2008. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2008/12/18/do-schools-have-to-be-boring/ https://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/drking/the-purpose-of-education/ https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/15/01/whats-worth-learning-school https://newlearningonline.com/new-learning/chapter-2/supporting-material-2/ivan-illich-on-deschooling    An additional reading, provided by the Maurers, will be sent out to the registrants on Monday. […]

Topic: "How do we house the homeless?" Organizers: Marty Klein, Cynthia Smith, Bill Logan All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is 12:30pm at MIDI Bistro, 168 McCaul St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1W4 (NB this is on McCaul, just south of Baldwin) […]

Topic: "How do we recognize historical figures whose record is now seen controversial? The conundrum of statues and naming." Organizers: Trevor Lloyd, Mary Finlay, Marty Klein All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. The lunch is 12:30pm at MIDI Bistro, 168 McCaul St., Toronto, […]

Colloquium, January 18, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "The rise of authoritarian governments." Organizers: Phil Sullivan All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings:  1)  Review of Twilight of Democracy  by Anne Applebaum. Following Julian Benda's book  la Trahison des Clercs (i.e Intellectuals) […]

Colloquium, February 15, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "Freedom of speech in Academia." Organizers:Pat Brubaker All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings: The reading list will be provided soon. Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at […]

Colloquium, March 14, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: "What can we do about the escalating crisis in Canadian youth mental health since 2020?" Organizer: Cynthia Smith All colloquia will be held at the Senior College Centre. Masks are advised.  Fellows & External Fellows only. Readings: The reading list will […]

Colloquium, September 19, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “How to deal with tensions that have erupted on campuses as a result of the war in Gaza? In particular, that means the surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic sentiments.” Organizer: Marty Klein All colloquia will be held at the Senior […]

Colloquium, October 17, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “The issues about introducing a universal basic income in Canada. How to pay for it and how to administer it.” Organized by: Trevor Lloyd. Readings and a video: https://www.ubiworks.ca/guaranteed-livable-basic-income https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_basic_income https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/the-expensive-truth-about-a-universal-basic-income https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2122-001-S--distributional-fiscal-analysis-national-guaranteed-basic-income--analyse-financiere-distributive-un-revenu-base-garanti-echelle-nationale https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=universal+basic+income&mid=4187FCEBDAC64D8805794187FCEBDAC64D880579&FORM=VIRE Additional material: “Sub-sections from Thomas Piketty, Capital in the 21st Century (Harvard […]

Colloquium, November 14, 2024, 2-4pm – Fellows & External Fellows Only – in-person only Topic: “The problems of social media” Organized by: Phil Sullivan Lunch before the colloquium The lunch is 12:30pm at Cafe La Gaffe, 24 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L1. The colloquium is at 2pm at the Senior College Centre, 256 McCaul Street in suite 412. […]