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Peter Berger, one of America’s most important sociologists, connected his study of sociology and theology to his personal spiritual quest for transcendence. Always interested in the connection between spiritual transcendence and humour, Berger released the book Redeeming Laughter, in which he argued that humor heals wounds, lessens suffering, and “signals” transcendence. Humour, Berger argued, could serve a spiritual purpose. In this lecture, Dr. David Seljak will mostly tell jokes but will also explore the moral ambiguity of both comedy and spirituality. While they may signal transcendence, they can also promote chauvinism, hostility, division, and even violence.

Putin, as of this writing, is universally condemned in the West. He is written off as an unscrupulous and untrustworthy dictator, a tyrant, and as one who wishes to recreate an empire that will threaten lands as distant as France and Great Britain.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that we’ve spent more time condemning leaders we saw as the enemy, rather than trying first to understand them. Unfortunately, such an approach of condemnation without understanding hinders our ability to understand those we see as adversaries on the world stage.

This presentation takes a different approach. It seeks to answer the following questions: what can we say with certainty about Putin’s career path that led him to the pinnacle of political power in Russia? How did the collapse of the USSR shape him? What made Putin so different, if anything, from Boris Yeltsin who preceded him as Russia’s (first) president, and what accounted for Putin’s initial popularity? Based on the considerable length of time that Putin has been in power, what can we say about Putin’s objectives domestically and internationally?

To get at these questions, this talk is expected to take the following shape:
1. Putin, the Soviet years, 1952-89.
2. Soviet collapse and its impact on Putin, 1989-1999
3. Russia under Yeltsin, 1991-1999: the rise of the oligarchs.
4. What made Putin so popular in his early years especially, after 1999?
5. Putin in power, domestically.
6. Putin in power, internationally.

This lecture will be on the early identification of neurodegenerative disorders, with a specific focus on Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Our discussion today will delve into the intricacies of these conditions, their early signs, and the paramount importance of prompt diagnosis and intervention. Each neurodegenerative condition presents unique challenges and impacts not only individuals, but their families and society.

In this lecture, we will explore the latest advancements and techniques in the early identification of Parkinson’s disease and dementia. From innovative diagnostic tools and biomarkers to cutting-edge imaging techniques and genetic testing, our journey will cover the spectrum of current research on understanding the underlying mechanisms and clinical practices aimed at combating these debilitating disorders.

After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, many scholars and political commentators expressed shock and dismay, often casting a critical eye on the American electorate itself. The 2020 victory of Joe Biden was widely interpreted as a corrective to Trump’s presidency—a return to political normalcy both domestically and internationally, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout most of Biden’s term, the prevailing view among analysts was that the Trump era had been an aberration—an electoral anomaly destined to fade amid a growing list of legal troubles, congressional investigations, and the televised inquiry into the January 6th Capitol attack. It was expected that Trump’s political narrative would end not with a whimper, but with the clang of prison doors. And yet, his re-emergence and electoral triumph in 2024 confounded those expectations. To understand the persistent and evolving appeal of Trump—and to make sense of his renewed political success—I examine the power of his performances and his performances of power across multiple arenas: in courtrooms, on social media, during televised interviews, and throughout the campaign trail.

Donald Trump’s use of music at his public events has attracted the ire—and law suits—of numerous artists from Abba to the White Stripes. His now two presidencies have also elicited a range of protest songs against him, including from Arcade Fire, Public Enemy, Carol King and Fiona Apple. Overall, though, the musical protests against him have been less numerous and certainly less high-profile than those produced in previous highly-contested moments in American history. Think of the presidency of George W. Bush, for example. Why is this? And what does the history of American protest music overall, tell us about the impact and effectiveness of musically-engaged political activism. Covering musicians from Woody Guthrie to Eminem, Darren Mulloy explores these questions while playing (loudly) some notable examples of some of the songs under discussion.

Canada experiences its very own “Zeitenwende”. Former German chancellor Scholz coined this term in a speech held in parliament immediately after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The notion of “Zeitenwende” captures the end of an epoch, and the “Trump 2.0 Shock” shows that this applies to Canada as well. As prime minister Mark Carney made clear on several occasions: the old relationship with the United States is over. But what does this mean for a “new” Canada in a turbulent and dramatically changing geopolitical context? The Liberal Party’s platform “Canada Strong” evokes the idea of several “nation-building” projects, but – as a campaign platform – remains vague. Others have repeatedly called for establishing a new “Royal Commission” which could, similar to the Rowell–Sirois Commission (1937-1940) or the Macdonald Commission (1982-1984) develop a roadmap for the long-term.

In the past, Canada had at least three so-called “national policies”, that means relatively coherent, encompassing and largely consensual frameworks that offered guidance to federal and provincial governments over decades, and independent of the political party in power. This talk starts from the assumption that we are in dire need of a new “national policy” that outlines how Canada can redefine itself in the decades to come.

Such a new framework must address two challenges: First, it needs to develop recommendations on how key policy areas such as trade, industrial, energy or infrastructure policy can be realigned in a way that they reflect the three key imperatives of our times: decarbonization, economic sovereignty and national security. Second, considering our regionalized political economy and decentralized federalism, it needs to make recommendations on how Canada’s political architecture can be made fit for 21st century governance challenges. This includes a framework that facilitates more effective and legitimate intergovernmental cooperation between Ottawa and the provinces, and that also acknowledges the importance of municipalities and Indigenous peoples. In short: A framework that makes “Team Canada” durable.

The debate over when China will become a superpower is over; the Peeple’s Republic of China is a global superpower. Simultaneously the US appears to be relinquishing the role it played as THE global superpower. How will the People’s Republic respond to this opportunity? In this lecture I will examine the goals the PRC has set for itself, the successes and failures, the pushback from countries skeptical and threatened by the PRC, and the remarkable transformations taking place among Chinese citizens. All of these have implications for the goals PRC planners have set for the People’s Republic.

As part of the ‘quantified self’ movement, self-tracking has become a dominant practice within contemporary health and fitness. GPS-based watches and other wearables from companies including Garmin, Apple and Fitbit pair with hundreds of self-tracking apps and enable users to upload, display and analyze their activity data. There are clear benefits to the use of self-tracking in health and fitness including increased motivation, enhanced goal-setting, and personal accountability. There are also areas of concern such as privacy violations, surveillance, and feelings of inadequacy. This paper offers a critical examination of self-tracking, with a specific focus on what it means to quantify health and fitness.