This afternoon, from 2 to 4pm at the at the Munk School at the University of Toronto, 91亚色 political science Professor (right) will be among a select group of panellists addressing these political shifts and the implications of the "Arab spring" from regional perspectives. Themes for discussion include, humanitarian intervention, nuclear weapons, non-violence and democracy. The panellists:

Emanuel Adler will speak on "The Israeli perspective on Transformation in the Middle East". Adler is professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, Andrea & Charles Bronfman Chair of Israeli Studies, and editor of International Organization.

Adler's interests include the international politics of identity and peace, rationality and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a constructivist reconsideration of strategic logic, including deterrence in post-Cold War international security, the role of practice in international relations, European security institutions, and international relations theory in particular, constructivism, epistemic communities and security communities.

Ramin Jahanbegloo will talk about "Civil Society and the Transformation in the Middle East". Jahanbegloo is an聽Iranian-Canadian philosopher.聽He taught in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto from 1997-2001 and聽later served as the head of the Department of Contemporary Studies of the Cultural Research Centre in Tehran.聽In聽2006-2007, Jahanbegloo was the Rajni Kothari Professor of Democracy at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi, India. In April 2006, he was arrested in Tehran Airport charged with preparing a velvet revolution in Iran. He was placed in solitary confinement for four months and released on bail. He is presently a professor of political science and a research fellow in the Centre for Ethics at University of Toronto and a board member of PEN Canada.

In October 2009, Jahanbegloo became the winner of the Peace Prize from the United Nations Association in Spain for his extensive academic works in promoting dialogue between cultures and his advocacy for non-violence.

Saeed Rahnema will present "The View from Iran towards Transformation in the Middle East". Rahnema is professor of political science at 91亚色. He has served as the director of the School of Public Policy聽& Administration and coordinator of the political science program聽in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Prior to joining 91亚色,聽he was a professor in the School of Policy Studies at Queen鈥檚 University. In his homeland of Iran, he taught and worked as a member of the executive of the Industrial Management Institute in Tehran. He is a frequent commentator on Canadian and international media on the issues of the Middle East and Islam, Human Rights, and Left and Labour Movement, and has published several books and numerous articles in English and Farsi (Persian).

He was cited in the 惭补肠濒别补苍鈥檚 Guide to Canadian Universities as a "most popular" professor in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. He聽won the 91亚色 Teaching Excellence Award in 2004. In 2007, he won the Government of Ontario鈥檚 Leadership in Faculty Teaching Award.

Janice Stein is the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science and the director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario. Her most recent publications include Networks of Knowledge: Innovation in International Learning (2000); The Cult of Efficiency (2001); and Street Protests and Fantasy Parks (2001). She is a contributor to Canada by Picasso (2006) and the co-author of The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar (2007).

Stein was the Massey Lecturer in 2001 and a Trudeau Fellow. She was awarded the Molson Prize by the Canada Council for an outstanding contribution by a social scientist to public debate. She is an Honorary Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Space is limited. Organizers ask that those interested in attending RSVP to rsvp@utapss.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post Professor Saeed Rahnema among distinguished thinkers speaking today on the Middle East appeared first on Research & Innovation.

The launch for Writing Justice (Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 2011) will take place on Thursday, April 14, from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Ave. W., Toronto. Everyone is welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

The book was published in recognition of the United Nations General Assembly鈥檚 proclamation of 2011 as the .

鈥淚 want the book to serve as both an historical example of ethno-racial media in the tradition of Mary Ann Shadd and Henry Bibb, and as a critical analysis of some of the most important issues impacting the lives of people of colour in the last decade,鈥� says Foster.

The aim of the International Year for People of African Descent is to strengthen national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to: their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights; their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society; and the promotion of a greater knowledge of, and respect for, their diverse heritage and culture.

Left: Lorne Foster

鈥淒r. Foster illustrates how, over the greater part of a decade, he has used his analytical skills and erudition as weapons for progressive social change. Despite covering a very wide range of topics 鈥� from leadership, human rights and race in the workplace through the language of culture and power, social problems in the city, health, urban poverty, and the immigration system聽鈥� Dr. Foster keeps a steady eye on the roots, reasons and results of the issues he analyzes and provides a picture of the vitality of the communities, the hurdles they face and the efforts made to overcome these hurdles,鈥� says Carl Thorpe, executive director of the .

Foster has written more than 200 articles for community and knowledge mobilization publications and was nominated for two media human rights awards, 鈥渇or alerting, informing and sensitizing the public with regard to the nature and value of human rights in Canada鈥� in 2001.

He is the author of and the co-editor of the forthcoming Balancing Competing Human Rights Claims in a Diverse Society, published by the .

His next book will deal with the foreign credentials gap in Canada.

For more information, call the at 416-979-2973. Attendees are asked to register in advance at mhso.mail@utoronto.ca.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post Professor Lorne Foster's book reviews major issues from black community perspective appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Recently, the school celebrated its public service partners and alumni at its second annual Meet and Greet Breakfast聽in the Grosvenor Room of聽at Toronto's聽Metro Central YMCA. The school聽took time to honour聽the Ontario Public Service (OPS) for its continued involvement with the practicum and internship programs.

Left: Shelly Jamieson, secretary to the Ontario Cabinet and head of the OPS

Three聽members of the OPS who had taken 91亚色 students year after year were聽f锚ted at the celebration. They were Orna Salamon, director of the聽Drinking Water Programs Branch, Ontario Ministry of the Environment; George Mandrapilias, team leader for聽Materials Industries in the聽Ministry of Economic Development聽& Trade; and Dave Cook, manager of strategic projects for the Ministry of the Environment.

More than 50 people attended the Sept. 14 celebration, including 91亚色 student association representatives, faculty, alumni and OPS staff.聽Shelly Jamieson, secretary to the Ontario Cabinet and the head of the OPS, delivered the keynote speech and also聽presented awards.

鈥淥ur organizations have helped hundreds of students gain valuable experience and a competitive edge in the job market," said Jamieson about the聽importance of the partnership between the OPS and 91亚色. "Together, we鈥檙e also infusing the Ontario Public Service with a new generation of dedicated and skilled professionals.鈥�

Each year 鈥� in conjunction with their fourth-year courses in program evaluation and public policy research 鈥� a number of students take a practicum course in which they volunteer to work in a government or other public agency for one day a week.

Most of the placements involve recurrent partnerships,聽says Peter Constantinou (BA '89), the school鈥檚 internship and practicum coordinator.聽This, he adds,聽is due to the high calibre of students coming in the program and their commitment to top-notch work.

Left: Peter Constantinou

鈥淪ince graduation last June, over half聽the students who did not go on to graduate studies have been hired by the public sector, and all attribute it to the experience that they received in this program," says Constantinou. "These practicums and internships have provided students with an invaluable opportunity to apply their formal education and training in real public service situations, and have helped them make decisions about a career in the public sector.鈥�

鈥淚t is a testimony to the quality of the careful match we make between work and student, that聽each year many students end up being hired as interns by their placement organization,鈥� says Professor Joanne Magee, director of the school.

For more information, visit the聽School of Public Policy聽& Administration website.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post The School of Public Policy & Administration celebrates its public service partners appeared first on Research & Innovation.

On May 17, the War Crimes and Refugee Status Research Workshop took place, followed by a welcome reception to launch the 91亚色 2010 International Conference on Forced Displacement, Protection Standards and the Supervision of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol and Other International Instruments held over the next three days. Both international events featured distinguished senior jurists, legal scholars and academics, government officials, intergovernmental officials, non-governmental organization officials, advocates and students.

The idea for both the international research workshop and the conference grew out of discussions at the Research Workshop on Critical Issues in International Refugee Law, held at 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus in May 2008. The War Crimes and Refugee Status Research Workshop was the result of a concerted effort to continue work begun at the 2008 research workshop with a wider international collaborative and聽compartative聽research project . The international conference came out of a proposal by Justice Tony North of the Federal Court of Australia, immediate past-president of the , for the establishment of an International Judicial Commission for Refugees.

Above: Conference participants from around the world gather for a group photo

The conference鈥檚 opening was delivered by Volker Turk, director of the Division of International Protection for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),聽who outlined seven points for enhancing the monitoring and supervision of international protection standards for those forcibly displaced in the world today.

Among Turk鈥檚 seven points were two substantive proposals: the establishment of an expert advisory committee on the implementation of international instruments, and reconstituting a special committee of the Executive Committee that would focus specifically on international protection.

, professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Public Policy & Administration in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and a former Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada judge, is leading both initiatives, supported by , 91亚色鈥檚 associate vice-president research & innovation, and , director of the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) at 91亚色.

In addition to Turk, the international conference featured two other keynote speakers, Justice Nicholas Blake, president of the聽Asylum and Immigration Chamber, Upper Tribunal, UK, and Professor Sriprapha Petcharamesree of聽the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and Centre for Human Rights Studies聽at聽Mahidol University in Thailand.

Panel presentations covered a variety of topics on current monitoring and supervisory practices and experiences of the UNHCR and states party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as possible ideas, proposals and reforms for enhancing the supervision of international protection standards in the context of forced displacement. The international conference also considered the effectiveness of legal instruments and remedies in the Global South and the Global North. The final day was devoted to presentations on International Protection and Public Accountability: The Role of Civil Society.

Above: Participants at the research workshop gather for a photo. Front row seated left to right: Professor Sharryn Aiken, Queen's University; Barbara Harrell-Bond, OBE, UK; Professor James Simeon, 91亚色; Professor Jane McAdam, University of New South Wales, Australia; Justice Anthony North, Federal Court of Australia; First row standing: Professor Ian Greene, 91亚色; Susan Davis, Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy; Professor Susan McGrath, 91亚色; Professor Elspeth Guild, Radboud University, The Netherlands; Kees Wouters, UNHCR, Geneva, Switzerland; Judge-President Bernard Ngoepe, South Africa; Justice President Ana Calzada, Costa Rica; Second row standing: Nico Mol, European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, France; Justice Professor Dr. Harald Dorig, Germany; Justice Dr. Bostjan Zalar, Slovenia;聽IRB Chair聽Brian Goodman; Joseph Rikhof, senior counsel, Justice Canada; Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill, University of Oxford; Dr. Alice Edwards, University of Oxford; Mary Teresa Glynn, Canada Border Services Agency; Geoffrey Care, Shetland Islands, Scotland.

The War Crimes and Refugee Status Research Workshop was divided into two panel presentations and roundtable discussions. The morning panel session on the war crimes and refugee status research project, funded by an International Opportunities Fund grant from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada,聽included presentations from Professors Geoff Gilbert, School of Law, University of Essex, UK; Kate Jastram, Berkeley Law, University of California Berkeley; and Simeon.

The聽afternoon panel focused on the developing content on exclusion under Article 1F(a) of the 1951 Convention, which聽included presentations from Joseph Rikhof, senior legal counsel, Justice Canada; Justice Professor Harald Dorig, Federal Administrative Court, Germany, and Kees Wouters, senior refugee law adviser, Division of International Protection, UNHCR.

Canadian government officials in attendance at the research workshop or the international conference included: Chief Justice Allan Lutfy of the Federal Court of Canada and fellow Justices Luc Martineau and Russel Zinn; Brian Goodman,聽chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB),聽Ken Sandhu, deputy chair of the IRB's聽Refugee Protection Division, Sylvia Cox-Duquette, senior general counsel, and other聽IRB officials; Kristen Mlacack, director of Citizenship and Immigration Canada; and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canada Border Services Agency.

Among 91亚色 faculty members who participated in one or both events聽were: Nergis Canefe, associate director of the Centre for Refugee Studies, a political science professor in 91亚色鈥檚 School of Public Policy & Administration and adjunct faculty member in the Faculty of Law at Turkey鈥檚 Istanbul Bilgi University; Obiora Okafor, professor in 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School; Michael Barutciski, professor and director of graduate studies in Glendon鈥檚 School of Public & International Affairs, and Professor Emeritus Howard Adelman, founding director of the CRS.

In addition to visitors from across Canada and the United States, the research workshop and international conference participants came from such countries as Australia, Costa Rica, India, Japan, Thailand and South Africa. European participants included representatives from France, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Slovenia,聽and the United Kingdom.

Both the research workshop and international conference were chaired by Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill, senior research fellow, All Souls College, University of Oxford, England. A Canadian, Goodwin-Gill is聽one of the world鈥檚 leading authorities in international refugee law.

For further information on the research workshop and the international conference, visit their Web sites.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post High-powered workshop and conference examine international refugee law appeared first on Research & Innovation.

91亚色 has been awarded a grant to establish a European Union Centre of Excellence(EUCE). Recognized for the excellence, breadth and depth of its European Union (EU) studies and scholarly activities, 91亚色 will receive funding of $480,000 over three years to integrate the University鈥檚 existing research, teaching, outreach and networking activities on Europe and the European Union (EU), and introduce and facilitate new activities on the EU and EU-Canada relations.

91亚色 is recognized as a leader in European studies and has been actively building its concentration in EU studies. Over the past few years, 91亚色 has attracted numerous new European-focused faculty appointments across a variety of disciplines, including law, political science, business, public administration and humanities. The hub of this activity has been the Canadian Centre for German & European Studies (CCGES), whose affiliated faculty and staff form a natural constituency and administrative backbone for the activities planned by the new EUCE.

鈥淲e are tremendously proud of 91亚色鈥檚 leadership and research excellence in European studies,鈥� said Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淭he activities of the EUCE will promote understanding and knowledge of the European Union as a major player in the global political and economic system, and will be key in promoting the importance of the EU-Canada relationship, its political, economic, security and cultural dimensions, and the widening range of global and regional issues jointly addressed by the EU and Canada.鈥�

With this award, 91亚色 joins a network of two dozen EUCEs worldwide. 91亚色鈥檚 EUCE will be hosted by CCGES and directed by Willem Maas (right), Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration and professor of political science and public & international affairs at聽Glendon College.

The EUCE鈥檚 multidisciplinary team also includes:

• Burkard Eberlein,聽policy professor in the Schulich School of Business;
• Roger Keil, director of the聽CITY Institute and CCGES, and a professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies;
• Heather MacRae,聽professor in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS);
• Peter McIsaac,聽professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics,聽(LA&PS);
• Ian Roberge,聽professor聽of聽political science and public & international affairs at聽Glendon College;
• Karen Robson, sociology professor in the Department of Sociology, (LA&PS);
• Craig Scott, director of the聽, and聽professor in聽Osgoode Hall Law School;
• Dagmar Soennecken,聽professor in the聽School of Public Policy聽& Administration, (LA&PS);
• Leah Vosko, Canada Research Chair in Feminist Political Economy聽and聽professor in the聽Department of Political Science, (LA&PS);
• Robert Wai,聽professor in聽Osgoode Hall Law School;
• Peer Zumbansen,聽Canada Research Chair in the Transnational聽& Comparative Law of Corporate Governance and professor in Osgoode Hall Law School.

About the European Union Centres of Excellence

Established in 1998 by the European Union, the network of European Union Centres of Excellence in universities provides information and education about the European Union. In Canada, the objectives of the EU Centres are to increase awareness about the political, economic and cultural importance of the EU-Canada relationship, to promote greater understanding in Canada of the European Union and its policies, and to disseminate information and publicize EU views on issues of interest within regional communities.

The post 91亚色 awarded a European Union Centre of Excellence appeared first on Research & Innovation.