“A global mindset requires that an individual be able to detach from their own culture and experiences, and be both aware and open to the diversity around them,” wrote André deCarufel, academic director of the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA Program at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in The Globe and Mail Feb. 27. “Then that person must be able to use this ‘cultural intelligence’ to work effectively across cultures and achieve results.” Read full story.
Vaughan mayor makes pitch for York University campus at annual luncheon
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua’s annual speech to local business leaders Wednesday afternoon was cut short by a power outage, but not before he made an important pitch to York University President Mamdouh Shoukri, reported the Vaughan Citizen Feb. 26. “We consider ourselves very much tied to York University. We are from York Region, after all,” said Bevilacqua, who is a York University graduate. “And so, as you contemplate a new site for a new campus of York University, on behalf of the over 500 people that are here . . . I want to really ask you to consider our city for a new campus.” Read full story.
The prescription for manufacturing
“Manufacturing absolutely has a future in Canada, and in particular southwestern Ontario,” wrote Andrew Jackson, Packer Professor of Social Justice at York University, in the Toronto Star Feb. 27. “The key to understanding the future of the industry is in knowing where our competitive advantages lie.” Read full story.
Conservatives get flak for sending ‘partisan’ delegation to Ukraine
The Canadian delegation heading to Ukraine this week includes Conservative backbench MPs and an unelected Conservative senator, but no representation from opposition parties in spite of their asking to be included. . . . Bruce Hicks, a political scientist at York University in Toronto, said the government has no obligation to bring opposition MPs on the trip, but that the decision to invite backbench MPs Ted Opitz and James Bezan and Sen. Raynell Andreychuk has opened “a can of worms”. “Technically, the delegation is from the Government of Canada, not from the Parliament of Canada, but by including their own MPs, they’ve left themselves vulnerable to be accused of being partisan,” said Hicks in the National Post Feb. 27. Read full story.
Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth
Catastrophism is a collection of essays addressing the use of doomsday predictions in the environmental movement, the left, the right and in popular culture, reported Canadian Dimension Feb. 26. The four chapters are authored by Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen and James Davis. . . . The final chapter takes a look at catastrophism in pop culture. McNally, professor of political science at York University, firstly discusses the relationship between capitalism and body panics by linking the rise of early capitalism to body snatching. . . . McNally then discusses the historical origins of monsters, such as Frankenstein – who was constructed from dead body parts of humans and animals – and zombies, the cannibalistic consumer on one hand and the living-dead labourer on the other. Read full story.
Breaking into Chinatown
Our food culture today prizes experiences that are authentic and tinged with a hint of mystery and danger. We line up for restaurants that challenge us with intense ingredients and fiery spice; we love the rush of discovering obscure and delicious street food. Chinatown delivers this every day. Despite these charms, there are good reasons why other restaurateurs haven’t adopted the Chinatown’s model. For one, the style of cooking and kitchen setup are unique. “[The cadence of that kitchen] is so specific to how that food is made,” said Lily Cho, a York University professor and author of the book Eating Chinese, in The Grid Feb. 26. Chinese kitchens aren’t run by chef-artistes. They’re assembly lines of nameless cooks prized for their speed and specific skills. “It is hard to transplant,” Cho said. Read full story.
Virtual scavenger hunt created to promote Ontario university research
A virtual scavenger hunt is inviting the public to get a taste of the diverse research projects under way at Ontario’s 21 publicly funded universities, reported University Affairs Feb. 26. . . . Each weekday in February on the Research Matters website, a new video clue has been released that discusses a specific researcher and their current project. Players can unlock a code word each day that they can then use to complete a final phrase at the end of the month. Contestants could win daily and grand prizes, including five $500 cash prizes reserved for student participants. Among the research projects featured in the video clues is one by York University psychology Professor Frances Wilkinson who is researching how people who suffer from migraines have increased sensitivity to flickering light at all times, not just when they have a migraine. Read full story.
From Syria to Central African Republic, how to invest in refugees
“The ratio of men to women living in the Dadaab camps in Kenya is fairly equal, however less than a quarter of the students attending secondary school in the camps are girls,” said Emily Antze, program administrator of York University’s Borderless Higher Education for Refugees project, in the Guardian Feb. 26. “Girls are withdrawn from or never sent to school for many reasons, including domestic responsibilities, early marriage, lack of access to sanitary protection and cultural factors that prioritize education for men. Yet in studies in a wide variety of contexts around the world, educating women has been shown to greatly benefit their families and communities.” Read full story.