Fall 2019 Lecture Program
All lectures take place at the Schwartz Reisman Centre from 1:30-3:30 PM
*A Voyage into the Heart of Hate,
Oct 3, 2019, Bernie Farber
Bernie M. Farber explores the history and root causes of the unprecedented rise in white supremacist extremism in Canada and world wide.
Speaking to both the power of words and actions, Mr. Farber will examine the recent increase in extremist violence and hate-motivated murders in Canada and the United States. From the seeds of genocide planted during the Holocaust and watered once again years later in Rwanda, the Sudan and the former Yugoslavia, the talk will cover the evolution of modern hateful extremism. The address will also look at solutions and remedies that utilize dialogue and community building as critical elements for staving off the dangerous effects of racism and extremism.
*This talk replaces the originally scheduled lecture “Think You Don’t Have Biasis? Think Again” by Tanya De Mello, LL.B (who had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances).
Bernie Farber's career, spanning more than a quarter century, focuses on human rights, pluralism and inter-ethnic/faith/race relations. As an expert in human and civil rights, he is regularly called on by the courts, media and law enforcement to provide analysis on hate crime, white supremacy and anti-racism. His efforts have been documented in numerous Canadian Human Rights publications, books, newspapers, film documentaries, magazines and academic publications. He writes for various newspapers in Canada and the USA.
Mr. Farber has successfully run large NGO’s and Foundations such as Canadian Jewish Congress, the Paloma Foundation and the Mosaic Institute, all focused on social justice and human rights. He also worked closely with Canadian Indigenous communities on historical redress. Today Mr. Farber is “rewired” (as opposed to retired). He sits as a board member of Human Rights Watch, Chairs the Rights and Ethics Committee for Community Living Toronto and is a co-Chair of the Ontario Anti Racism Directorate.
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby – Or Have You?
Oct 10, 2019, Dr. Sheila Ager
Dr. Ager examines the role and treatment of women in the ancient world and will draw comparisons with the position of women around the world today.
There are some striking contrasts between antiquity and the modern world – but there are some even more striking similarities between the status of women in ancient civilizations and that of millions of women in the world today.
Dr. Sheila Ager is a Full Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo and a Research Associate with the Waterloo Institute for Hellenistic Studies.
She is the author and an editor of three books (Interstate Arbitrations in the Greek World, Belonging and Isolation in the Hellenistic World (co-edited with Riemer Faber), and A Cultural History of Peace in Antiquity), as well as numerous articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries.
Her research focuses on the areas of interstate relations and peaceful conflict resolution in the Greco-Roman world, as well as the construction of Hellenistic monarchy, especially the role of royal women. She has been at the University of Waterloo since 1987 and in 2019 became Dean of the Faculty of Arts.
Hollywood and History: The Distorted Mirror
Oct 17, 2019, Geoff Pevere
From the very beginning, the movies have plundered history for the raw material of storytelling. But that’s not the same as saying Hollywood sought the truth. On the contrary, the movie business was notoriously selective and promiscuous in its use and treatment of history.
How and why did this happen and what has been its impact on our understanding of the world around us?
Geoff Pevere has been lecturing, teaching and writing about movies and pop culture for more than 40 years. He is a former CBC radio host and Toronto Star movie critic and he has also contributed regularly to The Globe and Mail and other newspapers and publications. He has appeared as a regular critic and commentator on Canada AM, TVOntario, Rogers Television.
He is the author, co-author and contributor to several books, and is currently at work on a 21st Century version of the nationally best-selling Mondo Canuck; A Canadian Pop Cultural Odyssey. Currently, he is the Film Program Director of the Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival.
Understanding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)
Oct 24, 2019, Judith Wahl, LL.B.
At this presentation, you will learn what Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is, who is eligible to receive it, where it is available and the limitations on access.
You will also learn the process that must be followed by health practitioners when proceeding with MAID and whether a health practitioner or a health facility may refuse to provide MAID even if a person is, by law, eligible.
Possible future additions to the law will also be discussed, including making MAID available by advance consent, to children and to persons who have mental health disorders.
Judith Wahl is a lawyer, practicing as a legal consultant and speaker at Wahl Elder Law. She was previously the Executive Director and senior lawyer at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly 1984-2016 and in private practice with Birenbaum, Koffman, Steinberg 1979-1984. She has an Honours B.A. in English from the University of Toronto (1974) and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (1977).
Throughout her legal career, Judith has been very active in advocating for the rights of older adults and in the development of elder law as an area of practice. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013) for her contribution to the development of Elder Law in Canada. She is also the recipient of the Ontario Bar Association Award for Distinguished Service, 2008, and the Osgoode Hall Law School Gold Key Award for Public Service, 2006,
Brexit: The Lost Bet of David Cameron
Oct 31, 2019, Dr. Olivier Courteaux
Three hectic years after a slim majority of British voted to leave the European Union, the “Brexit” saga rages on, unabated. Those who once claimed that “getting out of the EU can be quick and easy” have long been proven wrong. What is more, British politicians’ inability to grapple with their deep divisions on the matter of Brexit, not only forced Teresa May to step down, thus increasing the chances of a ‘hard Brexiteer” to become the next prime minister, but has paved the way to a political earthquake.
This talk proposes to shed a new light on Brexit, now scheduled for October 31st, and answer key questions: Why did former PM David Cameron call the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, thus triggering the Brexit mess, in the first place? Why has Teresa May’s painfully negotiated deal with Brussels failed to gather enough support? And what will be the lasting consequences of Brexit for the UK and for the EU?
Dr. Olivier Courteaux received his B.A. in history, M.A. in war and conflict studies and Ph.D. in contemporary international relations from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. He has lectured at various Canadian universities, including Ryerson and the Royal Military College of Canada.
He is the author of The War on Terror: the Canadian Dilemma (2009), Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940-1945 (2013) and Quatre Journées qui ébranlèrent le Québec on Charles de Gaulle’s famous 1967 “Vive le Québec Libre” (2017). His latest book, The Empress Eugenie at Suez, 1869: France and Egypt during the Second Empire is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2019.
Fake News - Real Conversation
Nov 7, 2019, Suanne Kelman
Fake news is as old as the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Suanne Kelman discusses the world’s unfortunate collision of new technology, cynical and corrupt politics and the consumerist approach to information.
Suanne Kelman is professor emeritus of the School of Journalism at Ryerson University. Before joining Ryerson in 1993, Ms. Kelman worked as an academic and then a journalist. She taught literature for a year at Fourah Bay College, the University of Sierra Leone, before landing her first CBC job at the radio show Sunday Morning. She moved from there to the CBC television show The Journal. That was followed by a stint working part-time at the Globe and Mail and freelancing for broadcasters (especially CBC’s Ideas) and magazines, including Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Toronto Life, Shape and ROB Magazine.
Ms. Kelman is the author of All in the Family: A Cultural History of Family Life.