International Conference - From Targeting in Academia to Promoting Trust and Understanding - June 2024

Keynote Address by Dr. Kalwant Bhopal, Professor, Education and Social Justice, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

Panel 1. Intersectional Views: From Harming and Structural Discrimination to Building Solidarity and Resistance 

Panel Chair: Daphne Winland (Anthropology, York University)

Curriculum violence, relationship denial, and resistance by Yasmine Djerbal (Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s University), Misty Underwood (Indigenous Youth Pathways Initiative, Queen’s University) and Rebecca Sweetman (Educational Technologies at the Faculty of Arts and Science, Queen’s University)

Black scholars’ weak agency escalating the prevalence of discrimination in academia by Nsama Jonathan Simuziya (Political Science, University of Hradec Králové)

Witnessing and researching traumatic histories and histories of harm by Susan Roy (History, University of Waterloo)

Building solidarity to challenge politically motivated assaults on critical thought by Honor Brabazon (Sociology and Legal Studies, St. Jerome’s University), Marcia Oliver (Law and Society, Wilfrid Laurier University), and Rashmee Singh (Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo)

Panel 2. From Antagonism in Academic, Social and Digital Environments to Fostering Constructive Discourses and Communities of Care

Panel Chair: Kristina Llewellyn (Professor, Social Development Studies and History, University of Waterloo)

Scholar and student wellness while confronting violence and ignorance: Can we trust our institutions when we are targeted? by Luc S. Cousineau (Recreation and Leisure Studies, Dalhousie University), Amy Mack (Centre for Research on Extremism, University of Oslo) and Ryan Hopkins (Canadian Institute of Far-Right Studies)

Safe spaces for deep dialogue: Connecting small-scale with university-scale efforts at Brock University by Jennifer Holzer (Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University), Julia Baird (Environmental Sustainability Research Centre and Geography, Brock University), and Hannah Marlen Lübker (Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University)

Social stigma and sexological research among social researchers in southeast Nigeria: Probing the shadow of social stigma in a value-free intellectual world by Samuel O. Okafor (Department of Sociology, Anthropology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka), Onyedikachi Nnamchi (Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka), Samuel Kalu (Social Science Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka), and Peace C. Adubi (Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka) [Virtual-Nigeria]

Pay for access: On the implications of limiting access to GPT’s data and design in the API economy by Lai-Tze Fan (Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo), Tatum Weicker (Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo), Cecilia A.W. Martin (Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo), Amanda Yu (Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo), and Jin Sol Kim (English, University of Waterloo)

Unravelling the mindset behind school shootings: A qualitative analysis of manifestos from the Jokela and Umpqua tragedies by Karmvir Padda (Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo)

Panel 3. Fostering Critical Pedagogies during Times of Disinformation, Anti-Science Rhetoric, and Global Conflict

Panel Chair: Marcia Oliver (Law and Society, Wilfrid Laurier University)

Reflections on the meaning of/threats to the notion of “academic space” by Daphne Naomi Winland (Anthropology, York University) 

Teaching human rights in the context of global conflict by Andrew Thompson (History and Political Science, Balsillie School of International Affairs)

Teaching evolution and climate change in an increasingly anti-science world by Kirsten M. Müller (Biology, University of Waterloo) and Jonathan Witt (Biology, University of Waterloo)

The challenges of information communication across disciplines, contexts, and worldviews by Kate Mercer (Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo) and Kari D. Weaver (Learning, Teaching, and Instructional Design, University of Waterloo)

BREAK

Concurrent Panel 4. Promoting Safety, Inclusivity, and Resilience: Creating Cultures of Trust and Spaces of Dialogue

Panel Chair: Lana Gonzalez Balyk (Global Governance, Balsillie School of International Affairs)

Gender studies responses to anti-gender violence and feminist engagements with community-based safety by Corinne L. Mason (Women’s and Gender Studies, Mount Royal University) and Claire Carter (Gender, Religion and Critical Studies, University of Regina)

Designing and implementing a tripartite policy model aimed at cultivating a sense of open dialogue and promoting a sense of safety among marginalized and underrepresented groups across higher education institutions by Munir Moosa Sewani (Education and Global Human Rights, Sindh Madressatul Islam University)

Reflections on over a decade of academic leadership: Promoting kindness in higher education by Douglas Gosse (Education, Nipissing University)

Punctuated ethos: Addressing trust, credibility and expertise in times of crisis by Carolyn Eckert (English, University of Waterloo)

Concurrent Panel 5. Setting the Stage for Brave, Co-creative, and Effective Dialogues

Panel Chair: Neela Hassan (Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo)

Creating brave spaces: Ways to address microaggressions and antagonistic speech by Christine L. Cho (Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University) and Julie K. Corkett (Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University)

Forming a common platform for discussions and creating inclusive mindsets in students by Mayoorey Murugathasan (Biology, York University)

Revealing our unconscious complicity in rape culture and earning trust through collaboration: The making of unconscious curriculum at the University of Waterloo by Andy Houston (Co-collaborator and co-founder of WOOMcollaborative; Theatre and Performance, University of Waterloo) and Brooke Barnes (co-collaborator and co-founder of WOOMcollaborative)

Strategies for cultivating an open and safe communication culture in universities by Sura Ali (Biology, University of Waterloo)

Integrating multimodal argumentation and emotional resonance in academic discourse: A defence against targeted attacks by Loris Isabettini (Philosophy, University of Windsor)

Hosted dinner for conference presenters and coordinating team members

Location: PROOF Restaurant (Delta Hotel)