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Dalibhunga: The Historical Studies Bulletin
Dalibhunga: The Historical Studies Bulletin Nelson Mandela, Historical Studies, the Past and the Future - Message from the Chair What’s Inside: NEW FACULTY page 3 TEACHING & INNOVATION page 6 COMMUNITY page 9 KNOWLEDGE SHARING & SCHOLARSHIP page 12 HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 14 STUDENT AWARDS PAGE 17 ALUMNI UPDATE PAGE 18 No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. - Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom A s a prisoner on Robben Island, furtively penning the first pages of what was later to become his autobiography, Nelson Mandela could scarcely have imagined that decades later he would be regarded as one of the most eminent moral and political icons of our world. After a lifetime fighting against the injustices of brutal racial segregation in his homeland of South Africa, when he became president, he magnanimously declared, “The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us.” I write this Message from the Chair on July 18, a historic day, to welcome readers to the inaugural issue of Dalibhunga: The Historical Studies Bulletin. This day has been declared Nelson Mandela Day by the United Nations. It is the 95th birthday of Mandela, affectionately known as Tata, isiXhosa for “Father,” who had the audacity to rewrite the history of his own people and to inspire so many others to take the pen of destiny in their own hands. It is certainly a fitting day to reflect on the past, as well as the future, of the Department of Historical Studies, to celebrate our achievements, and to chart our forward path. Back in 2003, a Department of History and Classics was officially launched at UTM, and when the program in Religion was transferred from the Department of Anthropology the following year, we were renamed the Department of Historical Studies. Our nascent Department further expanded in 2006 with the addition of the interdisciplinary Women and Gender Studies program, and again in 2007, we added the Diaspora and Transnational Studies Program. Today, with over sev- enty full- and part-time faculty members and three (soon to be four) full-time staff serving over 3700 students every year (a remarkable 30% of the undergraduate student population at UTM!), along with our community of friends and supporters, and countless alumni around the world, our young department is one of the largest and most dynamic at the University of Toronto. Our mission statement commits us to fostering critical and global engagement with the humanities through a trans-disciplinary approach to our teaching and research, while drawing on the unique strengths of our constituent disciplines. The website www.mandeladay.com tells us that the objective of Mandela Day “is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good.” Throughout the pages of this Bulletin, there are many inspiring examples of just that. From the new books published this year by our faculty, which convey significant research findings about such matters as the environment, women in history, and death, life, and religious change, to the generous donation of her personal library by Professor Emerita Ursula Franklin, a founding member of “Voice of Women for Peace;” from the publication of Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies, which honors outstanding undergraduate writing, to the activities of the Historical Studies Society at the Royal Ontario Museum; from announcements of successfully completed faculty searches that attracted applications from some of the world’s finest scholars in Ancient Greek History, Women and Gender Studies, South Asian Religious Literatures and Latin American History, to a Historical Studies alumna telling the tale of her exciting post-graduation adventures with Oxford University Press and the Charter for Compassion in Pakistan, the life of Historical Studies breathes the values that Nelson Mandela Day seeks to promote. It is perhaps particularly appropriate that just this week, we officially began our search for a new tenure-stream colleague in African Studies, a position that garnered universal support from all members of the Department when we drafted our academic plan. When Nelson Mandela was born, his father named him Rolihlahla, which literally means “pulling the branch of a tree,” but colloquially (and perhaps prophetically!) means “troublemaker.” At the age of sixteen, however, after he had gone through the traditional Xhosa rite of passage that marked his maturity, he was renamed Dalibhunga, “convenor of dialogue.” Dalibhunga is a wonderfully appropriate name for The Historical Studies Bulletin, as our Department is a place where thoughtful, meaningful and productive dialogue takes place, and results in action. As we drew upon inspiration from Latin in naming our lunchtime seminar series and undergraduate research journal Prandium, which derives from the Latin word for the midday meal, a convivial gathering where people would come together to share news and explore ideas with one another, on this historic day it is appropriate to be inspired by another of the cultures that has contributed to the richness of human civilization. We are truly a Department that seeks to understand our entire globe and its peoples. The importance of this mission is as important today as it has always been, and we have yet much work to do. It would be appropriate to end with paraphrasing Mandela’s words in his autobiography, “We dare not linger, for our long walk is not yet ended.” 2 These new faculty members bring research and teaching excellence, vitality, and energy to the community of faculty, staff and students in the Department of Historical Studies. Ancient Greek History Boris Chrubasik History and Religion Francisco José Luis Shafique N. Virani, Chair About the Department of Historical Studies The Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga is transdisciplinary in its approach to learning and research. Established by the merging of Classics, Religion and History in January 2005, this department provides students with a globally-framed historical education that encompasses programs in Classical Civilization, Diaspora and Transnational Studies, History, History of Religions and the Study of Women and Gender. Students completing these programs will attain a deep and critical historical comprehension of the interplay of classical civilization, world religions and historical societies. We encourage our undergraduates to challenge themselves by investigating a variety of chronological and topographical areas of study. Given the broad range of courses available, the department offers something New Faculty About half of all continuing University of Toronto humanities hires last year took place in the Department of Historical Studies. The Department welcomes four new faculty members in Ancient Greek History, Religious Studies, South Asian Religious Literatures, and Women and Gender Studies. The new faculty members join last year’s appointee in Latin American History. for everyone. Whether you are interested in the political structure of Classical Greek government or exploring Islamic aesthetic traditions, there are courses available to broaden your knowledge base. Our department provides a diverse and global curriculum, with faculty offering a range of specialized expertise on a wide variety of subjects. The department encourages students to choose new and exciting academic experiences from the approximately 165 historical studies courses offered. We concentrate on providing students with transferable critical thinking and communication skills required to excel in a number of professions. We hope that you will become part of our growing historical studies family! Dr. Boris Chrubasik is an ancient historian with a particular interest in the history of the eastern Mediterranean from the Achaemenid to the late Hellenistic periods. Currently, Chrubasik is writing a book on ideas of kingship and power in the Seleukid empire, the largest of the successor states of Alexander the Great. Based on ancient literary texts, texts on stones and ancient coins, the project investigates how other individuals within the empire could make themselves king, and how they could persuade groups within the state that they were a better alternative to the ruling monarch, thus revealing the structure and nature of this particular empire. Chrubasik’s excitement for ancient documentary evidence, such as inscriptions, as well as numismatic and archaeological material also translates directly into his teaching. He offers introductory courses to Greek history from the Archaic period to the coming of Rome, and advanced seminars on topics of the ancient eastern Mediterranean, such as ancient Greek political culture, Achaemenid history, Greek and nonGreek exchange, and cultural histories of the Hellenistic world. Originally from Germany, Chrubasik, moved to Oxford where he completed a Masters and a Doctorate in Greek history. Upon finishing his studies he taught at Oxford and spent a year at the University of Exeter as a Research Fellow before coming to the University of Toronto. His experiences in these institutions and different societies inspired his interest in social and political structures that is visible in both his teaching and research. Dr. Francisco José Luis was born and brought up in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in a working class Portuguese immigrant family. After completing his secondary studies he moved to Paris where he completed two separate licenses (B.A.) and two separate maîtrises (M.A.) in the fields of French/Comparative Literature and South Asian studies at the Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris III). His maîtrise in French/Comparative Literature dealt with the biographies of Sri Ramakrishna by Romain Rolland and Christopher Isherwood while his maîtrise in South Asian studies explored the present state of Sikh studies and the new avenues for researchers in this field. He then moved to London to do his Ph.D. at the School of Oriental and African Studies under the supervision of Professor Christopher Shackle on pre-reformist Sikhism, an almost unexplored field for which he spent several years living in immersion among traditionalist Sikhs. His work challenges received perceptions of Sikhism both in academic and reformist circles and looks closely at the radical differences in discourse between the two types of Sikhism. While completing his Ph.D. Dr. Luis taught Indian religions and Panjabi at the School of Oriental Studies, taught French literature in Luxembourg, wrote articles on Shi’ah mysticism in the Iranian press as a reporter for a magazine in Iran, and taught several seminars at the French Institute of Tehran. His present research focuses on the relations between Iran and the Indian subcontinent, notably the intellectual and religious exchanges between both cultures from the Safavid/ Mughal period to the present. 3 Religious Studies Ken Derry The vitality of the History of Religions program resulted in the permanent addition of lecturer Dr. Ken Derry, a Ph.D. graduate of the University of Toronto’s Centre for the Study of Religion. Derry began teaching at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus in 1996 and moved to the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2010 as a contract instructor where he taught Introduction to Religious Studies, as well as courses in religion and film, religion and violence, and method and theory. Derry will soon add new courses derived from his primary research interests in North American Indigenous literature and religion, which, along with an upcoming course in Sikhism, will contribute to the unique array of religious traditions that students may study in depth. South Asian Religious Literatures Ayesha Irani Dr. Ayesha Irani fills a newly created position in South Asian Religious Literatures in the Department of Historical Studies. Irani completed her Ph.D., with distinction, in 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Historical Studies, Irani was a Visiting Scholar in the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University and taught at both Concordia University and McGill. Irani, a cultural and literary histo- rian of Islamic traditions of South Asia, particularly Bengal, is interested in understanding processes of Islamization in South Asia and the potential role that vernacular translations of Islamic sacred literature played in conversion. Irani’s research makes her ideally suited to be part of the team working with the University of Toronto’s new interdisciplinary Centre for South Asian Civilizations, which was launched in July 2013. The Three Tenures Hinduism and South Asian Religions Ajay Rao Dr. Ajay Rao completed his Master’s degree at the University of Michigan. He also received a Master’s in Chicago, where Women and Gender Studies Victoria Tahmasebi-Birgani Latin American History Kevin Coleman he later completed his Ph.D. Dr. Rao is interested in the academic study of South Asian religions; Sanskrit intellectual history; Sanskrit literature and poetics; and religion and aesthetics. He is currently working on a project about the “theologization of the Ramayana” in South India. Women and Gender Studies is one of the fastest growing programs in the Department of Historical Studies, and after an intensive search that attracted over one hundred applications, the program welcomed Dr. Victoria Tahmasebi-Birgani. Tahmasebi-Birgani holds an Honours B.A. in Sociology and Women’s Studies from the University of Toronto, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social and Political Thought from York University. 4 As an interdisciplinary scholar, her areas of specialization encompass contemporary history of social and political thought; feminist theories in relation to continental and transnational contexts; critical theories of women’s movements; gender and ethics of non-violence. Along with her research and teaching skills, her graduate appointment to the Women and Gender Studies Program opens new opportunities for collaboration. Dr. Kevin Coleman completed his Ph.D. in 2012 at Indiana University. An historian of modern Latin America, Coleman specializes in the history of U.S.-Latin American encounters and visual culture. Currently, he is working on a history of photography and political culture in a banana-company town on the Caribbean Coast of Central America. Coleman offers surveys of Latin American history and advanced undergraduate seminars organized around a variety of themes. His graduate offerings examine the role that photography and other visual technologies have played in shaping understandings of self, nation, and race in several national and transnational contexts. Coleman’s research and teaching interests continue to derive in part from the years he spent working alongside people trying to get “some good things done” in their communities. Before pursuing graduate studies, he taught introductory philosophy classes at Navajo Community College in New Mexico. He then served as a Peace Corps volunteer in southern Honduras. IT’S A FACT... 50 per cent of all humanities hires across U of T last year were in the Department of Historical Studies The Department of Historical Studies congratulates faculty members Drs. Enrico Raffaelli, Christoph Emmrich and Ajay Rao on their recent tenure appointments. Buddhist Studies Christoph Emmrich Dr. Christoph Emmrich holds a Ph.D. in Classical Indology from Heidelberg University for a dissertation on time in premodern Theravada Buddhist literature. In his latest, forthcoming monograph, entitled Buddhist Rituals for Newar Girls. Mimesis and Memory in the Kathmandu Valley, he confronts the personal and ethnographic remembrance of singular ritual events involving girl children with the history of their local and academic exegesis, contextualizing both through a philological study of Buddhist and Brahmanical ritual manuals from Nepal from the 17th century to the present. Supported by a SSHRC grant for the project, “Once the Buddha Was a Girl: Girl Children and Young Women as Religious Agents between Burma and Nepal,” he currently explores parallel developments in 19th-21st-century Burma. More broadly, he is interested in questions of childhood and gender, travel and translation, time and biography, the mnemonic and the mimetic, as well as the poetics, normativity and historiography of ritual. Zoroastrian Studies Enrico Raffaelli Dr. Enrico Giuseppe Raffaelli conducted his Ph.D. studies on Zoroastrianiasm between 1991 and 2004 in collaboration with the University of Naples “L’Orientale” and the École Pratique des Hautes Études Section in Religious Sciences of Paris. He authored the book “The Horoscope of the World” (2001) which deals with pre-Islamic Iranian astrology, its relation with Mesopotamian, Classical and Indian astrology, and its influence on Islamic astrology. At the University of Toronto, Raffaelli offers graduate and undergraduate courses on the history, the rituals and the literature of the Zoroastrian religion. His present areas of interest include the history of pre-Islamic Iranian literature with a particular focus on Avestan literature and its exegeses in Middle Persian, and Zoroastrian Apocalyptic texts. 5 Teaching & Innovation Growth in Undergraduate Enrollments in History of Religions ‘Heads Up’ initiave enhances student writing The Department of Historical Studies developed the ‘Heads Up’ program to expand upon the most relevant writing lessons taught in the early, foundational courses of the department’s programs. With support from the Dean’s Writing Initiative at the University of Toronto Mississauga, the Department trains graduate teaching assistants how to offer second year students advance feedback on essay plans. Historical Studies encompasses disciplines that emphasize student analytical essays. To perform well in History, History of Religions, Classics, Women and Gender Studies, and Diaspora and Transnational Studies, students must master grammar, punctuation, structure and other writing skills to present their analysis in a competent and effective manner. In the first-year course ‘Introduction to Historical Studies,’ Dr. Mairi Cowan, chair of the Student Experience Committee, coordinates her team of teaching assistants and experts from the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre. The team supplements the course content with short assignments that focus on different aspects of writing like research strategies, outlines, revising and editing. However, the Historical Studies faculty observed in some upper-year students a loss of confidence and natural voice in longer, formal assignments. They noticed that, sometimes, writing skills mastered in first year were forgotten. Dr. Jan Noel, coordinator of Second Year Writing Initiatives, collaborated with doctoral candidate and head writing teaching assistant, Laura Smith. Together, they researched the problem—and offered a solution. Noel and Smith, with assistance from Cleo Boyd, education developer in the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, developed three 15-minute writing modules. The modules are available to all instructors, but especially to second-year instructors. It is in the 200-level courses that many students write long papers for the first time. Teaching assistants incorporate the three modules on Research, Grammar and Structure into their tutorials before a major essay is due. Students submit a plan of their essay that includes their introduction, outline and bibliography to the teaching assistants for review and feedback. “Nearly two thousand students benefit each year from these first and second year writing initiatives in Historical Studies,” said Noel. Informal instructor and teaching assistant feedback Noel receives confirms an improvement in student writing. The Department plans to introduce a parallel program in ‘Introduction to the History of Religions’ next year. Interested instructors are welcome to contact jan.noel@ utoronto.ca for more information. Women and Gender Studies meets interest with new courses The dramatic growth experienced by the Women and Gender Studies program presented the opportunity for a curriculum review by the Women and Gender Studies Advisory Board. The Board recommended program changes to initiate a new course ‘WGS101H Introduction to Women and Gender Studies’ and to change WGS200Y from an introductory course to ‘Theories of Women and Gender Studies’. The new introductory course accommodates both students who take the course for general interest and those who need the course to meet WGS program 6 it’s a fact: requirements. Now a theoretical and intensive course, the full-year WGS200Y makes better use of teaching assistanance and tutorial resources and attracts students who want to delve deeper into the subject. The new ‘Introduction to Women and Gender Studies’ and the rigorous ‘Theories of Women and Gender Studies’ allow the program to meet both sets of needs—general interest and those of students who want to explore gender studies in depth. O U R D E PA R T M E N T R E C E I V E S T H E L A R G E S T E N R O L L M E N T S FOR STUDENTS COMPLETING THEIR HUMANITIES CREDITS The Department of Historical Studies has experienced phenomenal enrollment growth in History of Religions. Beyond the increase in student interest in History of Religions programs of study, large numbers of curious students from across the spectrum of programs at UTM are taking an extra course or two in Religion, simply for the pleasure of learning. “Now, with a wide array of religious traditions represented by outstanding full-time faculty,” said Department of Historical Studies chair Dr. Shafique Virani, “in our next phase, we anticipate significant enrollment increases in the specialist, major and minor programs.” To have a robust program for students who want to continue to graduate school, Historical Studies ensures its students are well versed in the primary sources of religious traditions by working closely with its partner departments. In South Asian traditions, for example, Historical Studies is partnering with the Department of Language Studies to establish a program in Hindi-Urdu and other languages, said Virani. Historical Studies collaborates with sister departments at the Mississauga, St. George and Scarborough campuses to complement one another’s program strengths. St. George’s Department for the Study of Religion, for example, is exploring ways for its students to attend courses offered only at the University of Toronto Mississauga. “We are one of only two universities in the Englishspeaking world with a permanent faculty member in Zoroastrianism,” said Virani. Virani sees a bright future for the History of Religions program at the University of Toronto Mississauga. “I think we will see continued close integration with our partners across the University of Toronto campuses. We are also becoming a leader in online education and see the Department of Historical Studies becoming one of the ‘go to’ places for studying religion in Canada.” Interns Document History on Film For the first time in the eight years of ‘HIS498Y Internship in History,’ student interns worked with film to record the subjects of their historical research and produced a documentary film for their final projects. ‘Internship in History’ matched fourth-year students Fatima Altaf and Peter Waheeb, two of four student interns, with the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (MHSO). Altaf researched Pakistani women who immigrated to Canada within the last five decades. After the students conducted background research, the MHSO provided the interns with resources and training in oral history to learn best practices, ethical considerations and debates in the field. Then, the interns worked with an MHSO supervisor to develop interview questions. “I didn’t know I wanted to make a documentary until I started filming my subjects,” said Altaf, who, at the time, was in the final year of her undergraduate studies. Oral histories are usually recorded, then transcribed. Altaf added the element of the camera. She used filming, audio-recording and lighting techniques she learned through a documentary film-making workshop she took in 2012. Through her contacts in the Pakistani community, Altaf connected with four subjects. She focused on their expectations and perceptions before coming to Ontario, integration challenges in Ontario, and successes. Altaf found that each woman, although similar in her Pakistani heritage and Muslim religion, experienced a unique immigration experience. And, over the 8-month internship, Altaf also refined her filmmaking skills. The MHSO posted Altaf’s documentary, “A New Land, A New Life” to YouTube and made it available through their Professor Jan Noel, Fatima Altaf. Photo credit: Ken Derry Facebook page. “The films our History interns produced bring the past to life with an immediacy that historical writings seldom match,” said internship supervisor Jan Noel. “They’ve produced valuable records with their interviews and the Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario is delighted with their work.” Both Altaf and Waheeb presented their findings to the Department of Historical Studies where they were recognized for excellence in this and other courses. Now that she has graduated, Altaf, who runs her own production company with a partner, plans to spend a year creating promotional videos for non-profit organizations before applying to graduate school. 7 Community Islam Online Department of Historical Studies chair Dr. Shafique Virani created and teaches the University of Toronto’s first online course in history or religion: ‘Search and Research: A Journey in Muslim Civilizations’. Students in a variety of disciplines, and at the 200, 300 and 400 levels, enroll in the full-year course through their home ‘Research Opportunity Program’. The program gives undergraduates the chance to participate in research. In the summer and in the fall/winter, Virani, a University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies, delivers the entire course online and students attend from as far away as China, Iran, the Arab world, India, Pakistan and the United States. “I am researching the delivery of education and how we might use modern technologies to give people access to experiences they might not otherwise have had,” said Virani, who works with non-governmental organizations in Africa and other parts of the developing world. Another aspect of Virani’s research is to make the findings of the Research Opportunity Program projects accessible to the broadest audience through digital media, art, cartography, music and drama. After he first offered the course solely through Blackboard, Virani did much research and liaised with experts from the Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation, the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre and the UTM Library. Together, they incorporated another platform into the course to increase interactivity. Through Google+ communities, Virani interacts with the students and the students interact with one other. He hosts Google Hangouts where he, students, and sometimes guests like librarians can converse in real time and online. Virani guides the Research Opportunity Program students on an intellectual journey he calls ‘Navigating your Travels’. Students acquire information literacy skills, and learn to navigate their way through research using the powerful means of searching through the library system and through online database systems. Every week, students record their intellectual journeys in their research travelogues or Safarnamas and are met with a challenge to demonstrate what they learned. They post and solve problems in The Cairo Café on Blackboard and attend thought-provoking lectures from Arts and Culture at South Asia Day Dr. Shafique Virani and students some of the world’s greatest thinkers at the Delhi Darbar. The format has captured the imagination of students. Virani reads colourful and descriptive student travelogue entries such as, “Today, I voyaged into dangerous waters…” “I think they enjoy writing it and I enjoy reading it,” said Virani. Virani has found that in this virtual classroom, where students collaborate on projects in small groups, they develop very close-knit relationships. They develop a dedication to the project and to each other. The ‘Search and Research’ students created their own alumni association that they call the “Virani Research Dream Team” and hold an annual alumni reunion in Toronto. Dozens of students, even those from other cities, attend. Students tell Virani that the research, technological and problem-solving skills learned in this course have helped them throughout their university careers. From advance planning to giving feedback to students, online delivery of the course means a tremendous investment of Virani’s time—more so than for a traditional course—but Virani enjoys the passion of the Research Opportunity Program students, and the course combines, for him, both his enthusiasm for teaching and for research. South Asia Day offered University of Toronto Mississauga community members the opportunity to experience South Asian culture and traditions through activities, displays and stage performances. Students interested in South Asia came together from across campus to showcase their learning and get a glimpse into the work of their peers. The March 2013 event drew attention to the variety of courses from across the disciplines on campus that explore aspects of South Asia. South Asia Day promoted the new Centre for South Asian Civilizations and the South Asian Studies program. The Centre for South Asian Civilizations opened in summer 2013 and will be a hub of interdisciplinary activity at the University of Toronto Mississauga for researchers, students and community members interested in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora. The South Asian Studies minor, launched in 2013, allows students who take courses with South Asian content to develop those courses into a program of study. “It was a really lively, bustling event,” said one of the organizers and former History of Religions lecturer Sailaja Krishnamurti. Work-study student Wajahat Syed reached out to undergraduate students and various student groups to assemble a team of volunteers and participants to assist with the presentation of South Asia Day. The organizers set up tables in the atrium of the CCT Building with various displays and artwork while photographs, contributed by students, played on a digital display. Visitors stopped at stations where they tried on saris and had their hands decorated with mehendi— henna art. The daylong activities culminated in a stage show in the MiST Theatre, orchestrated by Language Studies sessional lecturer Dr. Hansa Deep. Students performed skits, gave musical demonstrations and delivered short readings from religious texts. The well-attended event ended with a reception that featured a selection of South Asian foods. “South Asia Day was meant to showcase the new Centre for South Asian Civilizations and the South Asian Studies program,” said Krishnamurti, “and to give students a chance to learn what other students at UTM are doing when it comes to thinking and learning about South Asia.” Volunteers decorate visitors’ hands with henna art. Photo credit: Wajahat Syed 8 9 Historical Studies Society at the ROM Historical Studies students toured the Greek and Roman collections at the Royal Ontario Museum for the Historical Studies Society’s year-end event. “I only planned to run one tour,” said Historical Studies lecturer Dr. Lisa Trentin who specializes in GrecoRoman Visual and Material Culture. However, interest was so great that Trentin had to run two. Before she became the President of the Ontario Classical Association—the provincial network association for classicists—Trentin ran their Outreach Program. She organized and led popular and successful tours for high school teachers and students, and felt the tours would be something worthwhile to offer to Historical Studies undergraduates. In teaching, instructors frequently use primary source material—usually literature. “I wanted students to understand that you can use visual culture in addition to literary sources to think about the ancient world,” said Trentin. The Historical Studies Society executive knew they wanted to host a tour for their year-end event so when Trentin offered to guide the tours, they jumped at the chance. Exam Jam strikes chord with students “We had such a small executive this year that it was a challenge to plan such a large scale event,” said Sarah Hleyhel, third year history major and Historical Studies Society secretary. The Society’s executive usually consists of eight members but three positions remained vacant this year. “Due to the support of Dr. Trentin, we were able to plan and carry out an event of this scale,” said Hleyhel. The Society’s lean executive created and hung posters, and promoted the event on their Blackboard and Facebook pages. They shepherded attendees onto UTM shuttle buses to St. George and escorted them to the Royal Ontario Museum. The Society even covered the cost of all the students’ entry fees. The tours were external to any courses and participation was entirely voluntary. Trentin plans to offer her services as tour guide to the Society’s new executive next year. This year’s executive members handed over their responsibilities to a new team of executives who will hold elections in fall 2013. Election details and Historical Studies Society events can be found on their Facebook page. Summer abroad - Hong Kong Through the University of Toronto’s Summer Abroad program, students complete one full year credit in three to six weeks through an educational and international experience. Typically, over 300 University of Toronto students take courses based out of the University of Hong Kong. The courses include history, business, politics, culture, film, and world religions. For four weeks in summer 2012, as part of ‘RLG290Y Religion in Hong Kong’, 28 students and History of Religions lecturer Dr. Ken Derry enthusiastically endured the heat and humidity of Hong Kong as they explored the city’s religious diversity through visits to mosques, temples, churches, shrines and synagogues. The students stayed in residence and attended Derry’s lectures held in classrooms at the University of Hong Kong. “One of the objectives of the course was to reflect on how religious practices are affected by their local environment”,” said Derry. For two of the four lecture days per week, Derry delivered a conventional classroom lecture—the general history, main ideas and practices—on a particular tradition. Then he led the class on site visits. “I would talk about Islam,” said Derry, “then we would go to a mosque.” This approach allowed students to see not only 10 how some of these general ideas were applied but also how the tradition was practiced in a way particular to Hong Kong. One Catholic church housed a gong, while another had pillars carved with dragons. “Things you wouldn’t see in a Catholic church in Italy,” said Derry. On the group’s first excursion to the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, Derry saw a saffron-robed monk buying coffee in a Starbucks. The group visited a fishing village where they saw white dolphins leaping in the sea and they ventured into the small local Kwan Tai Taoist temple. They also visited popular sites in Hong Kong like Victoria Peak, seafood restaurants, Ocean Park, outdoor markets and a karaoke bar. Derry plans to offer the course again in Summer 2014 and welcomes interested students to contact him directly by email: [email protected]. Dr. Ken Derry and Summer Abroad Students. History of Religions lecturer Dr. Ken Derry and his dedicated team of faculty and staff on the Teaching Excellence Committee introduced Exam Jam to Historical Studies students in December and April of this past year. Historical Studies staff and student volunteers received support from event partners like the Office of the Dean, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, Student Affairs & Services, Student Life and utmONE. Twelve instructors offered review sessions in 24 courses to almost 600 students. “Part of Exam Jam also includes community building, a sense of play, and strategies for studying,” said Derry. “These sorts of things already go on at UTM in different contexts. Our partners brought them together at Exam Jam.” In addition to the academic sessions, the event encouraged students to take a holistic approach to their studies where they also focused on their physical, emotional, psychological and intellectual wellbeing. In the atrium of the Instructional Centre, students participated in stress-reducing activities like puzzle solving, writing on a graffiti board, and speaking in an Indigenous Talking Circle. They even played Giant Jenga—a life-sized version of the game that tests mental skill by stacking, then loosening and removing, and restacking wooden blocks. Throughout the review sessions and activities, participants snacked on healthful fruits, vegetables and dips and enjoyed music provided by UTM alumni and student band, “Northern Souls”. The Historical Studies Exam Jam was such a success, that it will expand to include all Departments in a campus-wide event in 2013-14. Exam Jam 2012 Organizers. Top row, L to R: Samantha Mendonca (Student Life Program Assistant), Nicole Pieczyrak (Peer Health Educator), Garth Ngo (Peer Academic Leader), Amanda Ramanah (Healthy Campus Crew) Bottom row, L to R: Chad Jankowski (Health & Counselling Centre), Jenna Menzies (Student Life), Jackie Goodman (Office of the Dean), Dr. Ken Derry (Historical Studies). Photo credit: Jackie Goodman Exam Jam 2012. Photo credit: Jackie Goodman Hiking the Forks of the Credit In fall 2012, a group of enthusiasts participated in the Department of Historical Studies’ first hiking trip to explore the Forks of the Credit. Located 57 kilometres northwest of the University of Toronto Mississauga, between the tiny towns of Brimstone and Cataract, the scenic Forks of the Credit forms part of the historic Bruce Trail. For a few hours, faculty trekked the deep gorge, explored the river valley, crossed the Credit River and passed the Cataract Falls. “We temporarily lost Irvin Rubincam,” said hike organizer and associate professor of history Jan Noel, “but his wife seemed unconcerned, so no one worried.” A photographer, Rubincam dropped back to capture spectacular autumn visuals in the woods. At the end of the day, the missing hiker turned up in the parking lot in time to rejoin the group for the ride home. “Everyone was so happy to be outside in a beautiful place,” said Classics associate professor emerita Catherine Rubincam, “on such a wonderful, golden, fall afternoon.” L to R: Mary Lehto, Catherine Rubincam, Sarianna Metso, Jan Noel, Mareille Haase, Andreas Bendlin, Wynton Semple. Photo Credit: Irvin Rubincam. 11 Knowledge Sharing & Scholarship National Archaeology Day and the Classics The Ontario Classical Association hosted its fall 2012 annual meeting as part of the events sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America’s (AIA) National Archaeology Day. The Ontario Classical Association brings together teachers and professors from across the province to discuss initiatives, strategies and ideas for the promotion and advancement of the Classics—the study of languages, literature, art, archaeology, history and philosophy of the ancient Mediterranean world, primarily Greece and Rome, from roughly 3000 BC to 600 CE—in Ontario. Dr. Lisa Trentin, Historical Studies lecturer and current President of the Ontario Classical Association, organized the meeting. “This year we focused on fostering collaboration between the different education levels—high school and university—and between different organizations, specifically the Ontario Classical Association and the AIA, as well as the Royal Ontario Museum and the Consulate of Greece, to encourage the promotion of Archaeology and Classics in Canada,” said Trentin. Trentin worked closely with the AIA Toronto Society to tailor the meeting so members could drop into National Archaeology Day events at the Royal Ontario Museum during breaks, lunch and after the meeting. AIA Toronto Society President, Professor Dimitri Nakassis from the Department of Classics at the University of Toronto, delivered a talk to Ontario Classical Association members about the AIA and how teachers could make use of its resources. Despina Hatzidiakos, Education Director for the Consulate of Greece, also spoke about how the government of Greece continues to support the study of its Classical heritage in Canada despite its current economic challenges. High school teachers, professors and graduate students from across Ontario attended the event. The next Ontario Classical Association meeting will focus on pedagogy as the Ministry of Education rolls out new high school curriculum documents in Fall 2013. Emmanuel College’s ‘Canadian Certificate in Muslim Studies’ The Historical Studies Department has partnered with a unique academic and community-building initiative spearheaded by Emmanuel College in downtown Toronto: a Muslim Studies Track. Established in 1928, Emmanuel College is the leading theological college for the United Church, Canada’s largest Protestant denomination. Emmanuel is a constituent college of Victoria University, one of the federated universities affiliated with the University of Toronto. As part of its interfaith vision and effort to establish relations with the Canadian Muslim community, Emmanuel launched the Muslim Studies track program in 2012 as part of its Master of Pastoral Studies. This program is the first of its kind in Canada and educates Muslim chaplains for public Canadian contexts (prisons, hospitals, military) and community leaders to enable them to meet the changing needs of the Canadian Muslim community. The UTM Historical Studies department is partnering in this distinctive initiative through its Chair, Dr. Shafique Virani, who sits on Emmanuel’s Muslim Studies Advisory Committee. In May, the department hosted a course (Spiritual Care in Individual/Family contexts) in Emmanuel’s Canadian Certificate in Muslim Studies, a continuing education component in this distinctive interfaith initiative. The certificate is a non-degree continuing education program for adults, so it has no prerequisites for enrollment. The certificate is composed of four core and four elective courses. The course hosted at UTM was taught by Dr. Nighat Gilani and Doris El Harchali. Katherine Bullock, PhD Coordinator, Emmanuel Canadian Certificate in Muslim Studies [email protected] Selected Publications Along a River: The First FrenchCanadian Women by Jan Noel University of Toronto Press 12 Nighat Gilani has a PhD in Psychology from University of Sussex, England, has completed post-doctorial work at York University, Toronto, and currently operates a private psychotherapy practice in Mississauga. Doris El Harchali is currently on the faculty of Seneca College, and has worked for over twenty years in the social services sector in Toronto. The course covered Foundations for Counseling: Listening and Communications Skills, Developmental Stages within Children & Youth, and Professional Responses to Violence & Abuse. Participating students are excited about these two new developments for Muslim studies in the GTA; indeed the program is so unique it is attracting interest from overseas. Khaiam Dar, a student enrolled in the Masters of Pastoral Studies is enthusiastic about his experiences: “Emmanuel isn’t just challenging me to be a good student, it’s challenging me to be a good human.” UTM’s Historical Studies department is proud to be a partner of Emmanuel’s new interfaith educational initiative. Alumni may be particularly interested in next spring’s certificate course at UTM. For more information see Emmanuel’s website: http://www. emmanuel.utoronto.ca/coned/muslimstudies.htm An Environmental History of Canada by Laurel Sefton MacDowell University of British Columbia Press Death, life, and religious change in Scottish towns c. 1350-1560 by Mairi Cowan Manchester University Press 13 Ursula Franklin Book Donation In recognition of the work of the Women and Gender Studies program, professor emerita Ursula Franklin bequeathed her collection of books to the UTM Library through the program. Under the supervision of program coordinator Dr. Joan Simalchik, two work-study students and an alumna of the Women and Gender Studies program catalogued the material and transcribed Franklin’s recorded introductions to selected books. “The UTM Library recognized the potential of Dr. Franklin’s collection for scholarly research,” said Elaine Goettler, liaison librarian for Historical Studies, “and welcomes the opportunity to make these resources available to UTM students.” Digital Research and Scholarly Communication librarian Pam King, will review the documents when they arrive to assess them for digitization, which will increase access to these valuable resources, said Goettler. The dates of the collection range from the 1960s up to 2012. The collection includes videos—for example, Canadian feminist Kay Macpherson’s memorial—reports and documents. It also includes an original draft treatise by Jane Jacobs, urbanist and community leader of citizen participation movements. Many of the texts are on the subject of women, science and technology, while others are on peace and environmental justice. “This forms a good reprise of Professor Franklin’s biography as scientist, feminist and pacifist,” said Simalchik. Dr. Franklin, as a founding member of “Voice of Women for Peace,” conducted a study of baby teeth collected from across Canada. She found that they contained strontium-90, a radioactive isotope present in the nuclear fallout from atmosphere bomb testing. These test results contributed to the decision by member states of the United Nations to ban atmospheric testing. “I was incredibly honoured,” said alumna Haneen Aboshawish of the opportunity to work with Dr. Franklin, whose influence Aboshawish often saw in many of her courses. 14 Highlights Prandium podcasts Photo Credit: Lisa Trentin The Prandium Seminar Series gathers staff, students and faculty around a meal to listen to a graduate student’s presentation on current research. New this year, the lunchtime seminar series introduced undergraduate and faculty respondents (volunteers who read the presentations in advance and comment on them at the forum) and podcasts. The series provides an opportunity for graduate students to receive constructive feedback in preparation for public presentations. Graduate students apply for one of six seminar opportunities. A committee reviews the submissions and makes selections. The selections represent, as broadly as possible, the different disciplines associated with Historical Studies. At the seminars, undergraduate students and faculty respondents offer suggestions to encourage engagement between the speaker and the audience. “But the biggest initiative this year,” said Dr. Lisa Trentin, coordinator of the seminar series, “was the introduction of the podcasts.” All six seminars were recorded and posted on-line and the podcasts are available through Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies. The introduction of respondents encourages participation and attendance by undergraduate students and faculty but the podcasts extend the series beyond just a local community event and make the seminars part of the permanent record of research output for the Department. The podcasts can be listened to any time and anywhere. “And,” said Trentin, “they will hopefully spur Photo Credit: Alejandro Mejia In fourth year, as a work-study student, Aboshawish met Franklin at her office in Massey College on the St. George campus. Over several days, Aboshawish made audio recordings of their time together as they organized, itemized and packed the collection. “As we packed,” said Aboshawish, “Professor Franklin gave background on the topics she wanted students to get from the books.” Aboshawish lives in Mississauga and is currently pursuing her master’s degree through Yorkville University. Located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Yorkville University specializes in online university degree programs. This allowed Aboshawish to return to the University of Toronto Mississauga over the summer, fall and winter this past year as a volunteer. With work-study students Sarah Hleyhal and Navjot Dhami, Aboshawish transcribed the introductions and catalogued the collection. “By means of her carefully-prepared historical and theoretical introduction to each text, these volumes provide a very substantial and unique pedagogical tool that will eventually be accessible to the entire UTM learning community,” said Simalchik. “We are most appreciative that, among the many possible groups and programs, she chose us.” 15 Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies The Intellectual Community committee brainstormed ideas for building the scholarly community of the department. Inspired by his own good experience in publishing his academic work from his master’s research, department supervisor Duncan Hill suggested a journal for undergraduate publications. Dr. Jan Noel, the chair of the Intellectual Community committee, and the committee’s faculty members, strongly endorsed the idea. Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies, first published in June 2012, showcases student work and what the department teaches in the classroom. It offers the department’s very best undergraduates the chance to add a publication to their CVs—a rare opportunity that usually first occurs in graduate school. For the premiere issue, Prandium’s editorial board of Hill, Noel, doctoral student Laura Smith and UTM liaison librarian, Elaine Goettler, invited every student enrolled in Historical Studies courses to make submissions. “We got over 30 submissions,” said Hill. “I would have been happy with a dozen.” While the main thrust of the journal is the publication of undergraduate academic papers, the editorial board considers creative pieces that are part of a student’s coursework, too. Emily Bennett, a third year double major in Art and Art History and Women and Gender Studies, submitted a self-portrait that made the cover of the journal’s second issue. Faculty contributors also submit smaller articles and commentary for publication. The article, “Self-Forging in Imperial Contact Zones” by assistant professor of history, Kevin Coleman, included photographs from his research on Latin American workers. Smith, as co-editor-in-chief, collected the submissions and distributed them for review to two members of a group of volunteers. The volunteers, including Smith, faculty, staff and librarians, ranked the submissions. The editorial board met, and based on the quality of the paper, interest of the topic and balance among Historical Studies’ disciplines, selected the papers to publish. Dr. Victoria Tahmasebi-Birgani joined Smith as co-editor for the second issue of Prandium. Tahmasebi-Birgani worked to boost the number of faculty submissions to the journal and, through her efforts, significantly increased student submissions even further. The editorial committee worked with Digital Research and Scholarly Communication librarian Pam King and Digital Assets Management technician Mary Atkinson to publish the journal through the Open Journal System. An online journal management and publishing system developed by the Public Knowledge Project, Open Journal System expands and improves access to research. The University of Toronto Libraries runs the system out of the Central Library and UTM Library facilitates access to it. Prandium is unique in that it is a combination of faculty and student work, in particular, undergraduate student work,” said King. Usually, researchers produce peer reviewed journals, or journals are student-led. “Prandium is a mix of both things—a hybrid.” The library’s support of the Open Journal System provides a strong environment that protects and maintains Prandium. The library catalogues the journal for searches in the library system and the journal benefits from indexing by Google. “The potential is there for a lot of attention from anywhere in the world as a result of open access,” said King. Prandium: The Journal of Historical Studies also publishes the abstracts from the Prandium Seminar Series and hosts links to the seminars’ podcasts. Accessible through the department’s website, the journal is published annually every summer—although the Intellectual Community committee would one day like to see it become a biannual publication. “This has really been good for the department. A lot of people are involved,” said Hill. “It’s a great, concrete project around which to build our intellectual community.” Student Awards Women and Gender Studies ‘Dynamic Duo’ of the Year Every year, the Women and Gender Studies program recognizes one program major who performs well beyond the curriculum and who captures the activist component of Women and Gender Studies. This year, the 2012-13 Women and Gender Studies Student of the Year Award honoured two graduating students, Sandra Danial and Harsimer Kaur Singh. “We were a dynamic duo,” said Danial. “Our goal was to make the UTM Women’s Centre known, to get more people involved and to have more people’s voices heard.” As events coordinator for the UTM Women’s Centre, Singh brought the “It’s a girl” campaign to the University of Toronto Mississauga. The campaign named the UTM Women’s Centre the Canadian ambassadors for the campaign to end female infanticide. In the new role of social and community outreach coordinator, Danial launched Black History Month. She coordinated events, invited inspirational speakers and facilitated networking between professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs and academics. The team organized and hosted many other events L to R: Professor Jan Noel, Harsimer Singh, Sandra Danial. Photo Credit: Ken Derry Awards and Recipients The Desmond Morton Book Prize: Awarded to a meritorious student enrolled at the University of Toronto Mississauga in a Canadian History course Sukanya Mahalingam ory of his parents who placed the highest value on education, and who sacrificed much so that their children would be well educated. Awarded to a student registered in a humanities major or specialist program Maria Iqbal The Hans-Georg Neumann Scholarship: Awarded based on academic merit in the History program Specialist: Peter Nash Stavros Major: Evan Lund The McNab Scholarship in Religious Studies: Awarded to the third year student, either full-time or parttime, who obtains the highest overall average in all courses taken for the Religious Studies major or specialist program Vivian Agnes MacNeil History Emeriti Award: Awarded to an outstanding University of Toronto Mississauga student registered in a History program Nicholas Peter Overgaard Self-portrait by Emily Margaret Bennett Hugh Smith Scholarship in Canadian History: Awarded to an outstanding student in a Canadian History course Fatima Altaf Ida and Sam Aster Memorial Award in the Humanities: Established by Sidney Aster, professor emeritus, in mem- 16 through the year—from a make-over of the Women’s Centre’s space, to a ‘thank you’ initiative that recognized caretaking staff, to collaborating with other groups, both on and off campus, for International Women’s Week. “It was impossible to separate the work of Harsimer and Sandra,” said Dr. Joan Simalchik, coordinator of the Women and Gender Studies program. “They are indeed the Dynamic Duo.” Sharing Rich Traditions Award: Awarded to a student of high academic standing who is engaged in the promotion of the understanding of South Asian traditions and inclusiveness in Canada Noor Rehman Women and Gender Studies Student of the Year: Awarded to an academically distinguished Women and Gender Studies program major with a significant record of volunteer service Sandra Danial and Harsimer Kaur Singh 17 Alumni Update Please support the Department of Historical Studies Life After Graduation It has been three years since I graduated from the University of Toronto Mississauga and I still recall the daunting feeling every time I thought of life after graduation. With a double major in History and English, I was aware of my interests—reading, writing, researching, analysing information—but unsure about the application of these skills. I did not have a plan as most people do, nor did I make one. Apart from the time I spent making notes during lectures or falling asleep in one of the study carrels in the library, I involved myself in different academic societies and volunteer activities at the university. I also enrolled in two Research Opportunity Program courses where I worked as a research assistant for Religious Pluralism in Islam and as an editorial assistant for Editing Modernism in Canada. Shortly after graduation, I worked as a research cataloguer. Subsequently, I moved to Pakistan to work with Charter for Compassion, a local non-governmental organization. Charter for Compassion strives to engage young children to build a more compassionate society. To create awareness and involvement, I developed educational materials through which students could understand the concept of compassion, its importance, and its application in their society. Charter for Compassion uses these materials in their partner schools in Pakistan. Later, I joined Oxford University Press Pakistan as an editor. This position offered the perfect amalgamation of my subjects of study. The long hours I had spent researching materials, writing essays, and perusing books meant that I was able to discern the quality of the research and the writing submitted for publication. I was able to improve the quality of the work, and facilitate the process of publishing new materials. I did not know where I would go once university ended but I find myself doing something I love and enjoy. The following quote still inspires me: “The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.” ― John H. Schaar Rida Fatima Iqbal, Class of 2010 Junior Editor, Higher Education, Academic and Trade Books Oxford University Press Pakistan o $100 o $50 o Other $ _________ o Please recognize me as a member of the Presidents’ Circle. This calendar year I have given a total of $1,827 or more. o Please designate my gift to the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga Payment Options o Cheque (Payable to the University of Toronto) (Please indicate Historical Studies in the memo) o Visa o Mastercard Card Number: ___________________________________ Expiry: _________________________________________ Name on Card: ___________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________ E-mail: _________________________________________ I would like my payment to be made as: o Monthly May we recognize you by including your name in published donor lists? o Yes, please recognize me as ______________________ o No Please note that a tax receipt will be sent to you by mail Please return this form to: OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT ATTN: MICHELLE KIM, Senior Development Officer, Annual and Leadership Giving 3135DV-3359 Mississauga Rd. N. Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada Maeve Doyle The Presidents’ Circle honours donors whose annual commitment of $1,827 or more reflects the vision and leadership of the University’s past presidents—individuals who helped U of T achieve its prominence. Individuals who give annually to the University of Toronto Mississauga are included in the campus’ Donor Recognition Recoginition Society. These unique giving societies are an opportunity for the University to maintain an ongoing relationship with its leadership donors. As a member, you will be recognized as one of our benefactors, receiving invitations to special events throughout the year. Other Ways to Give There are many ways to support us - from leaving a lasting legacy in your Will to making a tax-efficient Gift of Securities. If you would like more information on: • Leaving a bequest • Making a Gift of Securities • Giving through an employer’s Corporate Matching Gift Program • Or other alternatives Please call Michelle Kim at 905-569-4244 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. o One-time only Get in touch to learn more about our programs.. EDITORIAL Writer & Editor: Leadership Giving Societies o American Express Address: ________________________________________ The Historical Studies Bulletin COMPOSITION Project Manager Victoria Tahmasebi-Birgani 18 Give: o $250 Signature: _______________________________________ Dalibhunga: Contact Us 3359 Mississauga Road. N Misissauga, Ontario L5L 1C6 Tel: 905-569-4492 Fax: 905-569-4412 Email: [email protected] To support the Department of Historical Studies, please return this completed form, give online at https://donate.utoronto.ca/utm_history or donate by phone by contacting Michelle Kim at 905-569-4244. CREATIVE Art Director & Designer Corrine Bent-Womack Your Privacy The information on this form is collected and used solely for the administration of the University’s advancement activities, undertaken pursuant to the University of Toronto Act, 1971. If you have any questions, please refer to www.utoronto.ca/ privacy or contact the University’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Coordinator at 416.946.7303, McMurrich Building, Room 201, 12 Queen’s Park Crescent West, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8. Project Code: 0560011703 Solicitation Code: 0570049101 Charitable Reg. BN 108162330-RR0001 You may also give online at https://donate.utoronto.ca/utm_history Thank you for your generous support! Volunteer: Alyha Shahrukh 19