Lecture Me! a series

Professor Nilanjan Das

Department of Philosophy

The Edges of Being: Absence in Sanskrit Philosophy

Just as we see material objects like chairs and tables, we also seem to see absences—holes in cheese, shadows on the ground. But do absences exist over and above the positive material objects that surround them? In this talk, Professor Das will explore a debate in first-millennium South Asia about the nature and existence of absence (abhāva). Realists about absence maintained that absences exist objectively, while non-realists saw them as mere mental constructs. Among realists, reductionists claimed that absences are reducible to positive entities, such as the surface surrounding a hole. Non-reductionists, by contrast, argued that absences are irreducible. Professor Das focuses on Udayana (10th–11th century), an influential Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika philosopher, who defended non-reductionist realism. For him, absences like holes and shadows depend on positive entities but are nonetheless irreducibly real—no less so than material objects.

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Professor Hema Ganapathy-Coleman

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Centre for South Asian Critical Humanities

Where the Lens Lingers: Reimagining Psychology Through Community-Engaged Research for Public Dissemination

This talk explores the process of conducting psychological research and engaging the public, drawing on  In the Quiet of Everyday Life, a photo exhibition grounded in community-based participatory research with Indian and Pakistani immigrants in the Peel region of the Greater Toronto Area. Focusing on the everyday experiences of these community members, the presentation reflects on the intersections of research, representation, and public scholarship.

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Professor Alison Syme

Department of Visual Studies

The Art of Mending

Many different practices of mending, whether of sudden damage or the wear and tear caused by use over time, are more than simply means of extending the life of objects. They can be creative outlets, embody cultural values in the face of impermanence, and be seen as offering possibilities of spiritual or environmental amelioration as well as physical repair. Drawing on diverse historical and contemporary examples, from kintsugi to darning to art conservation, this talk explores the way invisible, visible, and transformative mending practices pose questions about our understanding of and relationship to time, originality, authenticity, and value in a changing world.

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Professor Lauren Schroeder

Department of Anthropology

Hybrids, chance, and adaptation: Investigating evolutionary process in human evolution

The hominin fossil record is characterized by a remarkable amount of morphological variability. Although evolutionary processes have clearly acted to shape this variation, studies of the underlying cause have been limited, with little attention given to non-adaptive (genetic drift and gene flow) scenarios in traditional paleoanthropology. In this talk, Professor Lauren Schroeder will discuss two areas of her research program that aim to understand how non-adaptive processes have contributed to our evolution.

Professor Spyridon Kotsovilis

Department of Political Science

Imagine, Illustrate, Immerse: Innovative Pedagogies to Engage and Inspire Active Student Learning in Political Science

In the era where digital devices proliferate and social media reigns supreme for rapid information and communication, educators face steep competition as they seek to keep students engaged in the classroom. In this talk, Professor Kotsovilis proposes three innovative pedagogies stemming from his research and teaching practice – drawing, performative reading, and role-playing - that can help transform the learning process even of difficult or dry subjects into enjoyable, engaging and memorable learning experiences.

Professor Philip Oreopoulos

Department of Economics

Professor Oreopoulos will discuss his work on exploring ways to facilitate more personalized education – imagine if we had a world where every student had their own private teacher?  This would allow the student to progress at their own pace, receive immediate feedback working through math, science, and reading.  The teacher could test for understanding and ensure that the student does not move on until demonstrating mastery at each stage along the way.  With such an approach every student would be able to reach their full potential and thrive at these topics. But it is too expensive to scale – the challenge with education policy is not that we do not know what to do but that the cost is too expensive. Tutoring can help – there is lots of evidence that tutoring is one excellent way to supplement classroom instruction. But tutoring is also expensive and logistically challenging to scale. There may be an important role for technology to play.  Already Computer Assisted Learning can provide a tutoring-type environment, in which students sequentially follow videos and exercises towards mastery.  Professor Oreopoulos will discuss ongoing research and results to demonstrate this.