Receiving�� the Botein Fellowship for research in the history of the book in American culture will grant McLaren access to the AAS library that houses approximately two-thirds of all American publications produced between 1640 and 1876.

Scott McLaren

Access to America’s earliest publications may seem counterintuitive to a study of Upper Canadian Sunday schools, but McLaren knows this literature will have a profound influence on his research. “Sunday school libraries in Upper Canada started to take shape in the 1820s and in many ways they functioned as the colony’s first ‘public’ libraries, especially for those living outside of urban regions,” McLaren explains. “However, many of these schools followed American models and imported all their books from New 91��ɫ.”��For these reasons, Sunday school libraries functioned as transnational centres for literacy across the Upper Canadian backwoods.

Following the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 it became especially problematic for Upper Canadian Sunday Schools to form libraries around American texts. These books presented a version of history that Canadian political elites were not comfortable with. In the 1840s the colony’s chief superintendent of education, Egerton Ryerson, banned the use of American textbooks and teachers in Canadian schools entirely.

What McLaren is most excited about is the opportunity to pore over literature that was deemed insidious enough to be prohibited by Canadian politicians. “I want to use my time at AAS to read through these ‘subversive’ books and see what people were reading in 1822-1840 – particularly because these texts helped to shape the landscape of early Canadian print culture,” McLaren explains.

These publications will inform a number of scholarly articles as well as McLaren’s book tentatively titled A Reading People: Print Culture and the Methodist Struggle for Social Respectability in Upper Canada, 1800-1850.

“Scott is a great scholar who captures our imagination and certainly demonstrates book history is not boring,” says Cynthia Archer, University Librarian. “How many of us knew Sunday Schools and public libraries in Canada are related and that Ryerson banned American textbooks for use in the classroom?”

The AAS was established in 1812 when the United States was at war with Britain. The founder, Isaac Thomas, wanted to preserve all records that served to inform the American identity outside of Britain’s governance. The AAS also boasts one of the world’s largest collections of early Canadian publications.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Led by Professor Colin Coates (left), Canada Research Chair��in Canadian Cultural Landscapes and professor of Canadian Studies at Glendon College,��the��project is expected to cast light on the impacts of an earlier period of economic “globalization” as a way of better understanding the challenges of current practices.��It is one of eight projects across Canada that has been granted funding in the 2011 Digging into Data Challenge.

Fourteen teams representing Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States have been awarded grants to investigate how computational techniques can be applied to “big data” to change the nature of humanities and social sciences research. Each team represents collaborations among scholars, scientists and librarians from leading universities worldwide.

Coates, who is also the director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at 91��ɫ, is one of the principal investigators on the project titled Trading Consequences,��which received $125,000 in funding. The project��will examine the economic and environmental consequences of commodity trading during the 19th century and��employs information extraction techniques to study large corpora of digitized documents from the 19th century. This innovative digital resource will allow historians to discover novel patterns and to explore new hypotheses through��structured query and a variety of visualization tools.

"Our team of environmental historians is excited to be partners with the Universities of Edinburgh and St. Andrews in the Trading Consequences project. Canadian economic development has historically been defined by commodity flows, and it is important to understand the environmental impacts of this commerce in the past, just as it is today. The focus on Canadian data will test the techniques created through this collaborative project for mapping the scope and impact of international trade in the 19th century," said Coates.

“91��ɫ is proud to receive recognition in the 2011 Digging into Data Challenge,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation.��“These important research projects advance knowledge as researchers work collaboratively and internationally to find new ways to analyze, search for and store data using digital and electronic technologies.”

“The Digging into Data Challenge is an international initiative that enables Canadian researchers to take advantage of the huge digital resources now available and to develop close partnerships with overseas universities,” said Chad Gaffield, president of the Social Sciences��& Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). “These exciting projects cross both disciplines and national borders; they lead to new insights into human thought and behaviour.”

The successful cohort of��projects received a total of nearly $5 million in funding from eight international research funding agencies. SSHRC’s contribution of��$869,117 will support Canadian researchers from eight of the fourteen teams. ��

For more information, visit the ���ɱ�������ٱ�.

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During a special��event held at 91��ɫ's Keele campus, President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri announced a $25-million dollar transformative donation from Pierre Lassonde, chairman of the��Franco-Nevada Corporation, for an expanded School of Engineering.

The announcement was made during a ceremony��in which the Computer Science & Engineering Building, where it was held, was��renamed the��Lassonde Building in honour of the School of Engineering's new��benefactor.��The upbeat event featured the student-constructed Mars Rover unveiling a commemorative plaque showing the building's new name, and the cutting of a giant cake fashioned in the likeness of the Lassonde Building. As part of the celebration, Lassonde was given a leather bomber jacket emblazoned with 91��ɫ Engineering by fourth-year space engineering student Shailja Sahani.

Right: Pierre Lassonde shows off his new engineering jacket

“91��ɫ is extremely thankful to Pierre Lassonde for his very generous gift,” said Shoukri. “This transformative donation will allow us to create a truly unique engineering program that will redefine engineering for the 21st century.”

Based on its traditional strength in humanities, social sciences, business and law, the University is committed to ensuring that��engineering students will be broadly educated to support future economic and social development.

“The most important natural resource of our country is not its oil or minerals or forests, but our young people,” said Lassonde. “It’s imperative that we give them all the education they need so that they can continue to make Canada one of the best places in the world to live. Through the collaboration of the new engineering program at 91��ɫ with one of the most successful business schools in the world, the Schulich School of Business, we know we can make a difference.”

��"Pierre's gift and vision will support a whole new way of thinking about engineering education. His transformational donation will lead to the creation of the Lassonde School of Engineering at 91��ɫ, with an ambition to graduate a new generation of entrepreneurial engineers with a social conscience," said Janusz Kozinski (left), dean��of the��Faculty of Science & Engineering.

The generous donation from Lassonde, combined with funding from the Government of Ontario and the University, provides an investment enabling 91��ɫ to become one of the��top global engineering schools based in Canada.

By embodying 91��ɫ’s core values of social responsibility, global citizenship and interdisciplinary education, the new school will provide a unique approach to engineering and entrepreneurship, establishing itself as a destination of choice for top engineering students.

Right:��President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri��

“91��ɫ has a rich history of educational innovation, and the broadening of the focus of the engineering school to include business and public policy is a welcome step forward,” said Glen Murray, Ontario’s minister of training, colleges and universities. “Mr. Lassonde’s generous gift will accelerate the program and help transform it into a model for next-generation education in engineering.”

More about Pierre Lassonde

Lassonde has a BA from the��University of Montreal (1967), a BSc electrical engineering from Polytechnique, Montreal (1971) and an MBA from the��University of Utah (1973). He received his PEng Ontario designation in 1976 and his CFA, University of Virginia, 1984. He holds honorary��doctorates in engineering from the Universities of Toronto, Montreal and Ryerson, and a doctor of business, University of Utah. ��

In 1982, Lassonde co-founded Franco-Nevada Mining Corporation, the first publicly traded gold royalty company, with his partner and fellow 91��ɫ benefactor Seymour Schulich. Over the next 20 years, the company provided shareholders with a 36 per cent annualized rate of return. In February 2002, Franco-Nevada was acquired by Newmont Mining Corp., the world’s largest gold producer at the time. Lassonde was president of Newmont from 2002 to 2007 and vice-chairman in 2007. He served as chairman of the World Gold Council from 2005 to 2009.

In 2008, he led a group of investors and former executives in bringing back Franco-Nevada to the public market and became its chairman. The $1.2-billion IPO of Franco-Nevada was the largest mining company initial public offering ever done on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The success story continues today as the market capitalization of the company is now over $5 billion.

Left: Celebrating��a sweet moment in 91��ɫ's history

Lassonde’s philanthropic activities have had a significant impact on education and the arts. The Lassonde Entrepreneur Centre at the University of Utah was ranked number one in the US in 2010 for its creation of a public company from the University research labs. Other universities that have benefited from Lassonde’s philanthropy include Polytechnique Montréal, and the universities of Toronto, Western Ontario, Ryerson and 91��ɫ.��

He ��has been chairman of the Quebec National Art Museum since 2005 and has led a $100-million campaign to build a new wing to double the museum exhibition surface. He was made a companion of the Order of Canada in 2002 and an officer of the Order of Quebec in 2008.������

Lassonde is also the author of The Gold Book: The Complete Investment Guide to Precious Metals.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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“We were thrilled to learn that Professor Haideh Moghissi��was a recipient of the Trudeau Fellowship prize,” said 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “The Trudeau Fellowship is an incredible honour bestowed upon the finest thinkers who have demonstrated outstanding research achievements, creativity and social commitment in all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. We are proud that one of our own is a member of this esteemed group.”

Right: Haideh Moghissi (left) with 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri at the Trudeau Fellowship ceremony

After a prolific career in Iran as an archivist, Moghissi became an internationally acclaimed analyst of women’s issues in the Muslim world. The Fellowship prize recognizes her work in this area.

“Even though I have had the good fortune of receiving several large research grants in the last decade or so, the Trudeau Fellowship has special significance as it reflects a recognition of my academic and community-related research in the areas that are also the focus of the Trudeau Foundation, including human rights and dignity, and responsible citizenship,” said Moghissi.

Moghissi, a professor in the Department of Equity Studies and the School of Women's Studies,��Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, was one of announced Monday at a ceremony at 91��ɫ, including��91��ɫ alumnus Ronald Rudin (MA ’73, PhD ’77) of Concordia University.

Left: Haideh Moghissi (left) with Martin Singer, dean of 91��ɫ's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

“My academic work has always had a specific audience and specific purpose in mind, hoping to contribute, in the most modest way, to change in areas that need change, be it in my country of birth, Iran, or in Canada, the country that I now call home,” she said. “The fellowship will help me to continue my work, providing more opportunity to explore the complexities and nuances of such issues as multiculturalism, minority rights and belonging, under the present, rapidly changing political and social circumstance.”

Each prize is worth $225,000. Trudeau Fellowships are awarded to individuals who set themselves apart through research achievements, creativity and commitment to critical social issues of importance to Canada.

“The fellowship will provide more opportunity for organizing and attending academic gatherings to learn from and exchange ideas with others who work in these and similar areas, to provide support to a few more graduate students as future scholars,” Moghissi said.

Right: Guests watch as each of the Trudeau Fellowship recipients��are honoured at��a ceremony held��in the Shulich private��dining room at 91��ɫ

A Canadian institution with a national purpose, the is an independent and non-partisan charity. It was established in 2001 as a living memorial to the former prime minister by his family, friends and colleagues. In 2002, the Government of Canada endowed the foundation with a donation of $125 million following a unanimous vote in the House of Commons. In addition, the foundation benefits from private sector donations in support of specific initiatives. Through its scholarship, fellowship, mentorship and public interaction programs, the foundation supports outstanding individuals who make meaningful contributions to critical public issues.��

More about Haideh Moghissi

A professor of sociology and women's studies at 91��ɫ,��Moghissi��was a founder of the Iranian National Union of Women and member of its first executive and editorial boards, before leaving Iran in 1984.
��
At 91��ɫ she has served as associate dean external relations in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies; coordinator��of the��Certificate for Anti-Racist Research and Practice; chair of the executive committee of the Centre for Feminist Research; and as a member of the executive committee of the Centre for Refugee Studies.��

Over the course of her career Moghissi��has served as a commentator on Iran and women in the Middle East on CBC, TVO, the BBC World Service, Radio France and Voice of America, and on the editorial and advisory boards of The Journal of Comparative Public Policy, the Rutledge Women and Politics Series, Resources for Feminist Research and Feminist Forum.

Her publications in English includes seven monographs and edited volumes and 35 articles in books��and journals such as Feminist Theory, Signs, Monthly Review, Humanity and Sociology, Third World Quarterly, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Socialist Register, Global Dialogue, Comparative Family Studies and International Review of Comparative Public Policy.

Her book��Feminism and Islamic Fundamentalism: The Limits of Postmodern Analysis (Oxford University Press, 2000 and Zed Press, 1999), winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award, has been translated into Korean and Indonesian.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The Everyday: Experiences, Concepts, Narratives is an upcoming Graduate Program in Humanities conference looking at the "everyday" as it relates to politics and ethics, power and knowledge, ontology and history.

Keynote speakers Professor (left) of the School of Geography at Queen Mary, University of London, and 91��ɫ film Professor Caitlin Fisher, Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture and director of the in the Faculty of Fine Arts, will delve into the everyday further.

The conference will take place April 14 to 16 on 91��ɫ’s Keele campus. Click here for the conference program and venues.

Ogborn, who won the Philip Leverhulme Prize in 2001 for his outstanding contribution to the discipline of geography, studies the "everyday" from a global and local perspective within the context of cultural geography and cultural history.

He will be talking about how spaces become "everyday" and what that means for how the world works. Drawing on the work of Michel de Certeau, among others, and on a range of historical material from diverse geographical settings from 17th-century Madras to 18th-century London and Jamaica, Ogborn will explore the making and unmaking of everyday geographies of walking, writing and talking. He will argue that the everyday has to be actively made through its geographies and that the process of that making has to be forgotten or obscured. The historical geographies of the production of everyday spaces, however, mean they can always be unmade.

Ogborn’s most recent books include Global Lives: Britain and the World, 1550-1800 (Cambridge University Press, 2008) and Indian Ink: Script and Print in the Making of the English East India Company (University of Chicago Press, 2007).

Right: Caitlin Fisher

Fisher is working to construct and theorize spatial narrative environments and build expressive software tools for artists. Her current research interests include digital archiving, lifelogging, data visualization and experimental game structures for storytelling. She is an international award-winning digital storyteller.

In addition to the keynote speeches, there will be several panel discussions with graduate students from across North America and the United Kingdom presenting their research on the issue of the "everyday", visual artists Faye Mullen and Nathan Cyprys will unveil their work and poet Arun Nedra Rodrigo will perform.

The conference is organized by two 91��ɫ graduate students, Justin Derry and Martin Parrot, and funded by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, the Department of Humanities, the Humanities Graduate Student Association, the Graduate Student Association and the 91��ɫ and Ryerson Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture.

For more information, visit The Everyday: Experiences, Concepts, Narratives conference website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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This series��is an opportunity for graduate students conducting research on Asia and the Asian diaspora to present their research-in-progress to graduate students and a 91��ɫ faculty member. It is intended for 91��ɫ students in graduate programs in the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, natural sciences and professional schools to get presentation experience and valuable feedback on their research in a friendly and supportive environment.

Guidelines for submissions:

• Deadline for abstract submissions for the 2011 Graduate Student Workshop series is Dec. 20. Send submissions to Miriam Katz at windgeek@york.ca.
• Presentation proposals should include a title and a short abstract of 250 words. Proposals should be related to research concerning Asia or Asian diaspora.
• Students should also provide a short list of two or three potential 91��ɫ faculty members that they would like to comment on their research at the seminar and should indicate whether they have already approached the faculty members about this possibility. Note that each workshop presentation will have one faculty member discussant.
• Submissions should also include a selection of dates between January and April 2011, when the student is unavailable to present, to assist with event scheduling.

YCAR was established in 2002 to advance the academic study of Asia (South, East and Southeast) and the Asian diaspora. It promotes excellence in research on historic and contemporary Asia and Asian diaspora communities. The centre cooperates with many partners at 91��ɫ, across Canada and internationally to promote public understanding of Asia and Asian diasporas and Canada’s multiple engagements with the region.

For more information, visit the YCAR website.

Questions regarding submissions or this series can be directed to Miriam Katz at windgeek@yorku.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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The first conference attracted over 70 presenters from Canada, the United States, Europe and Latin America, who presented in 20 themed panels over a two-day period. Expert faculty members helped ensure rich debate and provided timely feedback, and selected papers were published in the CERLAC Working Paper series. CERLAC intends to continue the conversations begun in 2008. It is inviting submissions for its second conference to be held March 11 and 12 at 91��ɫ.

Recognizing the diversity within the region, creative and critical paper, panel and alternative presentation proposals are welcome on any aspect of study of Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole and/or its constituent parts. This conference represents an outstanding opportunity to recognize and explore emergent innovative research by graduate students in all disciplines. This includes, but is not limited to, the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, environmental studies, law and business. CERLAC is also seeking contributors whose work can open fruitful dialogues and exchanges across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The individual submission application form is available online. This form includes a request for a list of five carefully chosen keywords and a 250-word (maximum) abstract for papers, panels or alternative presentations.

The application form for panel proposals is also available online. CERLAC encourages applicants to submit themed panel proposals as a way to bring colleagues together to discuss current research and advance a particular field.

The deadline for the submission of abstracts and panel proposals is Nov. 15. Those planning to present in alternative formats, for example, film, dance, visual arts or music, they are encouraged to contact CERLAC earlier.

For more information or to submit completed application forms, contact CERLAC at lacsconf@yorku.ca.

Applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance by mid-January. Presenters will be asked to submit their papers by March 1.

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The deadline for nominations for the 2010 Michael Baptista Essay Prize competition is Aug.��29. Nominations are��limited to 91��ɫ students only.��Winners receive��$500��and essays selected to receive the prize will be considered for publication by the Centre for Research on Latin America��& the Caribbean (CERLAC) at 91��ɫ.

The essays may be from a full- or half-course during the 2009-2010 academic year or a summer 2009 course. Major research papers at the graduate level may also be nominated. Submissions should be no longer than 35 pages, including all references, tables, figures and notes.��Deadline extensions are available in instances where significant rewriting is required to shorten the work to within that limit.

The papers submitted will be reviewed by two to three faculty readers with research interests in Latin America and the Caribbean. Both the prize winners and the nominating faculty members will be advised of the decision by the end of October 2010.

To make a nomination, request a nomination form by sending an e-mail to��cerlac@yorku.ca. The nominated paper and accompanying form should be submitted to CERLAC,��8th Floor, 91��ɫ Research Tower,��no later than Aug. 29. Also send an electronic copy of the paper by e-mail to cerlac@yorku.ca.

Only faculty members can nominate a paper. Students cannot be self-nominated. Students who have received outstanding grades on their papers should bring the existence of this prize to the attention of their instructors, so that they might nominate the paper if they so choose.

The prizes are funded by the friends of Michael Baptista and the Royal Bank of Canada, where he was a senior vice-president until his untimely death.

For more information, contact the CERLAC office at 416-736-5237 or e-mail cerlac@yorku.ca.

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Above: The 91��ɫ Research Tower, which opened in September 2009, features��some 84,000 square feet of space and houses 12 research centres and two research project teams

“91��ɫ is a leading university in social sciences and humanities research, and nothing proves that more than a peer-review process,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, 91��ɫ's president��& vice-chancellor, referencing the recent successes of 91��ɫ researchers in securing a Killam Prize, two out of four of the Social Sciences��& Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) Major Collaborative Research Initiative awards, and a SSHRC Community-University Research Award.

“But having excellent researchers puts another level of responsibility on the University, which is to make absolutely sure that we have the environment and the support they need to reach their potential,” he said. “This building represents 91��ɫ’s commitment to building a research culture for success.”

The 10-storey building, which recently received��, opened in September 2009 and��features approximately 84,000 square feet (net) with wireless Internet access. It currently houses 12 research centres and two research project teams, and also provides office space for the and (ABEL) group, which provide support services for researchers. The Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, Office of Research Ethics and Office of Research Services occupy the fifth floor, along with extensive conference and meeting facilities (full occupant list).

“I think this is the best facility for social science and humanities research in the country, and our researchers deserve it,” said Stan Shapson (left), vice-president research��& innovation. “In addition to many new technologies, it’s built on the Greek agora model of community that allows researchers to come together and collaborate, both with researchers across the University and with external groups. Some of the issues they’re studying can’t be solved in isolation. No one has all the knowledge or the strategy to do it all��– we have to collaborate, which is also why we want the YRT to be a meeting place for the community to work with us.”

Chad Gaffield (left), , was also present for the event as part of a daylong visit to 91��ɫ’s Keele campus. “We use e-communications to deepen and enrich relationships that are, at least periodically, complemented by physical contact,” he said. “The genius of the YRT is its confirmation of the importance of creating face-to-face contact and then complementing those interactions through information communications technology. It’s a new model of engaged scholarship and research.”

Professor (below, right), director of the Centre for Refugee Studies on the research tower’s eighth floor, spoke about the importance of creating neighbourhoods for researchers. Since moving into the building, McGrath has formed new research connections with peers in the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research, the Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean, and , all of which are her neighbours on the��eighth floor.

“Having neighbourliness, good meeting space and research resources under one roof is great,” said McGrath. “I hosted colleagues from all around the world here for a three-day session in the bright and spacious Conference Centre. With help from ABEL, we streamed parts of our meeting online, allowing those who weren’t able to travel here opportunities to participate. The facilities are fostering our sense of research culture and allowing us to work more collaboratively than I think we would have without it.”

Graduate students have also benefited from new space on floors six, seven and eight that was designed for them as researchers. “When you walk around the building, you see graduate students everywhere,” said Susan Henders, director of the 91��ɫ��Centre for Asian Research. “They’re working on projects, relaxing in the lounges and interacting with their peers. It’s quality space that brings them into the centres and fosters their work and professional development, complementing their graduate program training.”

Watch videos from the Research Tower opening, with remarks from President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson, SSHRC President Chad Gaffield, Professor Susan Henders and Professor Susan McGrath.

“One student told me that having study space made him feel valued as a researcher and professional in the making,” Henders continued. “I want to commend the University for its foresight in recognizing the critical role graduate students play in organized research units and research on the campus.”

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer. Photos courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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