This special issue, Remembering Barbara Godard, is edited by four of her former colleagues and students – 91ŃÇÉ« women's studies Professor Eva C. Karpinski, professors Ray Ellenwood and Ian Sowton of the Department of English, and 91ŃÇÉ« alumna Jennifer Henderson, now a professor at Carleton University.

A pillar of the 91ŃÇÉ« community, Prof. Godard broadly influenced the fields of Canadian and Quebec studies, translation studies, feminist poetics, semiotics and cultural studies. She was also a founding co-editor of the feminist literary periodical Tessera, a contributing editor of Open Letter and The Semiotic Review of Books, and the book review editor for Topia: A Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies.

She died on May 16, 2010, at Toronto Western Hospital (see YFile, May 19, 2010).

For more information, visit the website.

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

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“This is an historic moment for Glendon,” said McRoberts. "We are deeply honoured to welcome such a large delegation of important dignitaries from Romania.”

Right: Teodor Baconschi (left) and Kenneth McRoberts

The Romanian lectureship was created when a collaboration agreement between Glendon and the Institute of Romanian Language, part of the Romanian Ministry of Education & Research in Bucharest, was signed on July 12, 2010.

Valentin Naumescu, consul-general of Romania in Toronto, first contacted Glendon’s French studies Professor Dorin Uritescu and Professor Françoise Mougeon, Glendon’s associate principal academic & research, who then guided the project to a successful start-up.

“As this is the first Romanian university program in Canada, we hope that in the future Glendon will become a centre which attracts students interested in pursuing in-depth studies in fields such as Romance and Balkan linguistics,” said Uritescu.

The first holder of the lectureship is linguistics Professor Ioana-Cristina Pîrvu (right), who comes to Glendon from the Romanian Language Department of the University of Bucharest. Currently, she is teaching two 2000-level courses as part of the Program of Linguistics & Language Studies in Glendon’s Multidisciplinary Studies Department – Romanian Language: A Linguistic Introduction and Romanian Culture from a Semiotic Perspective. Professor Pîrvu’s term runs for three years with a possibility of renewal.

"The new courses are an excellent fit with our language programs […] and there is an obvious interest in these courses. Professor Pîrvu’s contribution is very significant in motivating students. We hope to continue the program for many years to come," says McRoberts.

Before coming to Glendon, Pîrvu taught the courses in Zagreb, Croatia, to students from first year to the master’s level. “I am eager to promote the culture and language of my country and its significance in Europe and the world,” she said. “My teaching interests extend beyond language learning to geography, history, literature, music, the cinema and sports. There is so much that can be done.”

From left, front row: Professor Jerzy Kowal, chair of the Glendon Hispanic Studies Department; Uritescu; 91ŃÇÉ« film Professor Tereza Barta; Mougeon; PĂ®rvu; Glendon linguistics and language Professor Ian Martin. Back row: 91ŃÇÉ« information technology Professor Radu Campeanu; McRoberts; Baconschi; Romanian ambassador to Canada Elena Stefoi; Adrian Papahagi, cabinet adviser to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Romanian is the fifth major language of the Italic language family taught at Glendon – where courses in French, Spanish, Catalan and Latin already exist, continuing the linguistics program’s objective of offering courses in all the major Romance languages. In addition, growth potential for the lectureship can be found among first- and second-generation Romanian-speaking students, who are an increasing presence at Glendon and 91ŃÇÉ«, since the Romanian-speaking community in the GTA is estimated at around 70,000.

Right: Dorin Uritescu, McRoberts, 91ŃÇÉ« information technology Professor Radu Campeanu and Elena Stefoi, Romanian ambassador to Canada

The Romanian ambassador to Canada, Elena Stefoi, Doru Liciu, vice-consul of the Consulate General of Romania in Toronto, and Adrian Papahagi, advisor to Romania’s minister of foreign affairs, were also at the launch.

“We hope that this added presence of Romanian language and culture will strengthen the links between our two societies, which have many commonalities, as well as a long history of immigration and participation in the Francophonie,” said Baconschi.

For more information on the courses for the Romanian lectureship, contact Glendon’s .

By Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer

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

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Here, 91ŃÇÉ« humanities Professor , English Professor and PhD student Elena Basile offer an appreciation of Prof. Godard and her tireless work:

It is with great sadness that the Department of English at 91ŃÇÉ« announces the death of Professor Emerita Barbara Godard, a professor of English, French, social & political thought and women’s studies. A pillar of the 91ŃÇÉ« community and one of Canada’s pre-eminent literary scholars, Prof. Godard broadly influenced the fields of Canadian and Quebec studies, translation studies, feminist poetics, semiotics and cultural studies.

Right: Prof. Barbara Godard

She was a generous supervisor and mentor who trained and influenced a contemporary generation of cultural workers, including academics, writers and artists. The scope of her mentorship was fully recognized in 2002 when she became the recipient of teaching awards from 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools. Prof. Godard retired from full-time teaching in 2008, but continued a full intellectual and pedagogical life until her sudden passing.

Prof. Godard was a prolific and influential intellectual. An extraordinarily sharp and encyclopedic thinker, Prof. Godard’s interests encompassed semiotics, translation, gender, textuality and the body, as well as archives, memorials, and the history and changing politics of cultural production. With a keen eye for detail and a unique capacity for breadth of vision, she catalyzed interdisciplinary connections among culture, language, gender, politics, poetics and meaning.

After completing her doctorate at the University of Bordeaux, Prof. Godard began teaching at 91ŃÇÉ« in 1971 as a visiting assistant professor and was hired into a tenure-track position in 1976. She published eight books, 80 book chapters and 115 articles and catalogue entries. She translated the major writers of Quebec feminism, including Nicole Brossard, Yolande Villemarie and Louky Bersianik. She also served as editor or on the editorial board of no less than 22 journals. She was a founding co-editor of the feminist literary periodical , a contributing editor of and , and the book review editor for Topia: A Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies. She also made long-standing contributions to , s and ECW among others.

Prof. Godard was committed to and passionate about her graduate students across the Departments of English, French Studies, Film and Visual Arts, the School of Women’s Studies and the Program in Social & Political Thought, supervising over 35 PhD candidates. She built bridges between people and modes of inquiry because of her genuine enthusiasm for ideas. She worked between and across languages which so often divide. Prof. Godard inspired her colleagues and students through her critical creativity and her unwavering commitment to interrogating and producing the conditions for full civic engagement in the University and in the public sphere. We will miss her greatly.

Funeral arrangements

A funeral service will take place at 11am on Friday, May 21, at St. James-the-Less, 635 Parliament St., Toronto. A reception for friends and family will follow at Prof. Godard’s house at 217 Major St.,Toronto.

Prof. Godard’s family has requested no flowers; in light of her earlier struggles, donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be greatly appreciated.

As there may be other causes to which you might wish to make a memorial donation, the agency can inform Prof. Godard’s sister Elizabeth Cox at ecox27@sympatico.ca and her son Alexis at lex_o_matic@yahoo.com.

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

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