Join us for a wide-ranging panel discussion with experts in politics and policy on October 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Mills Room of the St. Catharines Public Library.
Seating is limited. Please RSVP in person at the Library, by phone or online via Eventbrite. Number and link in poster below.
In addition to captivating society and dominating news headlines, the #MeToo movement has earned its place in the history books.
Renowned German scholar Sabine Sielke will explore how #MeToo fits into a larger cultural context during the upcoming talk “Feminism Reloaded? The Serial Debate on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence, or: What’s New about #MeToo,” taking place Thursday, Sept. 12, 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Sankey Chamber at Brock.
Significant shifts in media culture since the 1990s, such as increased digitization, have intersected with important feminist methods, goals and conflicts. Sielke’s talk will situation the #MeToo moment within this broader context.
Her work on sexual violence in North American literature and culture brings a unique perspective to the topic of #MeToo.
As Director of the North American Studies program at Germany’s University of Bonn, Sielke’s research expertise spans 19th and 20th century American literature, modernist and postmodernist culture, as well as 20th century art and popular culture. She also works in literary and cultural theory, gender studies, African American studies and the dialogues between cultural studies and the natural sciences.
The free public talk was spearheaded by the Department of English Language and Literature with support from Social Justice and Equities Studies; Social Justice Research Institute; Department of History; Centre for Canadian Studies; Department of Political Science; Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies; Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film; Office of Human Rights and Equity; and the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization.
Join us on Monday, May 6 at 11 a.m. in Thistle 245, for the William A. Matheson Classroom naming.
In his three decades at Brock, Bill Matheson left an indelible mark on his students and the University as a whole.
Matheson was Brock’s first Dean of Social Sciences, first Vice-President, Academic and served as Acting President for a number of months in 1983. But it was in the classroom where the award-winning teacher was in his element.
Appropriately, a classroom in Brock’s Thistle Complex will be named in honour of the Political Science professor on May 6. It will further strengthen Matheson’s connection to the University he called home for 30 years.
In 2008, when Oakville lawyer and Brock alumnus Art Peltomaa (BA ’74) made a generous gift to Brock, he chose to name the University’s new Learning Commons in honour of Matheson rather than his own name.
After passing away in December 2017, Matheson left a gift to the University in his will to enhance the William Matheson Bursary — an award established in his honour upon his retirement from Brock.
Monday’s ceremony to name classroom Thistle 245 is open to the Brock community. Please RSVP to Lisa Bible at x4190 or lbible@brocku.ca
The Department of Political Science’s Speaker Series wraps up on Monday, March 4 with a talk from author, TV commentator, speaker and internationally renowned expert Gordon Chang.
“Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China, believes that China, more than any other country, will drive events in the coming decades,” explains Charles Burton, Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of Political Science, who is also an expert on China. According to Chang, Chinese ruler Xi Jinping’s “breathtaking ambition” has been raising eyebrows around the globe. He cautions that China’s domination of our era could spell big trouble.
Burton feels it is particularly exciting for Brock to welcome “one of America’s most well-known China analysts” at this important time when “Canada is in Beijing’s crosshairs.”
“Many say no one better understands Beijing’s internal weaknesses than Chang,” says Burton. “And no one has talked more than he has about how these weaknesses are driving China’s dangerous behaviours.”
Join Gordon Chang at 11:00a.m. in Cairns Scotiabank Atrium for this informative talk.
The Department of Political Science hosts
Featuring
Dr. Robyn Bourgeois Assistant Professor, Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies
Karl Dockstader Host, One Dish
Sean Vanderklis One Mic Podcast
Join on Wednesday, November 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Academic South 216.
Date: Wednesday, November 21
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: St. Catharines Public Library (54 Church Street) Mills Room
With the return of fascist movements across the world, many people are now asking: How tolerant should we be of intolerant ideas? On campuses, many students and professors support banning public speaking platforms for fascists, white nationalists, and the “alt-right.” This strategy of “no platforming” is also influencing debates about whose ideas should be taught and how. Some scholars see the popularity of philosophers like Nietzsche and Heidegger for emerging fascist movements as threats to liberal democracy. And some liberal scholars, such as Steven Pinker, argue that curriculums should “no platform” Nietzsche. But would a liberal education that excludes illiberal ideas save liberalism by sacrificing everything that makes it worth saving? The controversy has intensified because the Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, has enacted legislation requiring colleges and universities to develop guarantees for free speech. For some advocates of queer, trans, and racialized people, free speech is being used as cover for hate speech, unsafe spaces, and violence on campuses and beyond.
Join us for a discussion of these issues.
Ronald Beiner (University of Toronto) recently published the book, Dangerous Minds: Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Return of the Far Right.
Clifford Orwin (University of Toronto) has written editorials for The Globe and Mail in support of Doug Ford’s free speech policy.
Leah Bradshaw (Brock University) does research on tyranny, regularly teaches about dangerous ideas, and helped organize recent public events on The Rise of Trumpism.
Paul Christopher Gray (Brock University) will moderate the discussion.
This event is funded by a generous grant from the Council of Research in the Social Sciences.
Dr. Angela Fernandez (Faculty of Law, University of Toronto) will give the talk “Not Quite Property, Not Quite Persons: A ‘Quasi’ Approach to Nonhuman Animals” on Tuesday, September 25.
The talk is hosted by the Posthumanism Research Network and the Departments of Political Science and Sociology.
Free event I Open to the public
For more information, view the poster: Angela Fernandez Talk
The Department of Political Science Speaker Series presents
Dr. Chelsea Gabel
Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Well-Being, Community-Engagement, and Innovation and Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Aging and Society & Indigenous Studies
Monday, February 12, 1:00 pm
Plaza 600F
The structure of Indigenous families and communities in Canada has been significantly impacted by the effects of colonialism, such as the dispossession of land, disruption in traditional life ways, intergenerational trauma, and the long-term effects of the residential school system. Bringing youth and elders together encourages cross-age connections and facilitates the sharing of cultural knowledge, which positively impacts health and community wellness. Dr. Gabel presents the results of a community-based, participatory action research Photovoice project that improves our understanding of the nature of intergenerational relationships in the southern Labrador Inuit community of St. Lewis, NL, Canada.
Dr. Chelsea Gabel holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Well-Being, Community-Engagement and Innovation and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Aging and Society and the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University. Dr. Gabel is currently leading three SSHRC grants and is involved in a number of research collaborations across Canada that integrate her expertise in community-based participatory research, photovoice, digital technology, intervention research and Indigenous health and well-being. She is also a member of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Standing Committee on Ethics that provides high-level strategic advice on the ethical, legal and socio-cultural dimensions of CIHR’s mandate.
For further information, please contact Nicole Goodman.
Monday, January 15, 10:30 am
Plaza 600F
Indigenous scholar Dr. Robert Henry of the discusses his work with Indigenous men and women who were involved in street gangs. Drawing on innovative photovoice methods, Dr. Henry examines the ways in which Indigenous men and women engage in street lifestyles, where the street gang becomes a site of survivance, challenging settler colonialism.
Robert Henry, Ph.D., is Métis from Prince Albert, SK and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, in the Department of Sociology. Robert’s research areas include Indigenous street gangs and gang theories, Indigenous masculinities, Indigenous and critical research methodologies, youth mental health, and visual research methods. Working closely with community partners, he published a collection of narratives from his Ph.D. research titled, Brighter Days Ahead (2014). Robert has also published in the areas of Indigenous masculinity, Indigenous health, youth subcultures, and criminal justice.Preview (opens in a new window)
For further information, please contact Nicole Goodman.
Presented by the Departments of Political Science, History, and Sociology
