University of St. Michael&#039;s College / en 91³Ō¹Ļ alumnus Tony Comper establishes professorship of medieval studies at St. Michael's /news/u-t-alumnus-tony-comper-establishes-professorship-medieval-studies-st-michael-s <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91³Ō¹Ļ alumnus Tony Comper establishes professorship of medieval studies at St. Michael's </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT6717_20141113_CampusScenes_15.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ykYImcon 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT6717_20141113_CampusScenes_15.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rgNki9yI 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT6717_20141113_CampusScenes_15.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gYO4Dcpn 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT6717_20141113_CampusScenes_15.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ykYImcon" alt="A photo of St. Michael's College sign with a building and tree in the background"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-03-03T09:56:20-05:00" title="Tuesday, March 3, 2020 - 09:56" class="datetime">Tue, 03/03/2020 - 09:56</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/catherine-mulroney" hreflang="en">Catherine Mulroney</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medieval-studies" hreflang="en">Medieval Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>David Sylvester</strong>, the president and vice-chancellor of<b>&nbsp;</b>the University of St. Michaelā€™s College in the 91³Ō¹Ļ,&nbsp;has announced the establishment of the&nbsp;Comper Professorship in Medieval Studies.&nbsp;</p> <p>This newly endowed position was made possible by an&nbsp;investment by <strong>Tony Comper</strong>, a St. Michaelā€™s alumnus. Sylvester&nbsp;also&nbsp;announced that <strong>Alison More</strong> has been appointed the inaugural holder of the&nbsp;Comper Professorship. More, an assistant professor,&nbsp;is a highly regarded scholar of Latin whose research investigates the intersections of social and religious culture in late-medieval Northern Europe.</p> <div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-05/comper.jpeg" width="250" height="366" alt="Tony Comper"> </div> </div> <p>The donation reflects Comperā€™s firm belief that studying the humanities offers invaluable benefits both personally and professionally ā€“ and that St. Michaelā€™s is on the right path with its renewal as a vibrant centre of undergraduate education at 91³Ō¹Ļ.</p> <p>ā€œStudying liberal arts, in particular literature, provides significant insight into human nature; (it offers) essential knowledge in interpersonal skills, the most important skill for success in business and indeed in life,ā€ says&nbsp;Comper (left), who is the retired president and CEO of BMO Financial Group.</p> <p>Comper recently returned to 91³Ō¹Ļ to take courses in&nbsp;Medieval Studies, a Faculty of Arts &amp; Science undergraduate program sponsored by the University of St. Michaelā€™s College that is available to all 91³Ō¹Ļ arts and science students. This gave him a front-row seat to the revitalization of arts and science undergraduate programs sponsored by St. Michaelā€™s. Pleased with what he saw, he offered the university a unique hybrid investment in teaching by funding this position. The gift is comprised of a multi-million dollar bequest&nbsp;and the promise of annual funding, effective immediately, in the intervening years to cover salary and benefits. The faculty position is one of six that St. Michaelā€™s implemented in 2017 as part of its focus on teaching excellence in the four undergraduate programs it sponsors:&nbsp;Book and Media Studies,&nbsp;Christianity and Culture,&nbsp;Celtic Studies, and&nbsp;Medieval Studies.</p> <div class="align-right"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-05/alison%20more%20headshot%20%281%29.jpeg" width="250" height="375" alt="Alison More"> </div> </div> <p>More (left) came to St. Michaelā€™s&nbsp;from the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent, where she designed and taught core courses on Latin and palaeography. She and the other assistant professors who joined the community at St. Michaelā€™s and 91³Ō¹Ļ three years ago have become a vital part of social and academic renewal. They have enhanced studentsā€™ learning experiences through their engaged and creative teaching and research interests, and have contributed a great deal to the culture and community of the college beyond the classroom by supporting student-run initiatives and presenting public lectures for alumni. The Comper gift, meanwhile,&nbsp;represents the first step in a campaign to ensure the professorships remain permanent.</p> <p>ā€œThis generous gift is an extraordinary demonstration of the confidence in the renaissance underway at St. Michaelā€™s,ā€ says Sylvester. ā€œItā€™s also a model of funding for other professorships, and an ideal example of how St. Mikeā€™s continues to renew itself through endowed legacy positions. Weā€™re thrilled that an outstanding philanthropist like Comper has demonstrated his dedication to his alma mater in this way.ā€</p> <p>ā€œSt. Michaelā€™s and the wider 91³Ō¹Ļ share a long tradition of international excellence in the field of medieval studies,ā€ says 91³Ō¹Ļ President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong>. ā€œTony Comperā€™s wonderful gift will help to strengthen that tradition for future generations, and to accelerate the renewal of undergraduate education at the college. His generosity also builds on his long record of leadership in the University community, including his previous service as chair of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Governing Council, as well as his and his late wife Elizabethā€™s support for the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. We applaud this latest contribution to our collective success.ā€</p> <p>With its combination of intensive Latin study alongside explorations of theology, literature, history, culture and manuscripts, the Medieval Studies program invites students not just to study the Middle Ages, but to also join a great tradition of inquiry and discovery thatā€™s enlivened by the world-renowned professors who have taught medieval studies at St. Michaelā€™s over the years, including Ɖtienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, <strong>Edward Synan</strong>, <strong>Margaret</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Frances Nims</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Mary Arthur Knowlton&nbsp;</strong>and <strong>Colin Chase</strong>.</p> <p>The University of St. Michaelā€™s College has a long tradition of teaching and research in medieval disciplines and its library has rich resources in the field. The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies library, which is housed in the John M. Kelly Library, includes rare, non-circulating books and draws scholars from around the world. The college recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with PIMS and 91³Ō¹Ļ recommitting to collaborative work in research, teaching and publication.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 03 Mar 2020 14:56:20 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 163239 at 91³Ō¹Ļ Talks: Anne Kingston and Jessica Johnson on the #MeToo movement (video) /news/u-t-talks-metoo-video <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91³Ō¹Ļ Talks: Anne Kingston and Jessica Johnson on the #MeToo movement (video)</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-11-25T00:00:00-05:00" title="Monday, November 25, 2019 - 00:00" class="datetime">Mon, 11/25/2019 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-youtube field--type-youtube field--label-hidden field__item"><figure class="youtube-container"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vdnn7QoORC4?wmode=opaque" width="450" height="315" id="youtube-field-player" class="youtube-field-player" title="Embedded video for 91³Ō¹Ļ Talks: Anne Kingston and Jessica Johnson on the #MeToo movement (video)" aria-label="Embedded video for 91³Ō¹Ļ Talks: Anne Kingston and Jessica Johnson on the #MeToo movement (video): https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vdnn7QoORC4?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </figure> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/metoo-0" hreflang="en">#MeToo</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91³Ō¹Ļ students had the opportunity this fall to study the #MeToo social movement.</p> <p><strong>Anne Kingston</strong>, a senior writer and columnist for&nbsp;<em>Macleanā€™s</em> magazine,&nbsp;and <strong>Jessica Johnson</strong>, executive editor&nbsp;of<em> The Walrus, </em>are teaching #MeToo and the Media, a course at the University of St. Michaelā€™s College thatā€™s designed to help students develop an analytic understanding of the movement and the cultural shift associated with it.</p> <p>The course looks at contemporary cases, including those of Canadian broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi and media mogul Harvey Weinstein, while also examining the&nbsp;movementā€™s origins, public conversations, controversies and evolution.</p> <p>"#MeToo [as a hashtag] started with the Weinstein story, which was so explosive, but, in a way, what happened after Weinstein on social media and with the #MeToo hashtag&nbsp;really was the culmination of so many media stories that had gone back,ā€ said Kingston.</p> <p>In this video, Kingston and Johnson speak about #MeToo and its impact.</p> <h3><a href="/news/new-u-t-course-examine-metoo-and-media">Read a <em>91³Ō¹Ļ News</em> story about the course</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 25 Nov 2019 05:00:00 +0000 noreen.rasbach 160800 at Olivier Latry, organist at Notre Dame, to perform at St. Basilā€™s Church and give master class to 91³Ō¹Ļ students /news/olivier-latry-organist-notre-dame-perform-st-basil-s-church-and-give-master-class-u-t-students <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Olivier Latry, organist at Notre Dame, to perform at St. Basilā€™s Church and give master class to 91³Ō¹Ļ students</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/48672181537_7530b39e5c_o.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=el3ah-QD 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/48672181537_7530b39e5c_o.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jpyBK5-r 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/48672181537_7530b39e5c_o.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=G2UCTymt 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/48672181537_7530b39e5c_o.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=el3ah-QD" alt="Orgnaist Olivier Latry sits at an organ"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-11-18T09:50:11-05:00" title="Monday, November 18, 2019 - 09:50" class="datetime">Mon, 11/18/2019 - 09:50</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Olivier Latry, the titular organist at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris since 1985, will perform a concert Friday in honour of the 100th anniversary of the installation of the organ at St. Basil's Church (photo by Ansgar Klostermann/RMF via Flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/martyn-wendell-jones" hreflang="en">Martyn Wendell Jones</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-music" hreflang="en">Faculty of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/france" hreflang="en">France</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After fire destroyed much of Notre Dame Cathedral earlier this year, Paris and the world were relieved to discover that the landmarkā€™s 19<sup>th</sup>-century CavaillĆ©-Coll organ ā€“ one of the most powerful and moving organs in the world&nbsp;ā€“ had survived the blaze.</p> <p>Now, seven months after the fire on April 15, one of the few people in the world to play&nbsp;regularly&nbsp;the Notre Dame organ will be performing at the University of St. Michaelā€™s College. Olivier Latry, the titular organist at Notre Dame since 1985, will visit St. Basilā€™s Church to play in honour of the 100<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;anniversary of the installation of the churchā€™s organ.</p> <p>Latry will also be giving a master class to students from the 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Music a few hours before the sold-out Friday event, which is co-sponsored by the Royal Canadian College of Organists.</p> <p>ā€œIā€™m very honoured to be chosen to come for the 100-year anniversary,ā€ Latry says, noting that Notre Dameā€™s organ will inevitably influence his performance in St. Basilā€™s.</p> <p>ā€œIā€™ve spent two-thirds of my life at Notre Dame,ā€ says Latry, whose January album recorded in the iconic church was the last recording made on the Notre Dame organ before the fire.</p> <p>ā€œIā€™m always thinking about the organ&nbsp;and, when Iā€™m somewhere else, I try to reconstruct the sound that I have in Notre Dame on the organ that I will play.ā€</p> <p>The Casavant FrĆØres organ Latry will play at&nbsp;St. Basilā€™s was first installed in 1919. The instrument is one of the few organs in Toronto to be built according to the ideals of the French Symphonic style, which also characterizes the organ at Notre Dame.</p> <p>ā€œSt. Michaelā€™s is thrilled to celebrate the 100<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;anniversary of the installation of the organ at St. Basilā€™s, which has been at the heart of our campus community since we opened our doors on Clover Hill in 1856,ā€ says St. Michaelā€™s President <strong>David Sylvester</strong>.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/IMG_3040.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>The organ at St. Basilā€™s Church&nbsp;at the University of St. Michaelā€™s College (photo courtesy of&nbsp;University of St. Michaelā€™s College)</em></p> <p>Since its installation, the St. Basilā€™s organ has provided an accompaniment to some of the most important moments in academic and liturgical life for the St. Michaelā€™s community, including convocation and invocation masses, presidential installations, weddings, funerals ā€“ and, of course, the regular weekday and Sunday mass.</p> <p>ā€œThe instrument Olivier Latry will play marries the academic and liturgical sides of our community. We look forward to welcoming members of our larger university and city community to enjoy Latryā€™s performance on Nov. 22, a day on which the church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music,ā€ Sylvester says.</p> <p>Rev. Morgan Rice, the churchā€™s current pastor, says St. Basilā€™s is ā€œan enormously important part of not just the spiritual life of St. Michaelā€™s, but also the community life of St. Michaelā€™s.ā€</p> <p>Students can often be found at the church gathering for events or volunteering with social outreach programs such as Out of the Cold, which provides food and hospitality to members of the homeless population in Toronto.</p> <p>The longest continuously operating building on the 91³Ō¹Ļ campus, St. Basilā€™s Collegiate Church first opened its doors in 1856, the day before the opening of the St. Michaelā€™s campus at Clover Hill, its current location. The parish has been administered since its founding by the Basilian Fathers, the same teaching order that helped to found St. Michaelā€™s.</p> <p>In addition to their presence in college classrooms as professors, the Basilians have remained a central presence at St. Michaelā€™s through their work at the church, providing another point of connection with staff, faculty and students. ā€œI hope that Basilian presence on campus through our ministry at St. Basilā€™s will continue for many years to come,ā€&nbsp;Rice says.</p> <p>Latryā€™s Nov. 22&nbsp;performance will follow a special interview with <strong>John Paul Farahat</strong>, director of music and principal organist at St. Basilā€™s.&nbsp;Farahat, who has performed on the Notre Dame organ himself, directed a rebuild in 2017 of the St. Basilā€™s organ by Casavant FrĆØres and the Alan Jackson Company. The rebuild involved lowering a section of the faƧade enough to allow the rose window on the south side of the church to be visible from the floor.</p> <p>Farahat had two goals for the rebuild of the St. Basilā€™s organ: ā€œFirst, to create an instrument for worship and prayer that was viable for the next generation, and second, to make an instrument well suited to French repertoire.ā€</p> <p>The lowering of the organā€™s faƧade was intended to create ā€œa visual component to that [beautiful sound],ā€&nbsp;Farahat says, adding that a&nbsp;priority during the rebuild was creating ā€œan exceptional teaching instrument for organ students in general.ā€&nbsp;</p> <p>Farahat says the organ has become a resource to 91³Ō¹Ļ students studying organ performance, as well as professors and music directors who come from all over the city to play the instrument.</p> <p>While Latry is chiefly known as a principal organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral, he is also a professor of organ at Conservatoire de Paris. As such, his visit to St. Michaelā€™s will incorporate both his liturgical and educational roles.</p> <p>In addition to his evening concert at St. Basilā€™s, Latry will provide high-level personalized instruction to four students from 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Music, who will have an opportunity to join him in the organ loft Friday morning for a two-hour master class.</p> <p>Faculty of Music Associate Professor <strong>Kevin Komisaruk</strong> says the master class will give these students ā€œa rare chance to experience customized instruction from one of the worldā€™s most experienced and accomplished professionals.</p> <p>ā€œLatry is a world celebrity among organists,ā€&nbsp;says Komisaruk, who has also been an organist at St. Basilā€™s.&nbsp;ā€œIt is always a transformative thrill for students who get a chance to see themselves in their role models.</p> <p>ā€œWe are deeply grateful that St. Basilā€™s has consistently shown such grace and openness in supporting the pedagogic development of our students by allowing them to practise, study&nbsp;and perform at this historic instrument.ā€</p> <p>One of the students in Latryā€™s master class is&nbsp;<strong>Stefani Bedin</strong>, an associate organist at the church who is also pursuing a doctor of musical arts in performance degree.</p> <p>ā€œOlivier Latry is one of the custodians of the esteemed French organ tradition, so I particularly look forward to hearing his comments on the French organ repertoire,ā€ Bedin says. ā€œIt is wonderful that the collaboration between St. Basilā€™s, the University of St. Michaelā€™s College&nbsp;and the wider community has made this truly exceptional event possible.ā€</p> <p>Latryā€™s repertoire for the concert will include both sacred and concert pieces meant to showcase the organā€™s French symphonic qualities, but the technical virtuosity is an expression of a simple desire.</p> <p>ā€œItā€™s nice to share my passion,ā€ Latry says. ā€œYou are always touched by the sound of the organ. You will always find something which touches you. I think that related to the music which was composed for the instrument, there is a lot to discover and thereā€™s a lot also to enjoy.ā€</p> <p>More than anything else, that enjoyment is what he hopes to provide during his St. Basilā€™s performance.</p> <p>ā€œI would say to the people: Just come and listen and enjoy.ā€</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 18 Nov 2019 14:50:11 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 160724 at New 91³Ō¹Ļ course to examine #MeToo and the media /news/new-u-t-course-examine-metoo-and-media <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">New 91³Ō¹Ļ course to examine #MeToo and the media </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-929062248.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=a-aBI3DP 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-929062248.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=c_cwFUGu 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-929062248.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=P0pvQyYb 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-929062248.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=a-aBI3DP" alt="South Korean demonstrators hold banners during a rally to mark International Women's Day"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-08-12T13:01:30-04:00" title="Monday, August 12, 2019 - 13:01" class="datetime">Mon, 08/12/2019 - 13:01</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">South Korean demonstrators hold banners during a rally to mark International Women's Day 2018 as part of the country's #MeToo movement in Seoul (photo by Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images )</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/martyn-wendell-jones" hreflang="en">Martyn Wendell Jones</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/metoo-0" hreflang="en">#MeToo</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In 2017, major media exposĆ©s of predatory sexual behaviour by powerful figures unleashed&nbsp;#MeToo, a hashtag now tweeted and shared more than 20 million times.</p> <p>Using the hashtag, people all over the world began to share stories of their own experiences of abuse at the hands of people whose wealth and power had protected them from justice, and this public reckoning led to a major ā€“ and ongoing ā€“ cultural shift.</p> <p>Now, two years after the publication of the reporting that launched #MeToo, two journalists who continue to advance and shape the public conversation around the issue in Canada are bringing their expertise into the classroom at the 91³Ō¹Ļ.</p> <p>Beginning Sept. 5, Jessica Johnson, executive editor and creative director of&nbsp;<em>The Walrus </em>magazine, and&nbsp;Anne Kingston, senior writer and columnist for&nbsp;<em>Macleanā€™s</em>, will be co-teaching ā€œ#MeToo and the Media,ā€ a course at the University of St. Michael's College designed to help students develop an analytic understanding of the social movement as it continues to evolve.</p> <p>Kingston and Johnson plan to contextualize #MeToo in a larger media ecosystem. ā€œThis will be a class that looks at the way #MeToo informed the media, and also, about the way the media coverage of the movement has fuelled broader conversation in society,ā€ says Johnson.</p> <p>ā€œThis is a new class ā€“ new at St. Michaelā€™s College, but also, we arenā€™t aware of any other one exactly like it anywhere,ā€ she says. ā€œSome of the themes of the public conversation surrounding #MeToo ā€“ privilege, the nature of consent, the workplace, dating, contemporary constructions of gender ā€“ are matters of ongoing concern to 91³Ō¹Ļ students, which creates an opportunity for a special kind of dialogue in the classroom.ā€</p> <p>Over the course of the semester, lectures, readings, social media investigation, videos, and guest speakers will examine #MeTooā€™s far-reaching consequences (and controversies), including the cultural biases, systemic inequities and endemic violence that #MeToo coverage exposed.</p> <p>Kingston, who covered the trials of&nbsp;Jian Ghomeshi&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bill Cosby&nbsp;and has done&nbsp;extensive reporting&nbsp;on #MeToo, acknowledges that the ongoing, dynamic nature of #MeToo creates unique challenges for the course, but sees the&nbsp;Book and Media Studies program as an ideal framework.</p> <p>ā€œSt. Michaelā€™s well-received&nbsp;ā€˜Trump and the Mediaā€™&nbsp;course led the way in showing how an academic institution can instruct while interacting with real-time news,ā€ says Kingston. And as former New York Times editor Sam Tanenhaus did with his class on Trump last fall, Kingston and Johnson will regularly incorporate breaking news into their curriculum.</p> <p>Kingston points to the upcoming trial of Hedleyā€™s Jacob Hoggard as one possible example.</p> <p>ā€œBook and Media Studies is a program that allows students to engage with some of the most pressing and complex situations created by our intensely mediated moment, and place them in contexts beyond 140 characters,ā€ St. Michaelā€™s Principal and Vice-President <strong>Randy Boyagoda </strong>says.</p> <p>ā€œA course like #MeToo and the Media, taught by two distinguished visiting professors, each a leading figure in contemporary Canadian media, makes it possible for students to explore one of the most vexed, active, and important situations in contemporary media, politics, and culture.ā€</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:01:30 +0000 noreen.rasbach 157526 at Media ethics in the fake news era: Conference at 91³Ō¹Ļ builds on Marshall McLuhanā€™s legacy /news/media-ethics-fake-news-era-conference-u-t-builds-marshall-mcluhan-s-legacy <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Media ethics in the fake news era: Conference at 91³Ō¹Ļ builds on Marshall McLuhanā€™s legacy</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/St.-Michael%27s-college-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=haInnWVI 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/St.-Michael%27s-college-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=AWG-Rsn9 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/St.-Michael%27s-college-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=guiaMt4M 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/St.-Michael%27s-college-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=haInnWVI" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-06-24T12:23:50-04:00" title="Monday, June 24, 2019 - 12:23" class="datetime">Mon, 06/24/2019 - 12:23</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The University of St. Michaelā€™s College in the 91³Ō¹Ļ and 91³Ō¹Ļ are co-hosting the Media Ecology Association's annual convention this week (photo by Makeda Marc-Ali)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/martyn-wendell-jones" hreflang="en">Martyn Wendell Jones</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/centre-ethics" hreflang="en">Centre for Ethics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/digital-media" hreflang="en">Digital Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ethics" hreflang="en">Ethics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-information" hreflang="en">Faculty of Information</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/marshall-mcluhan" hreflang="en">Marshall McLuhan</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/philosophy" hreflang="en">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/technology" hreflang="en">Technology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In a world of fake news, hyper-connectivity&nbsp;and rapidly advancing means of communication, the humanistic and critical perspective of famed media theorist ā€“ and 91³Ō¹Ļ professor&nbsp;ā€“<strong>Marshall McLuhan</strong> can feel almost prophetic. So itā€™s fitting that, this week, hundreds of scholars will converge on 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s downtown Toronto campus&nbsp;to address many of the most important and challenging questions about media and society today.</p> <p>From June 27-30, the University of St. Michaelā€™s College in the 91³Ō¹Ļ and 91³Ō¹Ļ will co-host the Media Ecology Association (MEA) for its&nbsp;<a href="http://mediaethics.ca/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">20th&nbsp;annual convention</a>. This yearā€™s theme is ā€œMedia Ethics: Human Ecology in a Connected World,ā€ and the&nbsp;itinerary&nbsp;includes 80 sessions and events that feature 300 speakers from 30 countries.</p> <p>The international conference is timely, with elections on the horizon in both Canada and the United States.</p> <p>ā€œGiven St. Mikeā€™s long tradition of teaching and research infused with a focus on ethics and values, itā€™s fitting that we, along with 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, Faculty of Information, and the Centre for Ethics, have joined together with the MEA to inspire the next generation of media scholars,ā€ said&nbsp;St. Michaelā€™s President&nbsp;<strong>David Sylvester</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Paolo Granata</strong>, an assistant professor of book and media studies, is the chair of this yearā€™s conference. He organized the event with an eye on a technological society developing so quickly that lawmakers and ethicists are struggling&nbsp;to keep pace. Granata explores these ideas in his research and teaching, including the&nbsp;McLuhan Seminar in Creativity and Technology, an SMC One program that features a learning experience in Silicon Valley for first-year students. A number of Granataā€™s students will also be on hand to participate in and support the proceedings while making connections with scholars in the field.</p> <p>The proceedings will kick off on Wednesday with a pre-conference panel discussion&nbsp;on how the internet is affecting civil society featuring&nbsp;<strong>Mark Kingwell</strong>, a professor in 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s department of philosophy.&nbsp;Presented by the Toronto Reference Library and the McLuhan Salon Series, ā€œThe Social Cost of the Information Ageā€&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-social-cost-of-the-information-age-tickets-63584233153?aff=mediaethics" rel="noopener" target="_blank">networking event</a>&nbsp;is free and open to the public.</p> <p>The formal opening of the convention is on June 27 and will include remarks from the Honourable Karina Gould, Canada's minister of democratic institutions.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œThe Media Ethics conference provides an important space for Canadians to discuss how they use platforms, the information they are seeing on these platforms and the level of trust they have for these platforms,ā€ says Gould.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œDemocracy is rooted in the trust of the people in the process and in the legitimacy of the outcome.ā€</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 24 Jun 2019 16:23:50 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 157095 at 91³Ō¹Ļ's Randy Boyagoda writes about 'tragic familiarity' of Sri Lanka bombings in the New York Times /news/u-t-s-randy-boyagoda-writes-about-tragic-familiarity-sri-lanka-bombings-new-york-times <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91³Ō¹Ļ's Randy Boyagoda writes about 'tragic familiarity' of Sri Lanka bombings in the New York Times </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/randy-boyagoda-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UzrGfkJ7 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/randy-boyagoda-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Eq7RvNTJ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/randy-boyagoda-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=0TY5GvXv 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/randy-boyagoda-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UzrGfkJ7" alt="Photo of Randy Boyagoda"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-04-22T10:15:25-04:00" title="Monday, April 22, 2019 - 10:15" class="datetime">Mon, 04/22/2019 - 10:15</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Randy Boyagoda, a 91³Ō¹Ļ English professor and principal of St. Michael's College, has family connections in Sri Lanka and wrote about the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in the New York Times (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/english" hreflang="en">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The attacks on hotels and churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, which left almost 300 dead, were ā€œmore than just a national or religious tragedy,ā€ writes <strong>Randy Boyagoda </strong>in the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>.&nbsp;</p> <p>In an opinion piece for the newspaper, the author, 91³Ō¹Ļ English professor and principal of St. Michael's College, says the attacks affected him personally as a Catholic member of the Sri Lankan diaspora.</p> <p>While Sri Lanka is no stranger to violence as a result of its nearly 30-year civil war, he says the suicide bombings mean&nbsp;the country has gained&nbsp;ā€œmembership in a global conflict that is at once fresh and familiar, for the island and the world.ā€</p> <h3><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/opinion/sri-lanka-bombing-terrorism.html">Read the full op-ed in the <em>New York Times</em></a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 22 Apr 2019 14:15:25 +0000 geoff.vendeville 156360 at Abuse crisis in Catholic Church is subject of conference at University of St. Michael's College /news/abuse-crisis-catholic-church-subject-conference-university-st-michael-s-college <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Abuse crisis in Catholic Church is subject of conference at University of St. Michael's College</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-12-huggins-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=FwSl7qNh 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-03-12-huggins-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aIrS3QzF 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-03-12-huggins-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=zPOu1_Zf 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-12-huggins-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=FwSl7qNh" alt="Photo of Leona Huggins"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-03-13T18:37:18-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 13, 2019 - 18:37" class="datetime">Wed, 03/13/2019 - 18:37</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Leona Huggins holds up her message to Pope Francis in Rome last month. She will attend this week's conference on clergy sexual abuse at the University of St. Michael's College (photo by Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/catherine-mulroney" hreflang="en">Catherine Mulroney</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/theology" hreflang="en">Theology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><header> <div style="margin-left:auto;"> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </header> <div style="margin-left:auto;"> <section id="content" role="main"> <article id="news-27744"> <p>Leona Huggins remembers clearly why her parish priest stopped abusing her.</p> <p>ā€œI got too old, too aware. He couldnā€™t control me,ā€ says Huggins, who spoke about her childhood experiences and her current work advocating for an&nbsp;end to clergy sexual abuse in a recent&nbsp;episode&nbsp;of the Global News&nbsp;<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5030690/this-is-why-survivors-of-sexual-abuse-the-vatican/"><em>This is Why</em>&nbsp;podcast</a>.</p> <p>When Huggins discovered years later that the man who abused her when she was 13 was now working with a youth group, she stepped forward with her story and became an activist.</p> <p>The priest served 10 months in jail&nbsp;on various abuse-related charges, but returned to active ministry elsewhere.</p> <p>Huggins, who lives in Vancouver, was the sole Canadian among the 12 abuse survivors offered a chance to address last monthā€™s unprecedented Vatican summit on clergy sexual abuse. Now, she will be a key participant in a&nbsp;<a href="https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/event/wounded-body-christ-listening-responding-abuse-church/">two-day event</a>&nbsp;at the University of St. Michaelā€™s College looking at the abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.</p> <p>ā€œThe Wounded Body of Christ: Listening and Responding to Abuse in the Church<em>,"</em>&nbsp;which takes place Thursday and Friday,&nbsp;will include input from legal, medical and pastoral experts. It will also hear from&nbsp;three survivors of clerical sexual abuse, including Huggins,&nbsp;who will share their stories as well as their advice on how to end the crisis.</p> <p>The event begins with a keynote address Thursday evening by Dr. Brian Flanagan, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Virginiaā€™s Marymount University. His talk is titled ā€œBelieving in a Sinful and Holy Church.ā€</p> <p>Dr. Nuala Kenny, a professor emeritus of bioethics at&nbsp;Dalhousie University in Halifax, will deliver a paper Friday sharing insight she has gained as a physician in diagnosing and treating clerical sexual abuse, while&nbsp;<strong>Mary Ann Hinsdale</strong>,&nbsp;an associate professor of theology at Boston College, will address the links between clericalism and abuse.</p> <p>A group discussion toward the end of Friday will bring together the range of voices involved in addressing what Pope Francis has called ā€œthe pain and unbearable sufferingā€ the scandals have caused. That discussion will be moderated by&nbsp;<strong>David Byrne</strong>, a doctoral student whose work addresses ethical, spiritual, moral and practical issues in societyā€™s ā€“ and the courtsā€™ ā€“&nbsp;response to sex offenders.</p> <p>The St. Michael's conference comes as survivors and the broader church assess what did and did not come out of the Vatican conference, as well as what next steps are needed to end a crisis that has rocked the church to its core.</p> <p>ā€œThe question of clerical sexual abuse is such a complex issue,ā€ says <strong>James Ginther</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Theology at St. Michael's. ā€œWe need to hear from the survivors because the onus is on us to become agents of change, creating a church that doesnā€™t allow any space for abuse. We need to ensure our ecclesiastical leaders canā€™t let this happen again.ā€</p> <p>As Huggins told the&nbsp;<em>This is Why </em>podcast,&nbsp;the Vatican summit left her disappointed she didnā€™t see a more practical action plan come out of the meetings. The church is still ā€œparsingā€ what abuse is, she says, adding that until it takes a ā€œreally good look at the rot within,ā€ the churchā€™s right to position itself as a&nbsp;moral authority is threatened.</p> <p>Huggins stepped forward with her story in 1992, 15 years after her experience of abuse. While in Rome, she met a 22-year-old abuse survivor, which she sees as evidence that offers of handbooks and talking points have not done enough to end the crime.</p> <p>ā€œIā€™d love to stop telling my story,ā€ she says.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </article> </section> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 13 Mar 2019 22:37:18 +0000 noreen.rasbach 155403 at This is 91³Ō¹Ļ: Randy Boyagoda talks about multiculturalism in literature and his novel Original Prin /news/u-t-randy-boyagoda-talks-about-multiculturalism-literature-and-his-novel-original-prin <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">This is 91³Ō¹Ļ: Randy Boyagoda talks about multiculturalism in literature and his novel Original Prin</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-10-15-boyagoda-resized_0.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=PT7m_MSL 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-10-15-boyagoda-resized_0.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=kf6v-Fym 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-10-15-boyagoda-resized_0.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=Eci2s3__ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-10-15-boyagoda-resized_0.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=PT7m_MSL" alt="Randy Boyagoda phto"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-01-22T15:03:23-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - 15:03" class="datetime">Tue, 01/22/2019 - 15:03</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Randy Boyagoda, English professor and principal and vice-president of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s University of St. Michaelā€™s College (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/culture" hreflang="en">Culture</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/english" hreflang="en">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/randy-boyagoda" hreflang="en">Randy Boyagoda</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As a writer, <strong>Randy Boyagoda</strong> is curious about what it means to find sources of&nbsp;humanity in unexpected places. It's a narrative he weaves into many of&nbsp;the stories he writes ā€“ and most recently in his third novel, <em>Original Prin</em>.&nbsp;</p> <p>The book follows&nbsp;Princely "Prin" St. John Umbiligoda, a Sri Lankan-Canadian professor at a Catholic College in Toronto, who is simultaneously grappling with work and family life, religion and illness.&nbsp;</p> <p>While there are many parallels between the lives of Umbiligoda and Boyagoda,&nbsp;the English professor and principal and vice-president of 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s University of St. Michaelā€™s College, says <em>Original Prin</em> is not a thinly veiled autobiography, but adds, "I could inhabit the world heā€™s in.ā€</p> <p>Watch Boyagoda speak about his new novel, what multicultural Canadian writing looks like, and ā€“ with his busy schedule ā€“ when he finds time to put pen to paper.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p1buMEVJbGA" width="750"></iframe></p> <h3><a href="/news/many-vocations-u-t-s-randy-boyagoda-scholar-catholic-intellectual-novelist-hit-his-hands">Read more on Boyagoda and&nbsp;<em>Original Prin&nbsp;</em></a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 22 Jan 2019 20:03:23 +0000 Romi Levine 151735 at Former New York Times books editor on what makes a great review and why U.S. political coverage needs to change /news/former-new-york-times-books-editor-what-makes-great-review-and-why-us-political-coverage-needs <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Former New York Times books editor on what makes a great review and why U.S. political coverage needs to change</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-11-27-tanehaus-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7562ODy_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-11-27-tanehaus-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=C0D7yhuY 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-11-27-tanehaus-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=uXcWxjVR 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-11-27-tanehaus-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7562ODy_" alt="Photo of Sam Tanenhaus"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-11-27T10:02:49-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 27, 2018 - 10:02" class="datetime">Tue, 11/27/2018 - 10:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">"Iā€™ve done a fair amount of teaching at one place or another in the U.S., but this is great," says Sam Tanenhaus, a visiting professor at 91³Ō¹Ļ. "The students are just the best" (photo by Aloysius Wong)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/mary-gooderham" hreflang="en">Mary Gooderham</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/books" hreflang="en">Books</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-staff" hreflang="en">Faculty &amp; Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/united-states" hreflang="en">United States</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Sam Tanenhaus</strong>, a prolific and influential journalist, author, historian and former&nbsp;editor of the <em>New York Times Book Review</em>, is teaching two courses at the 91³Ō¹Ļ this term as a visiting professor for book&nbsp;and media studies at the University of&nbsp;St. Michaelā€™s College.</p> <p>His articles and essays appear in <em>Vanity Fair</em>, <em>Time</em>,<em> Esquire</em>, <em>The New Republic</em>, <em>The&nbsp;New York Times Magazine</em>, <em>The New Yorker</em>, <em>The New York Review of Books</em> and many other publications. His books include <em>Whittaker Chambers: A Biography </em>(1997) and <em>The Death of Conservatism</em> (2009). He is working on a biography of William F. Buckley Jr.</p> <p>Tanenhaus will moderate a discussion on Friday on <a href="https://timesevents.nytimes.com/torontobookreview/cl">The Art of the Book Review</a>, with <strong>Jennifer Szalai</strong>, a 91³Ō¹Ļ alumna who is a nonfiction book critic at the <em>Times</em>, and <strong>Randy Boyagoda</strong>, an English professor who is the&nbsp;principal of St. Michael's and long-time contributor to the <em>New York Times Book Review</em>.</p> <p>Tanenhaus speaks to <strong>Mary Gooderham</strong> about his teaching at 91³Ō¹Ļ, his writing and what makes a good book review.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Your talk this week is on ā€œThe art of the book review.ā€ What do you look for in a good review?</strong></p> <p>Itā€™s not simply a matter of thumbs up or thumbs down, of stating your opinion and letting people know whether you like a book. If itā€™s done well, it can be a really superb form of journalism. Oscar Wilde once said criticism is the highest form of autobiography, and I think really good reviewers are actually writing miniature memoirs that invite readers in to share the experience of reading a particular book or books.</p> <p><strong>How are reviews received by authors? How do they feel about the negative ones?</strong></p> <p>Miserable. Do not believe any author who tells you that he or she doesnā€™t read reviews. Itā€™s just not true. When I was editing the <em>Book Review</em>, I would hear from some of the most famous authors alive who might not be happy with a line or two in a review that was otherwise laudatory. Authors have a proprietary view ā€“ and Iā€™m no different ā€“ of their work. They tend to think reviewers are dismissive, skeptical or they havenā€™t really read the book.</p> <p><strong>Is that true?</strong></p> <p>Sometimes Iā€™m afraid it probably is. Reviewers are not paid very well, and itā€™s a lot of work. When I do a long review for a publication, like the&nbsp;<em>New York Review of Books</em>, Iā€™ll re-read a book a second and third time, to make sure Iā€™ve really got command of it.</p> <p><strong>Thereā€™s fewer places in print these days for book reviews, do we really need them?</strong></p> <p>If thereā€™s a good local reviewer who readers trust, in a big city like Toronto or a smaller town somewhere, that can do more for a book than the splashier forms of promotion and publicity. Now, that said, many readers now turn to Amazon reviews, and there's a lot of book discussion today online. I donā€™t follow more than a fraction of it. Iā€™m kind of an older legacy media guy whoā€™s just watching the world change.</p> <p><strong>Why did you come to teach at the 91³Ō¹Ļ?</strong></p> <p>Iā€™m near to completing the first draft of my book, and teaching for somebody like me gives a little structure to the week. My wife Kathy Bonomi is a film curator, and she was able to get an industry pass for TIFF. So here we are.</p> <p><strong>How are you liking Toronto? </strong></p> <p>We love it. In Connecticut we live out in the country and itā€™s beautiful, itā€™s quiet, itā€™s a great place to work, but to be back in a vibrant, really livable city like Toronto has been very gratifying for us.</p> <p><strong>Have you enjoyed the teaching?</strong></p> <p>Itā€™s fantastic. Iā€™ve done a fair amount of teaching at one place or another in the U.S., but this is great. The students are just the best, I really like them. I do two courses, including a large lecture course, which is really just a big conversation among 180 of us. Itā€™s called Trump in the Media; we sometimes call it ā€œTrump in Real Time."</p> <p><strong>How does that go?</strong></p> <p>We have readings but we spend a lot of time viewing video, sometimes itā€™s live. We watched Brett Kavanaughā€™s prepared remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee live, then after that we screened Christine Blasey Fordā€™s statement. Thatā€™s the kind of thing we do; itā€™s very stimulating.</p> <p><strong>Whatā€™s it like teaching this in Canada?</strong></p> <p>Itā€™s very instructive for me. I do not exaggerate ā€“ and the kids will confirm this ā€“ they do most of the talking. Iā€™m kind of a ringmaster, and I bring in a little history and background. Itā€™s hard to make coherent sense of politics in this moment, so if you step away from it, as Iā€™ve been lucky enough to do, and talk with really smart, young people, it gives a perspective and a balance which I would never get in the U.S.&nbsp;Iā€™m very grateful for that.</p> <p><strong>Whatā€™s the other course you're teaching?</strong></p> <p>Itā€™s a seminar on long-form journalism, I call it ā€œThe Art of Non-Fiction Narrative.ā€ There are 30 students. We do an old-style close reading, and then the students write their own journalism, and you would not believe some of the stuff Iā€™ve seen. Stories come through that I think belong in major feature magazines. Theyā€™ve all got the bug now, they all want to be <em>New Yorker</em> writers.</p> <p><strong>Speaking of long-form writing, tell us about the process of putting together your book on William F. Buckley Jr.?</strong></p> <p>Letā€™s just say itā€™s been a really long time. He was alive when I started writing, because he wanted me to do it. Iā€™m closing in on the finish. There are two kinds of writers, putter-inners and taker-outers, and Iā€™m both. My work habits I would say are of zero interest to anyone, but I just pile up a lot of pages and I try to turn those pages into a manuscript. Iā€™m guessing the book will be maybe 600 pages, and that will be about a third of what I will have when I complete this first draft.</p> <p><strong>You wrote <em>The Death of Conservativism</em> and youā€™ve been doing interesting political features for publications like <em>Vanity Fair</em> and <em>Esquire</em>. Any possibility youā€™ll write a quick political book?</strong></p> <p>Well, Iā€™m doing a long political book. Buckley is political, heā€™s the greatest intellectual in the history of modern conservatism. This may do it for me on big books on politics, though I may do a little book on the U.S. Constitution ā€“ which I think needs to be either rewritten or abandoned ā€“ after I finish this.</p> <p><strong>Your students must have been fascinated with reporting of the U.S. midterms, any lessons there?</strong></p> <p>My class and I looked at some the media coverage:&nbsp;We looked at CNN for instance, and the horse-race coverage&nbsp;ā€“ I just wish it would stop. I understand why they do it, but I think weā€™ve entered a media culture of artificial or invented narratives that actually feed some of the baser impulses in our aggressive politics. So thatā€™s one of the takeaways I have&nbsp;ā€“&nbsp;it was really striking. And by the way, the students get this instantly. They are great parsers of media.</p> <p><strong>What's the alternative to the horse race?</strong></p> <p>In my class we watch 20 minutes of coverage and Iā€™ll say, ā€˜What did we not see here? We didnā€™t see a single non-media person or spinmeister or operative for one of the two parties giving a little speech or having a brawl.ā€™ In the U.S., there's endless commentary by the media about the media and very little about what's on the minds of voters and what their lives are like. That is certainly one alternative. I look at the home page of the <em>New York Times</em> and itā€™s one polemical assertion after another, and I think itā€™s not doing anyone any good.</p> <p><strong>What can be done about it?</strong></p> <p>Iā€™ve stopped doing that kind of writing. I report now. If you look at my last stories, they were reported. I did one in <em>The New Republic</em> thatā€™s a historical kind of political science piece&nbsp;ā€“ it draws on documents in archives. I did a story for <em>Time</em> magazine, my first story ever for them, it was on the cover, it was about young policy analysts who actually think Trump gives the Republican party new opportunities to shed the libertarian economic policy of the Reagan and Bush years, and itā€™s reporting. I just talked to them. I did the story from here, I did it on the telephone. The lesson Iā€™ve learned ā€“you interview people, talk to them, not just say what you think. Nothingā€™s easier than to give your opinion, but to find out what somebody else thinks, to hear how they speak, what issues come up, Iā€™d like to see more of that.</p> <p><em><a href="https://timesevents.nytimes.com/torontobookreview/cl">The Art of the Book Review</a>&nbsp;will take place at the Isabel Bader Theatre on Friday, Nov. 30. Students receive $10 off the ticket prices using the code&nbsp;STUDENT.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 27 Nov 2018 15:02:49 +0000 noreen.rasbach 147945 at What swimming on 91³Ō¹Ļ's varsity team taught Environment Minister Catherine McKenna /news/what-swimming-u-t-s-varsity-team-taught-environment-minister-catherine-mckenna <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">What swimming on 91³Ō¹Ļ's varsity team taught Environment Minister Catherine McKenna</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20181122---Team-picture-1993-1994-Catherine-McKenna.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SiAUOBgY 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/20181122---Team-picture-1993-1994-Catherine-McKenna.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9urt223C 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/20181122---Team-picture-1993-1994-Catherine-McKenna.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=JS6FNeFc 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20181122---Team-picture-1993-1994-Catherine-McKenna.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SiAUOBgY" alt="Photo of Catherine McKenna and 1993-1994 swimming teams"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-11-22T00:00:00-05:00" title="Thursday, November 22, 2018 - 00:00" class="datetime">Thu, 11/22/2018 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The men's and women's swimming teams in 1993-1994: Catherine McKenna, now the federal environment minister, is in the second row, second from right (photo courtesy of Byron MacDonald)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">University of St. Michael's College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/varsity-blues" hreflang="en">Varsity Blues</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Mid-campaign season in 2015, <strong>Catherine McKenna</strong>&nbsp;swam four kilometres from Aylmer, Que. to Ottawa ā€“ then dried off and resumed knocking on votersā€™&nbsp;doors.</p> <p>Her experience as a competitive swimmer, including a member of three national champion Varsity Blues swim teams, taught her the value of perseverance and teamwork, she told <em>91³Ō¹Ļ News</em> in a phone interview&nbsp;ā€“ above the chatter of the House of Commons.</p> <p>McKenna, the federal minister for the environment and climate change, was a student at 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s University of St. Michael's College, studying international relations and French. But you could say her student years were semi-aquatic. She practised with the Varsity Blues two or three times a day, with training&nbsp;starting as early as&nbsp;5 a.m. Her best events were the 200-metre backstroke and the 400-metre medley.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œThe swim team really was the best part of my experience,ā€ she says. ā€œI made friends for life and also learned some really awesome lessons.ā€</p> <p>Her passion for swimming blossomed in her hometown of Hamilton, where she swam for a local club, and grew under the coaching of <strong>Byron MacDonald</strong>, now in his 41<sup>st</sup> season with the varsity swimming program.</p> <p>Around the time McKenna came to 91³Ō¹Ļ, Mark Tewksbury won the Olympic gold medal in the 100-metre backstroke&nbsp;in Barcelona, bringing prominence to the sport in Canada. The 91³Ō¹Ļ program was in a purple patch, attracting a dynamic group of high-achievers, MacDonald says.&nbsp;ā€œCatherine being one of them,ā€ he adds.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œCatherine was one of the toughest trainers we had on that squad,ā€ he recalls. ā€œShe knew there were other athletes who may be more talented, but that she could best them if she out-worked them.ā€</p> <p><img alt="Tweet from Catherine McKenna that gives a shout out to 91³Ō¹Ļ varsity swim team and coach" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9697 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/mckenna-uoft_0.jpg" style="width: 347px; height: 500px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>Of all the lessons she soaked up as a member and then captain of the varsity team, the most important was the value of teamwork, McKenna says.</p> <p>Although people tend to think of swimming as an individual sport, on a university team, every personā€™s performance ā€“ and each point ā€“ counts.</p> <p>Sheā€™s drawn from that experience to confront challenges long after graduation, in law and federal politics.</p> <p>ā€œMy file is a hard file,ā€ she says. ā€œWorking on climate change is not a short-term thing. You donā€™t do it one day, you have to keep working at it.ā€</p> <p>As it is in the pool, teamwork is essential. ā€œYou donā€™t do things alone,ā€ she says. ā€œYou don't get elected alone, you don't deliver on what you're trying to work on alone. Swimming really taught me that.ā€</p> <p>Even now, she finds time to swim with the National Capital Masters Team. Just donā€™t ask her about her times, she jokes.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 22 Nov 2018 05:00:00 +0000 geoff.vendeville 147630 at