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| VOLUME 31, NUMBER 14 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2000 | ISSN 1199-5246 |



Theatre@York Prospers with Bankrupt!
Bankrupt!

Theatre@York launched its 2000-2001 season on Nov. 7 with Bankrupt! by 19th century Russian
dramatist Alexander Ostrovsky and directed by Max Hancock. The cast for Bankrupt!, drawn from the second-year Graduate Acting Ensemble, was an accomplished group with strong theatrical credentials.
Pictured here: a moment of frivolity with entire cast Dan Forcey (Rispolozhensky), Allana Harkin (Fominshna), Doug McArthur (Bolshov), Joy Jukes (Agrafena), Adam Kelly (Lazar), Erin Ormond (Lipochka), Ranie Brown (Tisha) and Julia Lenardon (Ustinya). Inset: Joy Jukes (Agrafena) the coquettish daughter, described by her merchant father as "a non-earning investment".

Theatre@York will be presenting Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca from Jan. 23-27, 2001,
playGround: Adventures in Theatre, Feb. 5-10, 2001, and The Piper by Colleen Murphy, March 27-31, 2001.

  


York authors and award winners in 1999-2000
By Susan Scott

Faculty members at York University were honoured earlier this fall for their achievements during 1999-2000 by the University's Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation.

Here is the complete list of those honoured and their achievements:

FACULTY AWARD HOLDERS:

Masoud Asgharian, Mathematics and Statistics
Pierre Robillard Award

Ibrahim Badr, French Studies
University-Wide Teaching Award 1999

Nantel Bergeron, Mathematics and Statistics
Premier's Research Excellence Award

D.K. Bohme, Chemistry
Alexander von Humbolt Research Award 1999 (three months)

Rob Bowman, Music
Grammy nomination, Best Album Notes

Linda Briskin, Social Science
Teaching Fellowship (three months)

Ines Buchli, Theatre
Calling Card Award from the Ontario Film Development Company

James P. Carley, English
Elected visiting Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford for Trinity Term 2000

Sheila Embleton, DLLL
Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, January 2000

Stephen Fleming, Psychology
Dr. Bea Wickett Fund Award 1999

Robert Fothergill, Theatre
The play, Borderline, won second prize in the biennial Herman Voaden Canadian Playwriting competition from Queen's University, October 1999

John M. Goodings, Chemistry
By-Fellowship from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, UK, September 1999

Christopher D. Green, Psychology
Elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association

Arthur Haberman, History/Humanities
Gold Medal from the Toronto House of Printing Craftsmen and Gallery of Superb Printing Award for his book

Craig Heron, History
Harold Adams Innis Book Prize from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada

Lesley Higgins, English
Teaching Award 1999

John Lennox, English
Governor-General's International Award in Canadian Studies, May 2000

Barry Lever, Chemistry
Killam Prize

C. Leznoff, Chemistry
Alfred Bader Award from the Canadian Society of Chemistry for excellence in organic chemistry, 1999

Antonin Lhotsky, Film and Video
Rhode Island International Film Festival, Grand Prize for Cinematography, August 1999; International Short Film Festival in Positano, Italy, special mention, December 1999; Fifth Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards 1999, special prize, January 2000; Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival, first prize, February 2000; Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, special mention, February 2000; Film Fest New Haven 1999 Cinematography Awards, first place, April 2000

Nancy Mandell, Sociology/
Women's Studies
CFR Research Scholars' Fellowship

Bryan H. Massam, Geography/ Social Science
Canadian Association of Geographers Ontario, Division Award for service to geography in Ontario

Ian McGregor, Psychology
J.S. Tanaka Prize

Dianne Michelangeli, Earth and Atmospheric Science
NSERC University Faculty Award

S. Morin, Chemistry
Alexander von Humbolt Research Fellowship 1999 (two months)

H.V. Nelles, History
Macdonald Prize from the Canadian Historical Association

John O'Neill, Sociology
Award for Excellence in Teaching 1999

M.G. Organ, Chemistry
Premier's Research Excellence Award 1999

David Regan, Psychology
Elected Foreign Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science; Elected Spinoza Chair for 1999 by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam

Nick Rogers, History
Wallace K. Ferguson Prize from the Canadian Historical Association for best book on a non-Canadian topic

Judith Rudakoff, Theatre
University-Wide Teaching Award 1999; Awarded the Best of Toronto Poll 1999, from NOW Magazine in the category of University Professor;

Honorary Membership in Cuba's Teatro Escambray at Tribute Event, La Macagua, Cuba, 1999

Adrian Shubert, History
Commander of the Order of Civil Merit on behalf of the King of Spain, Spanish Consul General Mariano Alonzo Curon

Richard Teleky, Humanities
Harold Ribalow Prize 1999

Evan Thompson, Philosophy
Awarded the McDonnell Fellowship in Philosophy and Neuroscience

K. Andrew White, Biology
Premier's Research Excellence Award

Tim Whiten, Visual Arts
Faculty of Fine Arts Dean's Teaching Award, May 2000

STUDENT AWARD HOLDERS:

Rumana Chowdhury, Economics
Harry Arthurs Alumni Entrance Scholarship 1999

Megan Crewe, Arts
Alumni Award of Distinction 1999

Joshua Deitz, Arts
Global Leaders of Tomorrow Award 1999

Mihnea Dumitru, International Studies (Glendon)
Global Leaders of Tomorrow Award 1999

Betsy Gekonge, Chemistry/Biology
Global Leaders of Tomorrow Award 1999

Julie Gresley-Jones, French Studies (Glendon)
Award of Achievement 1999

Guergana Karadjova, Schulich School of Business
Global Leaders of Tomorrow Award 1999

Alex Keuroghlian, Biology
Alumni Award of Distinction 1999

Konata Lake, Schulich School of Business
John S. Proctor Scholarship

Sandra Minich, Sociology
Award of Achievement 1999

Stella Palikarova, Cultural Studies
Betty Jean and John M. Banks Entrance Scholarship 1999

Sopana Premachandran, Schulich School of Business
Award of Achievement 1999

Daniel Radin, Schulich School of Business
Award of Achievement 1999

Todd Robinson, Physics and Astronomy
Award of Achievement 1999

Wendy Wan, Schulich School of Business
Award of Achievement 1999

Queenie Yee, Arts
Award of Achievement 1999

AUTHORS

Amitav Acharya, Political Science
The Quest for Identity: International Relations of Southeast Asia. Oxford University Press 2000.
Constructing a Security Community in Southeast Asia: ASEAN and the Problem of Regional Order. Routledge, 2000.

Howard Adelman, Philosophy
eds., with Astri Suhrke. The Path of a Genocide: The Rwanda Crisis from Uganda to Zaire. Rugers, NJ: Transaction Books, 1999.

Robert Albritton, Political Science
Dialectics and Deconstruction in Political Economy. London: MacMillan, July 1999.

Sylvie Arend, Political Science (Glendon)
with Christine Rabier. Le Processus Politique. Environments, prise de décision et pouvoir. Ottawa: Les Presses de L'Université d'Ottawa, January 2000.

Ibrahim Badr, French Studies
Giono et la guerre: Idéologie et imaginaire. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., March 2000.

Deborah Barndt, Environmental Studies
ed., Women Working the NAFTA Food Chain: Women, Food, and Globalization. Toronto: Second Story Press, May 1999. (Essay by: L. Baker, A. Eyerman, Jan Kainer, E. Martinez-Salazar, and E. Reiter.)

Sterling Beckwith, Music
New version of Rimsky-Korsakov's chamber opera Mozart and Salieri, based on the Pushkin play.

Frances Beer, English (Atkinson) and Kathryn McPherson, History
eds., with Nuzhat Amin, Andrea Medovarski, Angela Miles, and Goli Rezai-Rashti. Canadian Woman Studies: An Introductory Reader. Toronto: Inanna Publications, December 1999.

Monica Belcourt and Kenneth McBey, Administrative Studies (Atkinson)
Strategic Human Resources Planning. Toronto: Nelson, 1999.

Monica Belcourt and Alan M. Saks, Administrative Studies (Atkinson)
with P. Wright. Managing Performance through Training and Development, 2nd Edition. Toronto: Nelson, 2000.

Joanna Blake, Psychology
Routes to child-language: Evolutionary and Developmental Precursors. Cambridge University Press.

Hédi Bouraoui, French Studies (Glendon)
La Tour CN Ottawa. L.Interligne, 1999.

Linda Briskin, Social Science
eds., with Mona Eliasson. Women's Organizing and Public Policy in Canada and Sweden. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.

James P. Carley, English
'Triumphs of English'. Henry Parker, Lord Morley: Translator to the Tudor Court. London: The British Library, June 2000.

Lorraine B. Code, Philosophy
ed., The Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories, Volume 1. UK: Routledge, July 2000.

Michael Cummings, English (Glendon)
The Caesar Machine, a program written on the Latin text of Caesar's De Bello Gallico, Book 1. www. geocities.com/Paris/Rue/9963, January 2000.

Arthur Davis, Social Science (Atkinson)
Collected Works of George Grant: Volume 1 - 1933-1950. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, February 2000. Edited by A. Davis, co-edited by Peter C. Emberley.

Brent Davis and Dennis J. Sumara, Education
with Rebecca Luce-Kapler. Engaging minds: Learning and Teaching in a complex world. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, May 2000.

Beverley Diamond, Music
eds., with Pirkko Moisala. Music and Gender. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, May 2000.

Helmar Drost, Economics (Atkinson)
with H. Richard Hird. An Introduction to the Canadian Labour Market. Toronto: Nelson, February 2000.

Kathryn Elder, Sound & Moving Image Library (Scott Library)
ed., The Films of Joyce Wieland. Toronto: Cinémathèque Ontario, September 1999.

Desmond Ellis, Sociology
with D. Anderson. Conflict and Dispute Processing: An Introductory Text. Thousand Islands, CA: Sage;
with W. DeKeseredy and S. Alvi. Contemporary Social Problems in North American Society. Toronto: Addison Wesley.

Sheila Embleton, DLLL
eds., with John E. Joseph and Hans-Josef Niederehe. The Emergence of the Modern Language Sciences. Studies on the transition from historical-comparative to structural linguistics in honour of E.F.K. Koerner, Volumes 1 and 2. John Benjamins Publishing Company, October 1999.

William Found, Environmental Studies
Techniques of Project Planning and Implementation: Ten Steps to Success. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, September 1999.

Yves Frénette, Canadian Studies (Glendon)
Histoire de la Gaspésie, second edition. Sainte Foy: Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture et Presses de L'Université Laval, 1999.

Rosanna Furgiuele and Rosalind Gill, French Studies (Glendon)
Le Français dans le village global, manuel de lecture et d'écriture. Canadian Scholars' Press Inc., September 1999.

Ian Gentles, History (Glendon)
eds., with Janet Ajzenstat, William D. Gairdner and Paul Romney. Canada's Founding Debates. Toronto: Stoddart, October 1999.

Barbara Hanson, Sociology (Atkinson)
The Research Process: Creating Facticity. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland, 1999.

Conrad E. Heidenreich, Geography
Special Places: The Changing Ecosystems of the Toronto Region. UBC Press and the Royal Canadian Institute, October 1999. Edited by Donald A. Chant and Betty I. Roots.

Peter W. Hogg, Osgoode Hall Law School
Constitutional Law of Canada, 4th ed. Toronto: Carswell, 1999.

Michiel Horn, History (Glendon)
Academic Freedom in Canada: A History. University of Toronto Press, May 1999.

Jody Berland, Humanities (Atkinson) and Shelley Hornstein, Fine Arts (Atkinson)
eds. Capital Culture: A Reader on Modernist Legacies, State Institutions and the Value(s) of Art. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2000.

Shin Imai, Osgoode Hall Law School
Aboriginal Law Handbook, 2nd ed. Toronto: Carswell, 2000.
Annotated Indian Act and Aboriginal Constitutional Provisions. Toronto, Carswell, 2000.

Christopher Innes, English
Twentieth Century British and American Theatre: a critical guide to archives. Ashgate, October 1999.
A Source book on Naturalist Theatre. Routledge, April 2000.

Patricia Keeney, Humanities
Engenderings: The Selected Poetry of Patricia Keeney. Translated into Chinese with an Introduction by Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Xian, China: Shaanxi Teacher's University Press, 1999.

A.B.P. Lever, Chemistry
Inorganic Electronic Structure and Spectroscopy, Volumes 1 and 2. New York: John Wiley, 1999. Edited by E.T. Solomon.

Joseph Levy, Nursing (Atkinson)
with E. Ali, D. Garshowitz, G. Grant, G. Ko, E. Mekhail, S. Nakla and A. Pettle. Natural Remedies and Supplements. Toronto: Ages, 2000.

Brenda Longfellow, Fine Arts (Atkinson) and Janine Marchessault, Film and Video
eds., with Kay Armitage and Kass Banning. Gendering the Nation/Canadian Women's Cinema. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.

Heather Lotherington, Education
What's bilingual education all about? A guide to language learning in today's schools. Melbourne: Language Australia Ltd., 1999.
with Anamaria Belligan and Michael Clyne. Growing up with English plus. Melbourne: Language Australia Ltd., 1999.

Edelgard Mahant, Political Science (Glendon)
with Graeme Mount. Invisible and Inaudible in Washington. American Policies Towards Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1999.

Janine Marchessault, Film and Video
eds., with Kim Sawchuk. Wild Science: Reading Feminism, Medicine, and the Media. New York: Routledge, 2000.

Dianne Martin, Osgoode Hall Law School
with Christine Boyle and Marilyn MacCrimmon. The Law of Evidence: Fact Finding, Fairness and Advocacy. Toronto: Emond-Montgomery Press, 1999.
with James Euale, Nora Rock and Jillan Sadek. Principles of Evidence for Policing. Toronto: Emond-Montgomery Press, 1999.

Guy P.R. Métraux, Visual Arts
eds., with A. Ben Abed. Corpus des mosaiques de Tunisie, Vol. 5, Carthage, Parc des Thermes d'Antonin. Tunis, Céres, and Institut national du Patrimoine, and Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Centre for Byzantine Studies, December 1999.

Ramesh Mishra, School of Social Work (Atkinson)
Globalization and the Welfare State. Edward Elgar Publishing, 1999.

Sharon Murphy, Education
with P. Albers. Telling pieces: Art as literacy in middle school classes. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000.

H. Vivian Nelles, History
The Art of Nation Building. University of Toronto Press, 1999.

Robynne Neugebauer, Sociology
Criminal Injustice: Racism in the Criminal Justice System. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press, January 2000.

Liisa North and Alan Simmons, Political Science
eds., Journeys of Fear: Refugee Return and National Transformation in Guatemala. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, November 1999.

Carol Ohlers, Bibliography Services, Library
Directory of Music Collections in Canada. Toronto: Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres, 2000.

Andrea O'Reilly, School of Social Work (Atkinson)
eds., with Sharon Abbey. Mothers and Daughters: Connection, Empowerment, and Transformation. Rowman and Littlefield, 2000.

Michael Ornstein and H. Michael Stevenson, Political Science
Politics and Ideology in Canada: Elite and Public Opinion in the Transformation of a Welfare State. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1999.

Linda Peake, Social Science
with A. Trotz. Gender, Ethnicity, and Place: Women and Identities in Guyana. London: Routledge, December 1999.

Roberto Perin, History (Atkinson)
eds., with France Iacovetta and Angelo Principe. Enemies Within: Italian and Other Internees in Canada and Abroad. University of Toronto Press, 2000.

David Regan, Psychology
Human Perception of Objects: Early Visual Processing of Spatial Form Defined by Luminance, Color, Texture, Motion, and Binocular Disparity. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer, March 2000.

James B. Rives, Humanities
Tacitus: Germania. Oxford: Clarendon Press, October 1999.

Gordon Roberts, Schulich School of Business
with S. Ross, R. Westerfield, and B. Jordan. Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 3rd edition. McGraw-Hill of Canada, 1999.
with S. Ross, R. Westerfield, and J. Jaffe. Corporate Finance, 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill of Canada, 1999.

Eugene Roventa, Computer Science (Glendon)
Eléments de logique pour l'informatique. Toronto: GREF, July 2000.

Don Rubin, Theatre
ed. World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Vol. 4 - The Arab World. London and New York: Routledge, 1999.

Judith Rudakoff, Theatre
El Muchacho Con La Voz de Nieve, a premiere of a play by Centro Dramatico. Cuba: Cienfuegos, June 1999.
The Black Dove. A translation of La Paloma Negra, by Cuban playwright Rafael Gonzalez was published in TheatreForum, January 2000.
ed., Questionable Activities: Canadian Theatre Artists Interviewed by Canadian Theatre Students, Vol. III. Toronto: Playwrights Canada Press, September 1999.
Reading of stage play Rum & Coca Cola. Toronto: duMaurier Theatre, 2000.
Showcase of stage play Rum & Coca Cola. Washington, D.C., 2000.

Anne E. Russon, Psychology (Glendon)
Orangutans: Wizards of the Rainforest. Key Porter Books, 1999.

L. Anders Sandberg, Environmental Studies
with Peter Clancy. Against the Grain: Foresters and Politics in Nova Scotia. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, March 2000.

David Shugarman, Political Science
eds., with Paul Rynard. Cruelty and Deception: The Controversy Over Dirty Hands in Politics. Canada: Broadview Press, 2000.

Marie-France Silver, French Studies (Glendon)
with Marie-Laure Swiderski. Femmes en toutes lettres. Les épistolières du XVIIIe siecle. Oxford: The Voltaire Foundation, May 2000.

Paul Simpson-Housley, Geography
Cain's Land: Literature and Mythology of the Polar Regions. Captus Press, September 1999.

Lorne Sossin, Political Science
Boundaries of Judicial Review: The Law of Justiciability in Canada. Toronto: Carswell, August 1999.

Marc Stein, History
City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-1972. University of Chicago Press, May 2000.

Karen Swift, School of Social Work (Atkinson)
with J. Graham and R. Delaney. Canadian Social Policy: An Introduction. Prentice-Hall, 2000.

Richard Teleky, Humanities
The Paris Years of Rosie Kamin. Steerforth Press, 1999.

Nell Tenhaaf, Visual Arts
Solo exhibition at Paul Petro Contemporary Art. Toronto, 1999.

Choice, a three-person show at Stockholm Electronic Arts. Sweden, 1999.

Malcolm Thurlby, Visual Arts
The Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpture. UK: Lagaston Press, 1999.

Penny Van Esterik, Anthropology
Materializing Thailand. Berg: Oxford, March 2000.

Penny Van Esterik, Anthropology and John Van Esterik, Social Science
with Barbara D. Miller. Cultural Anthropology, First Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Sergio Villani, French Studies
eds., with Paul Perron. Lire Rimbaud. Approaches Critiques. Préface d'Yves Bonnefoy. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press, 2000.
ed., Littlé Réalité: Volume XXI, No. 1 (Printemps/Été 2000), Volume XI, No. 2 (Automne/Hiver 1999). Special issue: Écriture de la diaspora maghrebine.

Mary-Jane Warner, Dance
Laban Notation Scores: An International Bibliography. Vol. 1V. Columbus, Ohio: International Council of Kinetography Laban, July 1999.

Garry Watson, Allan Hutchinson and Janet Walker, Osgoode Hall Law School
with W.A. Bogart, J. Mosher and T. Pinos. The Civil Litigation Process: Cases and Materials. Toronto: Emond-Montgomery Press, 1999.

Garry Watson, Osgoode Hall Law School
with McGowan. Ontario Civil Practice 2000, Volumes 1 & 2. Toronto: Carswell, 2000.

Sharon Williams and J.G. Castel, Osgoode Hall Law School
with W.C. Graham, D. Fleming, H. Kindred, A.L.C. de Mestral, L. Reif and I. Vlasic. International Law, Volumes 1 & 2, 6th edition. Toronto: Edmon-Montgomery Press, 2000.

H.T. Wilson, Schulich School of Business
No Ivory Tower: The University Under Siege. Ottawa: Voyageur Publishing, 1999.

J. David Wood, Geography (Atkinson)
Making Ontario: Agricultural Colonization and Landscape Re-Creation before the Railway. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, March 2000.
'Triumphs of English'. Henry Parker, Lord Morley: Translator to the Tudor Court, London: British Library, June 2000.

Patricia K. Wood, Geography and Engin Isin, Social Science
Citizenship and Identity. Sage Press, September 1999.

Lélia Young, Glendon
Si Loin Des Cyprès. Montreal: Les Éditions du CIDIHCA, 1999.

Joyce Zemans, Visual Arts
eds., with Archie Kleingartner. Comparing Cultural Policy: A Study of Japan and the United States. London: Alta Mira Press, 1999.

OTHER EXTERNAL GRANTS:

Howard Adelman, Philosophy
CIC Research Grant

Susan Bryson, Psychology
National Institute of Health Grant

Wayne Cannon, Physics and Astronomy
GEIODE Network Centre of Excellence Program

J. Connolly, Psychology
Human Resources Development Canada Grant. National Health Research and Development Program. Ontario Mental Health Foundation Grant.

Desmond Ellis, Sociology
University of Fribourg

Yves Frénette, Canadian Studies (Glendon)
Industry Canada, Agence francophone

Michiel Horn, History (Glendon)
Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada Grant

Jane Irvine, Psychology
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Grant

Lucia Lo, Geography
CERIS (Toronto Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement)

Diane Michelangeli, Earth and Atmospheric Science
Environment Canada, Science Horizons Program Grant

Sylvie Morin, Chemistry
CFI, New Opportunities Fund

Debra J. Pepler, Psychology
Ontario Mental Health Foundation Grant; National Health Research and Development Program; Hospital for Sick Children Foundation Grant; Human Resources Development Canada Grant

Terry Piper, Education
National Centres of Excellence TeleLearning Grant

Terry Piper and Ron Owston, Education
Office of Learning Technologies

Bob Prince, dean, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science
CRESTech Grant

Holly Small, Dance
Millennium Grant, 1999; Ontario Arts Council Grant, 1999; Toronto Arts Council Choreographers Grant, 1999; Laidlaw Foundation, 1999;
Canada Council Choreography Grant, 2000

Richard Teleky, Humanities
Canada Council Writers' Grant

John Tsotsos, Computer Science
IBM Grant

John Tsotsos and J. Elder, Computer Science
CRESTech Grant; IRIS Grant

John Tsotsos and M. Jenkin, Computer Science
CITO Grant; IRIS Grant

Christine Wekerle, Psychology
National Health Research and Development Program; Ontario Mental Health Foundation Grant

Agnes Whitfield, School of Translation (Glendon)
FODEFAD Grant; Canada Council for the Arts Grant

Laurie Wilcox, Psychology
IMAX Grant

Daphne Winland, Anthropology
CERIS RFP Research Grant

Bernard M. Wolf, Schulich School of Business

Industry Canada

MRC GRANT HOLDERS:

Jane Irvine, Psychology

Michael Siu, Chemistry

   

New Master of Calumet College: Call for Nominations

Applications and/or nominations for the position of Master of Calumet College are now being accepted for a five-year term beginning July l, 200l. The search committee welcomes both formal applications and nominations or suggestions of suitable candidates.

The successful candidate will be a tenured member of York's full-time faculty who is capable of providing to the college community both academic leadership and highly competent administrative management; who has a vision and skills for the furtherance and advocacy of Calumet College's mandate, its "Technology and the Arts" identity and its connections with the Faculty of Arts and the Schulich School of Business; who enjoys working with and for students; and who will effectively promote the college both within York and beyond.

Applications (with covering letter, current c.v. and names of three referees) or nominations, suggestions and comments may be sent no later than Feb. 9, 2001, in confidence to the Search Committee for a New Master, Calumet College, addressed to its Chair, Professor Seth Feldman, c/o the Secretary Ms Judy Libman, at 216 Bethune College.

For further information, please feel free to contact us at: sfeldman@yorku.ca and/or jlibman@yorku.ca.

   

Speaking of Teaching

These articles are part of a series of writings on teaching that appear in York University: Forty Years of Teaching (1959-1999), and are written by York faculty, teaching assistants and librarians to commemorate the University's 40th aniversary. Over the course of the year, we will introduce you to some of the ways in which members of our academic community think about teaching. These articles, taken together with the rest of the collection, reflect the rich diversity and depth of perspectives on teaching that invigorate the learning environment for students at York.

Embracing Contradictions: Creative Tensions in the Classroom

By Deborah Barndt, Faculty of Environmental Studies

Deborah Barndt

What happens on the first day of class certainly sets the tone for the rest of the term; I aim to make it embody my own pedagogical approach as well. For the past couple of years, I have started my graduate course Critical Education for Social Change with an introductory activity that I call "On the Line". I suggest that there are contradictions or tensions that we usually experience in the learning process which are often not names; some reflect what I call "dualisms" in dominant western culture, or dichotomies, which I then try to reframe as "creative tensions".

I tape sheets of paper, a pair at a time, titled with key dichotomies on opposite walls of the room and ask students to place themselves "on the line", an imaginary continuum between them. In very quick response, then, they must take a position, a spot on the continuum that represents their own strong tendencies in the learning process. For example, on one side of the room is theory and on the other side is practice: I ask them "Which is your most preferred way of learning?" Or for critical and creative: "At which end do you feel most comfortable?" There is plenty of shuffling and debating while students move from one side to another, or attempt to huddle somewhere in the middle - putting themselves on the line, between local and global perspectives, between theoretical discourse and plain language, between individual and collective approaches to learning, between ways of knowing that engage the body and/or the mind.

Many, of course, resist taking one side or another, arguing that these dynamics should not be dichotomized, or that they are best integrated. This resistance, too, then is a basis for critical discussion. Where did these dichotomies originate? How are they perpetuated or challenged in different educational contexts? Are there situations where one side of a tension is more privileged or legitimized over another? Why and how?

This lively exercise serves several purposes: it gets people up and moving physically, so that energy flows throughout the room; it challenges students to think about their own preferred and/or ingrained learning approaches; it begins to unpack the different meanings we have for words and concepts like "theory'" and "creative", for example; it initiates an ongoing discussion about the nature of knowledge and learning. It helps students to get to know each other and offers an X-ray of tendencies within the particular class cohort. Finally, it allows me to name what I feel can be "creative tensions" in a teaching/ learning situation, if they are acknowledged and engaged consciously. It allows us to affirm our differences and to consider how we can embrace them and use them in future classes.

Pedagogically, this approach reflects what, in the tradition of "popular education", is known as "dialectical methodology". It frames educational practice as an ongoing process, in which teacher and students together build a more inclusive and dynamic learning environment: one that moves between theory and practice, integrates critical thinking and creative action, explores the dynamic interrelation of local and global perspectives, draws upon flesh knowing (body) as well as abstract conceptualizing (mind), and honours individual and collective learning. Unabashedly, we embrace the contradictions!

The Learning Journey

By Trevor Holmes, Graduate Program in English

I wish I could list every single student who has ever sat in my classroom or at my advising desk, so that all of them would know how much I value them as human beings first. Many students have affected me on a life-affirming level, and for that I am thankful. What I give in return is a part of myself every week, fascination for a particular subject not least. My approach to students is informed not only by my history within the educational system, but also outside it. Mine is one of the first generations of university instructors to include people who were part of the punk rock counterculture, and as one of these people, I am very much attuned to the disjunctions within my classroom as well as to the cohesions. I like to plan lessons very carefully and then watch them fall apart into instructive moments that could never have been predicted, but which nonetheless serve students and instructor well on a learning journey through the course material.

A limited number of copies of York University: Forty Years of Teaching (1959-1999) is available at the Centre for the Support of Teaching (CST), 111 Central Square (416) 736-5754.

photo credit: Mala Thakoor, (CST)

  

  

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