Faculty of Liberal Arts And Professional Studies Archives - LA&PS Newsroom /laps/newsroom/tag/faculty-of-liberal-arts-and-professional-studies/ Wed, 21 May 2025 19:38:51 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Featured in YFile /laps/newsroom/featured-in-yfile/ Wed, 30 Apr 2025 20:13:44 +0000 /laps/newsroom/?page_id=383064 Quick Links

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]]> Our Experts in the Media /laps/newsroom/our-experts-in-the-media/ Wed, 05 Mar 2025 21:02:18 +0000 /laps/news-hub/?page_id=367884 Our faculty are thought leaders undertaking ground-breaking research around the most relevant issues facing humanity today. They are often asked to comment on issues impacting society and contribute to discussions on current events. Browse through recent media where LA&PS professors have been called upon for their expertise. Quick Links

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Our faculty are thought leaders undertaking ground-breaking research around the most relevant issues facing humanity today. They are often asked to comment on issues impacting society and contribute to discussions on current events. Browse through recent media where LA&PS professors have been called upon for their expertise.

Quick Links

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]]> LA&PS’ Philosophy Program Shines in National and Global Rankings /laps/newsroom/2024/12/06/laps-philosophy-program-shines-in-national-and-global-rankings-2/ Fri, 06 Dec 2024 14:57:56 +0000 /laps/phil/?p=364115 91ɫ has achieved significant progress in the field of philosophy, as revealed in the latest edition of the Philosophical Gourmet Report for the 2024-25 academic year. According to the report published by Leiter Reports in November 2024, 91ɫ’s Ph.D. program in Philosophy, and its specializations in both cognitive science and the philosophy of law, […]

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Vari Hall

91ɫ has achieved significant progress in the field of philosophy, as revealed in the latest edition of the Philosophical Gourmet Report for the 2024-25 academic year. According to the report published by Leiter Reports in November 2024, 91ɫ’s Ph.D. program in Philosophy, and its specializations in both cognitive science and the philosophy of law, have attained impressive rankings. The Ph.D. program has been distinguished as the fifth best philosophy Ph.D. program overall in Canada, underscoring its dedication to academic excellence and strength as a top Ph.D. program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. Moreover, in the specialty ranking of philosophy of cognitive science, 91ɫ’s Ph.D. program has been ranked as the top program in Canada and is globally outranked by only seven others. This recognition emphasizes the university's commitment to nurturing intellectual growth and scholarly accomplishments in the field of philosophy.

“We are thrilled to see the hard work and dedication of our faculty and students reflected in these prestigious rankings,” explains Michael Giudice, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy.  “These rankings are a testament to the exceptional quality of education and research taking place at 91ɫ. These rankings not only validate our ongoing commitment to academic excellence but also inspire us to continue pushing the boundaries of philosophical inquiry. We are proud to be part of a vibrant intellectual community that values critical thinking and rigorous scholarship, and we look forward to further advancing the field of philosophy at LA&PS.”

91ɫ’s Ph.D. program also ranked very strongly in the specialty field of the philosophy of law, further solidifying the position of philosophy at LA&PS. In the philosophy of law 91ɫ’s program is second only to one other program in Canada, and is tied for 15th globally, rivalling top universities in the US, the UK, and Australia.

In the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, philosophy ranked in the top 100 globally and tied for second place in Canada, highlighting the Faculty's commitment to excellence in philosophy education. The acknowledgment in both national and global rankings reaffirms 91ɫ’s reputation as a leading institution in the realm of philosophy education. This news has generated excitement and pride within the academic community, showcasing LA&PS' continued dedication to excellence in philosophical research and education. 

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]]> LA&PS Philosophy department receives generous gift from former student to create new student prize /laps/newsroom/2024/11/27/laps-philosophy-department-receives-generous-gift-from-former-student-to-create-new-student-prize/ Wed, 27 Nov 2024 21:29:25 +0000 /laps/phil/?p=364101 The Philosophy department in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) has received a generous donation of $100,000 over the course of five years from  Benn Barrantes, a graduate of the Faculty’s undergraduate program in philosophy. This significant gift will establish the Barrantes Prizes in Philosophy, aimed at recognizing exceptional student essays that […]

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Tom McLagan, director of development, LA&PS; Benn Barrantes, donor; Michael Giudice, Chair of the Department of Philosophy.

The Philosophy department in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) has received a generous donation of $100,000 over the course of five years from  Benn Barrantes, a graduate of the Faculty’s undergraduate program in philosophy. This significant gift will establish the Barrantes Prizes in Philosophy, aimed at recognizing exceptional student essays that explore the intersection of philosophical thinking and social impact across a diverse range of topics. 

Read the full story in YFile.

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]]> Two Philosophy Professors honoured at the 2024 91ɫ Research Awards Celebration /laps/newsroom/2024/09/27/two-philosophy-professors-honoured-at-the-2024-york-university-research-awards-celebration/ Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:44:46 +0000 /laps/phil/?p=364071 Associate Professor Jacob Beck and Professor Kristen Andrews were honoured during the 2024 91ɫ Research Awards Celebration. The 91ɫ Research Award Celebration honours 91ɫ’s scholars across all faculties and schools for their remarkable achievements and contributions to creating positive change. Read the full story

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Associate Professor Jacob Beck and Professor Kristen Andrews were honoured during the 2024 91ɫ Research Awards Celebration.

The 91ɫ Research Award Celebration honours 91ɫ’s scholars across all faculties and schools for their remarkable achievements and contributions to creating positive change.

Read the full story

Vari Hall

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]]> New Podcast Launches In Collaboration With AGYU /laps/newsroom/2024/05/15/new-podcast-launches-in-collaboration-with-agyu/ Wed, 15 May 2024 16:15:10 +0000 /laps/anth/?p=253336 The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce the launch of a limited podcast series. In collaboration with Art Gallery of 91ɫ (AGYU) curators Lillian O'Brien Davis and Clara Halpern, Dr. Zulfikar Hirji developed 'Speculative Futures of Objects' as part of the AGYU's Uncontainable Collections Research Project. The joint project emerged from Dr. Hirji's […]

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]]> The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce the launch of a limited podcast series. In collaboration with Art Gallery of 91ɫ (AGYU) curators Lillian O'Brien Davis and Clara Halpern, Dr. Zulfikar Hirji developed 'Speculative Futures of Objects' as part of the AGYU's .

The joint project emerged from Dr. Hirji's winter 2023 undergraduate course, 'Speculative futures: The Anthropology of What Might Be'.

The first episode of the limited podcast series, hosted by Dr. Hirji, features Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Ayana V. Jackson, and Camille Turner.

In this limited podcast series, scholars, curators, and artists engage with articulations, expressions, and representations of the (im)possible, (extra)ordinary, and (un)imaginable—i.e., speculative—futures that diverse individuals, groups, communities, and societies are envisaging, dreaming, composing, conjuring, imagining, and bringing into being. 

The first episode, '' features Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Ayana V. Jackson, and Camille Turner.

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]]> Making Sense of Myth: Conversations with Luc Brisson /laps/newsroom/2024/04/25/making-sense-of-myth-conversations-with-luc-brisson/ Thu, 25 Apr 2024 18:18:12 +0000 /laps/phil/?p=363977 Gerard Naddaf, Professor Emeritus of 91ɫ’s Department of Philosophy, has published a new book with McGill-Queen’s University Press that explores the importance of myths as creators of selfhood and group identity throughout history. To most, myths are merely fantastic stories. But for Luc Brisson, one of the great living Plato scholars and prominent philosophers of […]

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Gerard Naddaf, Professor Emeritus of 91ɫ’s Department of Philosophy, has published a new book with McGill-Queen’s University Press that explores the importance of myths as creators of selfhood and group identity throughout history.

To most, myths are merely fantastic stories. But for Luc Brisson, one of the great living Plato scholars and prominent philosophers of his generation, myth is a key factor in what it means to be human – a condition of life for all. Essential and inescapable, myth offers a guide for living, one that illuminates our need for belonging and group identity.

In these free-flowing conversations, Brisson provides a lucid historical analysis of why the history of his native Quebec is inseparable from that of the Catholic Church in Quebec society, and the links he draws here provide a perfect paradigm of myth and mythmaking. Ultimately, Brisson seeks to explain how his work on myth corresponds with his own biographical path, which, as he shows in these conversations, was itself rooted in Catholic and Quebecois myth. But we soon see that his theory of myth and its practical application is relevant to all people, regardless of one’s particular background.

Brisson begins these conversations with an overview of his genealogy before turning to the story of his escape from an all-encompassing myth promulgated by the Roman Catholic Church of his youth. The myth(s) that made Brisson who he is are thus front and centre here. We learn of his recruitment by a Catholic seminary as a gifted (but handicapped) child from a modest rural Quebec family at age eleven, the emotional and intellectual awakening he subsequently underwent, and his own “noble lie,” which allowed him to get an education that he would not have otherwise received. There is something for everyone here, but the book offers first and foremost a philosophy of myth that doubles as a philosophy of life. 

The earlier conversations originally recorded in French (with Louis-André Dorion) contain some of the most insightful ideas on the origin of bisexuality. There’s also ample coverage of Brisson’s Orphic research, and a rich discussion of why the big bang is still a myth on a par with Plato’s Timaeus. Brisson’s world travels, his decades living in Paris, and his deep immersion in Quebec culture and politics also occupy a prominent place here, but always in the background is Brisson’s attention to myth and, by extension, politics.

Cover of the book Making Sense of Myth: Conversations with Luc Brisson

In later conversations (part 4), Brisson offers insightful observations on a wealth of topics, including what he sees as the illusory nature of originality; the constraints of the publish-or-perish phenomenon in academia; his experience working in teams; his and others’ interpretations of Plato; the differences between Greek and Abrahamic religions; the place of myth in the modern world; and his theory for why reason will always be tied to myth – to mention but a handful of the themes touched on here.

It’s the final section of part 4 that brings together the whole. Myth, as Brisson understands it, comprises stories that give us our identity; they offer us a way of unconsciously (until Plato, that is) controlling the individual within the community to which he or she belongs. As such, myths are creators of the self, of one’s identity. The notion of individuality is a kind of mirage, then; it’s as if there is no self independent of one’s larger group or community. For Brisson, myth is a phenomenon that few have given any real thought to, and yet it’s a key to understanding what it means to be human, and to the future destiny of humanity itself.

This book is meant to appeal to an intellectually curious English-reading public (and not just scholars and philosophers). To this end, the text is interspersed with over three hundred notes adding necessary context. Naddaf also provides an introduction and an afterword. The former puts Plato and myth into context, giving readers a sense of what to expect in the conversations; while in the latter, he describes the role of myth in anthropogeny (from the origins of language), in the evolution of the self and of consciousness (culminating in the creation of the Western mind), and in multiculturalism. However, while the book offers copious historical analysis, he also engages throughout with the role of myth in the current political and social climate, including its place in contemporary world events.

Gerard Naddaf is Professor Emeritus and Senior Scholar in the Department of Philosophy at 91ɫ's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. He is a specialist in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly of the origins of philosophy and science, the Presocratics, and Plato. His most recent work focuses on the role of myth (and consciousness) in the evolution of the self, as well as how inspiration influences human creativity. His work has been cited more than a thousand times by scholars in a range of fields and has garnered tens of thousands of views from readers in over 160 countries on online platforms like Academia.edu and Google Scholar. This is exactly the type of broad audience that his latest book,  (McGill-Queen's University Press),is directed at. 

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]]> Five PRWR/ENPR Students Win Dean’s Award for Research Excellence /laps/newsroom/2024/02/13/five-prwr-enpr-students-win-deans-award-for-research-excellence/ Tue, 13 Feb 2024 17:28:57 +0000 /laps/writ/?p=364502 We are very proud to announce that five of our students won the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE). Congratulations to Matteo Cerilli, Sophie Corbiere, Royce Luu, Faridah Mazhar, and Yuwai Brian Wong! In 2023, DARE was awarded to only 45 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional (LA&PS) students. Each winner […]

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]]> We are very proud to announce that five of our students won the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE). Congratulations to Matteo Cerilli, Sophie Corbiere, Royce Luu, Faridah Mazhar, and Yuwai Brian Wong!

In 2023, DARE was awarded to only 45 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional (LA&PS) students. Each winner received $5000 and engaged in a research project supervised by a LA&PS faculty member.

Third-year English and Professional Writing student Faridah Mazhar’s project, “Burning Stories: Analyzing Media Representations of Forest Fires,” used a coding process to deduce rhetorical trends in how Canadian media report on wildfires. Faridah’s ENPR degree set her up for success in this project: “My familiarity with research databases and how to research played a big role while aggregating newspapers to be coded. Additionally, learning about a writer's purpose, audience, and context in all my courses aided me to design and write a rhetorically effective poster for the project presentation.”

My ENPR degree has fostered transferable skills that are already helping me to tackle real world issues.

— Faridah Mazhar
English and Professional Writing Major

Yuwai Brian Wong
Yuwai Brian Wong

For the project “Supporting Engagement with Canada's Computer History,” fourth-year Professional Writing student Yuwai Brian Wong worked with the 91ɫ Computer Museum to study the often-overlooked history of computing in Canada. “My degree in professional writing was instrumental in my work on the project,” Yuwai said. “Having the ability to zoom in and out of communications, coupled with a critical perspective on efficiency, allowed me to identify trends, select the best examples, and create templates for the museum's future use.”

My training as a professional writer kept me curious and pushed my understanding of computing in Canada.

— Yuwai Brian Wong
Professional Writing Major

Matteo Cerilli (PRWR and CRWR ’23) conducted archival research on how multiple activist groups—including gay men, Black activists, lesbians, feminists, immigrants, religious communities, and students—worked in solidarity to protest the 1981 Toronto Bathhouse Raids. For the project “Intersections of the Toronto Bathhouse Raids,” Matteo drew upon the research skills learnt in the Professional Writing program. “Professional Writing taught me how to be critical of my sources, and how to organize them, and triage,” said Matteo.

Matteo Cerilli standing beside their research poster
Matteo Cerilli next to research poster

Sophie Corbiere (ENPR ’23) and Royce Luu (PRWR ’23) also gained new research expertise by participating in DARE. As Sophie notes, the project “Scholarly Writing for Publication at a Bilingual Canadian College” provided “invaluable research experience that I will be able to use in the future; from knowing how to code data, to research methods, to presenting at a conference.” Royce’s project, “The OHS Project,” offered the opportunity to study multiple discourse communities related to occupational health and safety, including legislation and regulations.

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]]> New Religious Studies Course /laps/newsroom/2023/05/30/new-religious-studies-course/ Tue, 30 May 2023 13:28:44 +0000 /laps/huma/?p=364318 AP/HUMA 1847 9.00 (crosslisted with AP/RLST 1847 9.00) Sikhs and Sikhi(sm): Texts, Contexts, and Living Traditions The Religious Studies Program is excited to announce that Professor Julie Vig is offering a new course in Fall/Winter 2023 RLST 1847 9.0 Sikh and Sikhi(ism). Looking for a course on Asian Religions? Or know a friend looking for […]

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image of Sikh gurus

AP/HUMA 1847 9.00 (crosslisted with AP/RLST 1847 9.00) Sikhs and Sikhi(sm): Texts, Contexts, and Living Traditions

The Religious Studies Program is excited to announce that Professor Julie Vig is offering a new course in Fall/Winter 2023 RLST 1847 9.0 Sikh and Sikhi(ism). Looking for a course on Asian Religions? Or know a friend looking for a great Gen Ed? This will be a great opportunity.

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]]> Religious Studies Essay Prizes /laps/newsroom/2023/05/26/religious-studies-essay-prizes/ Fri, 26 May 2023 19:46:00 +0000 /laps/huma/?p=364315 Every year the Religious Studies program awards two prizes for the best essays written in Religious Studies courses in the past year. Now that the semester is over, I want to encourage you to consider submit your work to be considered for the prizes.  The William R. Coleman Prize: This book prize is offered to the […]

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]]> Every year the Religious Studies program awards two prizes for the best essays written in Religious Studies courses in the past year. Now that the semester is over, I want to encourage you to consider submit your work to be considered for the prizes. 

The William R. Coleman Prize: This book prize is offered to the student who has written the best essay in a religious studies course offered on the Keele Campus. It is awarded for courses completed in the previous fall/winter and summer session. Established to honour Professor William R. Coleman upon his retirement from the Department of Humanities. An inspired teacher, he served as a model of the interdisciplinary approach highly valued at 91ɫ.  (Required Courses: 3000 or 4000 level Religious Studies course)

The Becky Lee Religion and Gender Essay Prize: This prize is awarded in the Fall term to an outstanding paper on the subject of Religion and Gender submitted for grading in a Religious Studies course in the previous academic year. 

The deadline for submitting your essay is July 1st. We will announce the winners at our Religious Studies event in September. 

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