Cultivating the Futures Imaginary:
Imaginative Methods and Futures Literacies
Session 3 of 4

Fictopoeisis and Creative Futures Writing

In this 30-minute creative writing and imagining session, we will engage in a practice of what Rachel theorizes in her doctoral studies as fictopoeisis – or the creation of fictions to inquire into future worlds. The focus of fictopoeisis is exploration, experimentation, curious inquiry, and play in and with imagined future spaces. Participants will be introduced to a series of creative digital writing and imagining prompts that help spark the emergence of fictional peoples, technologies, and materialities to explore through creative and expressive writing. Participants will have time to write in a group context and share the surprising landscapes of their imaginary future worlds.

Presenter:

Rachel Horst is literacy scholar and educator who recently completed her doctoral degree from the Department of Language and Literacy Education at The University of British Columbia. Her research focusses upon creative and arts-based digital literacies and future literacies pedagogies as conceptualized through a posthuman ontology of difference. Her work investigates the generative confluence of digital creation, writing-as-becoming, and creative futures for cultivating the imaginary. Informed by decolonial discourse, Rachel’s research praxis takes up creative methods that seek to map theoretically enriched pathways between literacies scholarship, systems thinking, and future literacies pedagogy. Rachel currently lives with her family in xwilkway (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia). Before pursuing her doctoral degree she was a secondary school teacher, working in the remote Indigenous community of Bella Bella, BC, and at the alternative school on the traditional territory of the Shishalh peoples on the Sunshine Coast, BC. Her teaching practice continues to be informed by her work with youth outside of mainstream contexts, exploring creative technologies for sharing alternative stories of selves and futures in and for troubled times.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Gd9YLwckZypxaJdj8

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Gaming the System: Gaming and Relational Literacy

Video gaming is a kind of literacy, and one that has a proven effect on other kinds of literacies, such as cultural, technological, and media literacy as well as design thinking. As educators, it is important to understand what literacies or “reading practices” students are already bringing into the classroom in order to teach from a place that recognizes students’ strengths and supports their interests. This is particularly the case for many neurodivergent learners, especially those who are autistic and/or ADHD, for whom gaming often provides a valuable and accessible sphere of agency, engagement, achievement, and self-expression.

At the same time, a simple “gamification” approach to education risks instrumentalizing away the very things that make gaming so appealing. This is sometimes described as the “chocolate covered broccoli” effect. Worse, a gaming-as-unidirectional-intervention approach, which has been particularly prevalent in the medical discourse of the past several years, risks uncritically reinscribing stigmatizing, over-simplified, and outright manipulative practices (the medical or educational equivalent of Gacha games).

Instead, an engagement with game-based literacies should be based on the core relationality at the centre of education itself, involving an open-endedness and meaningful interactivity that allows for the development of a student’s sense of agency, engagement, achievement, and self-expression.

Presenter:

Dr. Ben Mitchell is a librarian, educator, and researcher with a background in the history of science and medicine. They have been a curator involved in the public history of mental health and neurodivergence and have delivered talks and programming on topics related to neurodiversity and information literacy at numerous conferences and events, including as an invited speaker at the Waterloo Public Library and as part of CAPAL’s Diversity & Equity Committee. They are also the organizer of the Neuro-GLAM-erous Discord server and annual conference for neurodivergent gallery, library, archives, and museum (GLAM) workers.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/YfU184wQWQqbtNXe9

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Cultivating the Futures Imaginary:
Imaginative Methods and Futures Literacies
Session 2 of 4

Technology and the Futures Imaginary

In this 40-minute session, we will engage with a series of new media and artistic digital texts that model technologically saturated future worlds, exploring together the dangers, possibilities, and affordances of other-than-human futures. The focus in this session will be to inquire into ongoing developments in colonized/ing digital technologies and articulate pathways for creative and critical resistance that might move us towards more beneficial relationalities in and with our machines. Participants will explore and discuss their own affective responses to technologized futures and will leave the session with creative methods for collaborating with digital technologies to tell different stories of possibility.

Presenter:

Rachel Horst is literacy scholar and educator who recently completed her doctoral degree from the Department of Language and Literacy Education at The University of British Columbia. Her research focusses upon creative and arts-based digital literacies and future literacies pedagogies as conceptualized through a posthuman ontology of difference. Her work investigates the generative confluence of digital creation, writing-as-becoming, and creative futures for cultivating the imaginary. Informed by decolonial discourse, Rachel’s research praxis takes up creative methods that seek to map theoretically enriched pathways between literacies scholarship, systems thinking, and future literacies pedagogy. Rachel currently lives with her family in xwilkway (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia). Before pursuing her doctoral degree she was a secondary school teacher, working in the remote Indigenous community of Bella Bella, BC, and at the alternative school on the traditional territory of the Shishalh peoples on the Sunshine Coast, BC. Her teaching practice continues to be informed by her work with youth outside of mainstream contexts, exploring creative technologies for sharing alternative stories of selves and futures in and for troubled times.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Gd9YLwckZypxaJdj8

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Cultivating the Futures Imaginary:
Imaginative Methods and Futures Literacies
Session 1 of 4

Futures Literacies

In this 60-minute session, participants will be introduced to the interdisciplinary concept of futures literacies along with different philosophical approaches to thinking and modeling complex futures in and for troubled times. We will explore the ways that futures imaginaries continue to be colonized by contemporary narratives of impossibility, and explore pathways for critical resistant to status quo futures through imaginative practice. In this session, we will engage with a selection of Indigenous narratives that model futures in radically different ways. Via hands-on and participatory creative imagining prompts, participants will explore their own sensing of the future and how this kind of reflective practice can help increase resilience in the face of uncertainty. Participants will leave this session with a strong understanding of futures literacies as a concept along with methods for critique and analysis of contemporary narratives of the future.

Presenter:

Rachel Horst is literacy scholar and educator who recently completed her doctoral degree from the Department of Language and Literacy Education at The University of British Columbia. Her research focusses upon creative and arts-based digital literacies and future literacies pedagogies as conceptualized through a posthuman ontology of difference. Her work investigates the generative confluence of digital creation, writing-as-becoming, and creative futures for cultivating the imaginary. Informed by decolonial discourse, Rachel’s research praxis takes up creative methods that seek to map theoretically enriched pathways between literacies scholarship, systems thinking, and future literacies pedagogy. Rachel currently lives with her family in xwilkway (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia). Before pursuing her doctoral degree she was a secondary school teacher, working in the remote Indigenous community of Bella Bella, BC, and at the alternative school on the traditional territory of the Shishalh peoples on the Sunshine Coast, BC. Her teaching practice continues to be informed by her work with youth outside of mainstream contexts, exploring creative technologies for sharing alternative stories of selves and futures in and for troubled times.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Gd9YLwckZypxaJdj8

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Frantic Free: How to Calm Down, Lighten Up and Reduce Stress

3rd of 3 sessions

This upbeat and practical ‘how to’ session is based on Morgan’s Canadian Best selling micro-book, Frantic Free, 167 Ways to Calm Down and Lighten Up.  You will discover how to minimize unnecessary stress, and how to better manage emotions, thought patterns and physical discomfort while increasing your fun factor.

You will:
1.     Understand the difference between natural stress and unnecessary stress.
2.     Learn how to limit and handle unnecessary stress.
3.     Try out five relaxing 30 Second Quickies.
4.     Transform distress into a smile.

Presenter:

Patricia Morgan is often referred to as the Spunky Seniorpreneur. Her ability to provide bite-sized knowledge nuggets for resilience has helped many people emerge stronger after facing unthinkable challenge. 
Through Solutions for Resilience Patricia helps organizations and individuals strengthen resilience at work and at home. With a MA in Clinical Psychology, she has authored several books on resilience and stress management. 
She is a recipient of Global TV’s Woman of Vision award and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers’ Spirit of CAPS award for her contribution to the Canadian speaking industry. Patricia continues to be a people booster in her role as a therapist, author, TEDx speaker coach, and mentor. Check her out and see her in action at www.SolutionsForResilience.com

“Just being in the same room as Patricia Morgan is a stress reliever.”
Kay Olsen, Coordinator, Women in Business

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/CzaGTKdPY9uRTgeZ6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Indigenous Research and Data Series
Session #3 of 3 - How to Persuade Policymakers: Storytelling and Statistics

Building on our earlier two discussions, this talk will look at advice from Indigenous scholars regarding how best to collect and report data. We will talk about these experts’ advice, thinking about ways that Indigenous communities can benefit from research and data collection, with a larger goal of data sovereignty. 

Watch: FNIGC: Data by First Nations for First Nations  (7:19)

Watch: UAlberta's Cindy Blackstock (11:54)

Presenter:
Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2008, after completing her PhD at McMaster University in 2006. Her SSHRC-funded research focuses on family life: parenting magazine advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families. She lives on the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener) and her teenaged children roast her for being a so-called parenting “expert”.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/unpfBQphBiFGGCEb6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Neurodiverging Inside and Outside the Classroom

This talk and discussion are about being neurodivergent in academia, including administrative and structural barriers to accessibility and institutional accountability in light of the high rates of abuse in academic settings and some ways to support neurodivergent students, faculty, and staff. We will explore the importance of representation for educational outcomes, the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and discuss several approaches to teaching and outreach, such as by liaising effectively with student clubs, being honest to your own interest, and giving “interest informed” workshops.

Presenter:
Dr. Ben Mitchell is a librarian, educator, and researcher with a background in the history of science and medicine. They have been a curator involved in the public history of mental health and neurodivergence and have delivered talks and programming on topics related to neurodiversity and information literacy at numerous conferences and events, including as an invited speaker at the Waterloo Public Library and as part of CAPAL’s Diversity & Equity Committee. They are also the organizer of the Neuro-GLAM-erous Discord server and annual conference for neurodivergent gallery, library, archives, and museum (GLAM) workers.

Cost: Free

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Indigenous Research and Data Series
Session #2 of 3 - What Not To Do: Universities and First Nations Data

This presentation will look closely at two examples of problematic research carried out on First Nations people.  Our discussion will focus on two stories. First, we will learn about the Havasupai tribe, and a study they participated in at Arizona State University. Second, we will look at a more recent study and the Pictou Landing First Nation. Both examples show us the importance of “OCAP” principles regarding data: Ownership, Control, Access and Possession. 

Watch: The Two Faces of Research: the Havasupai experience with Arizona State University (21:12)

Watch: The Havasupai Project (2:13)

Watch:  Understanding the First Nations Principles of OCAP™: Our Road Map to Information Governance (2:36)

Presenter:
Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2008, after completing her PhD at McMaster University in 2006. Her SSHRC-funded research focuses on family life: parenting magazine advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families. She lives on the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener) and her teenaged children roast her for being a so-called parenting “expert”.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/unpfBQphBiFGGCEb6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

How to Collaboratively Create Open Education Resources with your Students
Session #2

In this second session, we will continue to build on what you can do to create successful OERs with your students. We will look at ways of engaging students and selecting creative commons licensing options, how to manage data, and the importance of creating style guides for your project. I will share with you the challenges and successes I've had in creating my own OERs with my students. 

Presenter:

Julia Alards-Tomalin is an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), in Burnaby, Canada. She studied Forestry and Ecological Restoration at BCIT and recently completed a Master of Education at Simon Fraser University. Her background is diverse, including horticulture, arboriculture, invasive species management and ecological restoration, but is united by a common theme of plants. 

Starting in 2019, Julia began to work with her students to create an Open Education textbook focusing on the winter identification of plants entitled Buds, Branches and Bark: A Guide to Winter ID in the Pacific Northwest. Buds, Branches and Bark is free to download, and the 3rd edition is currently available on the BCIT website.  In 2022 Julia was awarded the Teaching Excellence in Open Education Employee Excellence Award at BCIT for her involvement in this Open Education Resource and several others. In 2023 the 2nd edition of Buds, Branches and Bark was awarded the Open Education Global Award for Excellence in the Open Pedagogy category and the BC campus Award for Excellence in Open Education.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/WLxaqFZFcEgWAuD49

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Indigenous Research and Data Series
Session #1 of 3 - Starvation for Science: How Research Helped Colonialism

This discussion will review some of the history of scientific research and how it was used to support colonialism. We will look at malnourishment experiments conducted in the 1940s and 1950s. This talk will examine scientific research as a tool used by government officials to further colonization, rather than a neutral way of advancing knowledge. 

Watch: 4:38-35:43: “Nutrition Experiments in Residential Schools”

Watch:  Hunger experienced in residential schools linked to present-day health problems (2:11)

Presenter:
Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2008, after completing her PhD at McMaster University in 2006. Her SSHRC-funded research focuses on family life: parenting magazine advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families. She lives on the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener) and her teenaged children roast her for being a so-called parenting “expert”.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/unpfBQphBiFGGCEb6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Is Your Evidence Really Biased?
Behaviourist Capture, Autistic Self-Advocacy, and the Dangers of Vocational Awe

In the history of science and medicine there are numerous examples of how the “best available evidence” promoted by professional societies was profoundly, destructively wrong. This can be seen in the widespread support of scientific racism and eugenics as well as the pathologization of “sexual inversion” and gender variance. When academics talk about the nature of authority and hold up peer-review as an example of a methodological gold standard in academic and medical research, we must always ask ourselves: whose peers are we talking about? For that matter, whose interests are we talking about? 

It is becoming increasingly evident even to those outside the autistic community that despite claims of being grounded in evidence-based practices, most studies on the effectiveness of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) are poorly designed, do not disclose conflicts of interest, display a strategic disregard of the harmful outcomes of interventions, and do not reflect the interests of the majority of autistic people. At best, ABA is expensive, intensive, and ineffective at improving life outcomes. At worst, it is actively traumatic and makes us more susceptible to further victimization.   

This discussion will examine recent challenges to the evidence-based nature of ABA and how ABA practitioners have historically taken advantage of the internalist nature of the peer-review system. These challenges reinforce what autistic activists have been saying for over twenty years and have consequences for how educators deliver information literacy instruction. Information literacy is not a neutral activity and must include a place for own voice narratives, patient, and survivor accounts if we are to avoid perpetuating harmful industry standards with a shrug and a gesture to how “well, everyone’s doing it.”

Presenter:

Dr. Ben Mitchell is a librarian, educator, and researcher with a background in the history of science and medicine. They have been a curator involved in the public history of mental health and neurodivergence and have delivered talks and programming on topics related to neurodiversity and information literacy at numerous conferences and events, including as an invited speaker at the Waterloo Public Library and as part of CAPAL’s Diversity & Equity Committee. They are also the organizer of the Neuro-GLAM-erous Discord server and annual conference for neurodivergent gallery, library, archives, and museum (GLAM) workers.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/eKEh8SS752BpABAX9

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Empowering students’ voices: Ñ! #AMERICANA.

Classroom magazines can be effective media projects to engage students in learning. In this presentation, attendees will learn about Ñ! magazine and explore how publishing classroom projects can create opportunities to develop literacy, collaboration, cultural competency, and self-expression. Empower your students’ voices. Publish your class mag!

Presenter:

Daniel Verdugo is a Spanish teacher at Huron HS, in Ann Arbor Public Schools, Michigan. He was born and raised in Spain, and earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Barcelona. He is currently pursuing his TESOL Master's Degree at Western Michigan University.
He is the founder of myclassmag.com and publisher of Ñ! magazine. His teaching practice focuses on providing opportunities for reflection and dialogue in the classroom as a way to develop language proficiency, digital literacy, and critical thinking. Ñ! magazine was recognized by the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages with the 2023 ACTFL/LCF Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Classroom.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/8UJ4rmfAB85U4r9c7

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

How Social Class Influences American Childrearing

This discussion focuses on the American sociologist Annette Lareau’s finding that family life is shaped by social class, as parents embrace different styles of childrearing based on their social class. Lareau argues that poor and working-class families carry out the “accomplishment of natural growth”. In contrast, middle-class families engage in a different style of childrearing: “concerted cultivation”. This talk will outline Lareau’s main ideas about family life, including critiques of her work.

Reading: Lareau, A. (2002). Invisible inequality: Social class and childrearing in black families and white families. American Sociological Review, 747-776.

Presenter:

Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2008, after completing her PhD at McMaster University in 2006. Her SSHRC-funded research focuses on family life: parenting magazine advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families. She lives on the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener) and her teenaged children roast her for being a so-called parenting “expert”.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/LCC2dVKx3RMSB7GU8

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

How to Collaboratively Create Open Education Resources with your Students
Session #1

In this introductory session, we will learn about Open Education Resources and how to create them using Open Pedagogy practices. We will look at examples of different type of Open Education Resources and discuss the initial ground work for starting a project. There will also be time for brainstorming ideas and get advice for how to start creating  your own OERs with your students. 

Presenter:

Julia Alards-Tomalin is an instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), in Burnaby, Canada. She studied Forestry and Ecological Restoration at BCIT and recently completed a Master of Education at Simon Fraser University. Her background is diverse, including horticulture, arboriculture, invasive species management and ecological restoration, but is united by a common theme of plants. 

Starting in 2019, Julia began to work with her students to create an Open Education textbook focusing on the winter identification of plants entitled Buds, Branches and Bark: A Guide to Winter ID in the Pacific Northwest. Buds, Branches and Bark is free to download, and the 3rd edition is currently available on the BCIT website.  In 2022 Julia was awarded the Teaching Excellence in Open Education Employee Excellence Award at BCIT for her involvement in this Open Education Resource and several others. In 2023 the 2nd edition of Buds, Branches and Bark was awarded the Open Education Global Award for Excellence in the Open Pedagogy category and the BC campus Award for Excellence in Open Education.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/WLxaqFZFcEgWAuD49

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Echoes of Ancestry: Reviving Indigenous Languages in the Age of AI

30 min presentation followed by 15 min Q & A

As we navigate the digital era, the rapid advancement of technology and the dominance of global languages threaten the diversity and survival of Indigenous languages. This session explores innovative strategies for language preservation that leverage artificial intelligence and digital platforms, fostering a bridge between traditional knowledge and modern tools. By examining the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in language revitalization, we aim to ignite a conversation on how technology can be harnessed to empower Indigenous communities, ensuring their languages flourish for generations to come. Our interactive presentation will engage participants in discussions on creating sustainable, community-driven initiatives for linguistic and cultural preservation, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between technologists, linguists, and Indigenous communities. Join us in exploring how we can collectively support the vibrancy of Indigenous languages in the age of AI, contributing to a richer, more diverse global tapestry.

Presenter:

Dr. James Hutson specializes in multidisciplinary research that encompasses artificial intelligence, neurohumanities, neurodiversity, immersive realities, and the gamification of education. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art from the University of Tulsa, a Master of Arts in Art History from Southern Methodist University, and a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Maryland, College Park, he later acquired additional Master's degrees in Leadership and Game Design from Lindenwood University and additional PhD in Artificial Intelligence at Capitol Technology University (2023). Over the span of his academic career since 2006, Hutson has held various pedagogical and administrative positions across five universities, including Chair of Art History, Assistant Dean of Graduate and Online Programs, and most recently, Lead XR Disruptor and Department Head of Art History and Visual Culture. Notably, his scholarly portfolio includes several books on the application of artificial intelligence in education and cultural heritage, such as Creative Convergence: The AI Renaissance in Art and Design (2024), as well as numerous articles and case studies.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/Wg4vxvuVyDFnWPs79

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Future Food Solutions

This presentation will look at what's being done about food security and food sovereignty in Canada and will discuss strengths and weaknesses of various options.

Presenter:

Alissa Overend (she/they) is an Associate Professor in the department of Sociology at MacEwan University. She has been living and working in Treaty 6 territory for the last 20 years and is passionate about food equity and food quality. 

Dr. Alissa Overend (she/they)
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
MacEwan University, 6-398A, 10700-104 Avenue, NW
Edmonton, AB, T5J 4S2

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/eBrWjvXv9GyLHrU58

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Elk Island National Park: The Management Planning Consultation Process

Elk Island National Park is located 35 minutes east of Edmonton, Alberta and protects a ~200 km^2 area of land known as Amiskwaciy (the Beaver Hills) in an aspen parkland region. The park is known for its ungulate conservation program, including healthy populations of bison (buffalo). Elk Island recently tabled a new management plan in Parliament on December 12, 2023. Management plans are ten-year long term strategic plans created for all national parks and historic sites across Canada. Plans are created using input from consultation with Indigenous partners, stakeholders and the public. This session will explore the consultation process at Parks Canada and how this helped shape the vision for the next ten years at Elk Island.

Presenter:
Hello/Bonjour/Tansi! My name is Charlotte and I am a first-generation Canadian of settler ancestry. I work for Parks Canada at Elk Island National Park where I am one of the project managers for the Elk Island National Park Management Plan Consultation process.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/czEnw9woMDngxXgD7

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Focus for Writers

This interactive seminar and Q&A will teach you practical techniques to increase your focus and systematically expand your concentration span. Seminar also includes advice to help people with ADD or ADHD focus effectively.

30mins seminar + 15m Q&A session (total 45mins).
Note: Time can be adjusted from 15mins total to 60mins total.

Presenter:

Gabriel Packard has lectured on focus at colleges and universities including Yale, Princeton, Cornell, NYC, Dartmouth, U. Penn, Wellesley, Oxford and Cambridge. He is the author of the novel The Painted Ocean and his writing has appeared in over 100 publications worldwide, most recently The New Yorker.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/iqxF7aK6phbPCPWw7

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Babies Often Get Bored: Change and Continuity in Childrearing Advice, 1926-2021

This discussion examines changes in parenting magazines’ portrayal of children and family life between 1926 and 2021. This talk explores the social context of family life by looking at magazine covers.  This research shows changes over time in the portrayal of children and family life. For instance, magazine covers become more intensively child-focused, with children increasingly featured on the covers over time. I’ll also talk about how I came to study parenting advice, looking at an example of a previous study, that explored how peanut allergies were discussed in parenting advice magazines. 

Reading: Muñoz, V. L., & Quirke, L. (2022). The joy of foodwork: allergies, gendered foodwork and emotion work in parenting advice, 1991–2020. Food, Culture & Society, 25(5), 953-976.

Presenter(s):

Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2008, after completing her PhD at McMaster University in 2006. Her SSHRC-funded research focuses on family life: parenting magazine advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families. She lives on the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener) and her teenaged children roast her for being a so-called parenting “expert”.

A link to my research publications is here.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/CZ3uSPNZDNDarMmC9

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Surveillance: The Master Patterns

30 min presentation followed by 15 min Q & A. 

Surveillance has rapidly emerged as one of the most important aspects of contemporary societies. Not long ago, surveillance was comparatively rare, and targeted small groups of people. Today, surveillance in the form of cameras, Big Data, drones, and much more, touch touches almost all our lives, often in ways that are hard to perceive or understand.

This presentation will outline the major trends in the operation of surveillance. It will discuss some of the ethical and pragmatic challenges posed by these developments. Student will gain a greater appreciation for what is now one of the most consequential aspects of contemporary society. 

Presenter(s):

Dr. Kevin D Haggerty is interim Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Alberta. He is a Killam Research Laureate and Tier I Canada Research Chair. He was the executive editor of the Canadian Journal of Sociology from 2007-2013. His research has been in the area of surveillance, governance, policing, and risk. Currently holds direct (with Dr. Sandra Bucerius) the University of Alberta Prison Project.

Kevin D. Haggerty
Professor of Criminology and Sociology
Killam Laureate, Canada Research Chair
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H4
Kevin D. Haggerty
Professor of Criminology and Sociology
Killam Laureate, Canada Research Chair
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H4

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/3wMZufFXHAd4Xdtt6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Indigenous Economic Development and Building Capacity

20-minute presentation, and a 10-minute Q&A

PowerPoint presentation covering the work that Cando does in Indigenous Economic Development and Capacity Building

Presenter(s):

Associate Director, Procurement, John Johnstone is joining Cando on a long-term assignment from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to support the Government of Canada’s commitment to increasing Indigenous participation in federal procurement. Based in Victoria, BC, John will provide focused support to Economic Development Officers, communities, and businesses to navigate Government of Canada procurement opportunities. John brings over 20 years of experience with the Government of Canada and has an extensive background in project management, strategic engagement, business development, and economics.

Certification Coordinator – Western Canada, Geraldine Potts is joining Cando with numerous years of experience in administration and management, having worked with different levels of government, tribalaffiliations, and Indigenous non-profit organizations, she brings to Cando a wealth of knowledge. Her background includes experience in entrepreneurship, business development, community development, project management, mental health and addictions, and curriculum development. As the Certification Coordinator-Western, Geraldine manages the TAED/PAED certification for EDOs, tracking progress for training, coordinating community training, assisting with accredited learning at Links to Learning events, and working with accredited post secondary institutes in ensuring that Graduates receive appropriate certification recognition upon completion. A graduate from Athabasca University, Geraldine completed a two-year Diploma in Health Administration, a Bachelor of Administration degree, and near completion of her Master of Arts – Integrated Studies, with a focus in Community Development.

Special Projects Director, Danielle Lightning’s Cree name is Nipi‐iskwew, which means Water Woman, she is a proud Oji‐Cree woman from the Ermineskin Cree Nation of Maskwacis, Alberta. She has received a degree in the Bachelor of Commerce program at MacEwan University, majoring in Management in 2016. She also has her Event Management Certificate, with a focus on Program Planning through NAIT.
In her role as Special Projects Director, Danielle has worked with many Indigenous Economic Development Officers and Land Managers from across Canada on many projects, which is a passion of hers. Throughout the years, Danielle has coordinated projects such as conferences, workshops, webinars and various initiatives. Along with working with Indigenous Economic Development Officers and Land Managers, she has also worked alongside Indigenous and Government networks and associations. While working as the Special Projects Director, Danielle also continues to work on Professional Development through several projects.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/FHkCViGYa1Cxpx5T9

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Government by Gaslight:
The Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital and Ongoing Barriers to Care in Times of Crisis for Autistic Adults

In this talk Dr. Mitchell recounts the ambivalent history of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital in Toronto from 1890 to 1979 and how concerns about fire safety shaped both its opening and ultimate closure in a process of “governmental gaslighting.” Reflecting on the age of deinstitutionalization and its modern forms, they will also explore barriers to care faced by autistic people today and recount how this relates to their own experiences navigating healthcare and student accommodations as an autistic person experiencing crisis in the years 2009 and 2019.

Presenter:

Dr. Ben Mitchell is a librarian, educator, and researcher with a background in the history of science and medicine. They have been a curator involved in the public history of mental health and neurodivergence and have delivered talks and programming on topics related to neurodiversity and information literacy at numerous conferences and events, including as an invited speaker at the Waterloo Public Library and as part of CAPAL’s Diversity & Equity Committee. They are also the organizer of the Neuro-GLAM-erous Discord server and annual conference for neurodivergent gallery, library, archives, and museum (GLAM) workers.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/ThkMgJxps3HWcR1BA

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Gathering the Strands:
the Centre for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science
and Building New Ways to Do Research

The newly established Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS) is a community-based research institution that examines how to effectively and ethically braid Western and Indigenous science research, education, and practice related to the urgent and interconnected challenges of climate change, cultural places, and food security. CBIKS is led by a team of researchers from over 14 partner institutions and 57 Indigenous communities. This talk aims to introduce CBIKS to a broader audience including how we operate, our goals, visions for the future, and current work underway.

Presenter:

Brie Shaw (Kanaka Maoli) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the department of Anthropology. She is also currently working as a graduate research assistant at the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS) as a part of the Leadership Circle.  Her work focuses on how Native Hawaiians use Instagram to build and maintain digital community, express their individuality, and resist colonial stereotypes through everyday life. When she’s not working or writing, she’s spending time with her two children.

Brie Shaw
PhD Candidate
Department of Anthropology
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Located on the traditional homelands of the Pocumtuck Peoples

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/ddELj7TsVz4tLPSm8

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Public Lecture

Dr. Marta-Marika Urbanik is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Criminological Research at the University of Alberta. She is an urban ethnographer, specializing in conducting research with “hard to reach” groups such as gang members, drug dealers, rappers, and unhoused community members. Dr. Urbanik leads the largest criminological study on homelessness in Canada, having interviewed 550 unhoused community members across 9 Canadian cities and 4 provinces.

Dr. Marta-Marika Urbanik
Associate Professor of Criminology and Sociology
Centre for Criminological Research
Department of Sociology
University of Alberta

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/UBKKPi41RcCyvVNB7

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Poverty Talks - PART 2

Derek Cook serves as the Director of the Canadian Poverty Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary, and recently served on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Poverty, advising the federal government on the development of the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy. Derek also serves on the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Canadian Council of Churches, as well as on the boards of Canada Without Poverty and Mennonite Central Committee Alberta. Prior to assuming leadership of the Canadian Poverty Institute, Derek served as the Executive Director of the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, leading the Mayor’s task force on poverty. Derek has also worked as a community development worker with various organizations across Canada in the fields of adult literacy, immigrant settlement and employment development. He holds a B.A. in Political Studies from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph, and is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) in the Province of Alberta.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/sEVwUc9oA9WNEAF39

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Introduction to Open Pedagogy

Open pedagogy is an approach to education draws on the openness of open educational resources (OER) to engage students in the creation of knowledge and learning, rather than simply the consumption of it. It emphasizes community, cooperation, and the sharing of resources, ideas and power.  This presentation will introduce open pedagogy through definition and some examples, outline the role of OER, and identify some core principles of practice. This will involve a discussion of student agency and community building. Open pedagogy in practice will be considered, including open approaches to renewable and responsive assignments and the development student-created OER. Participants will become aware of issues and challenges around open pedagogy, including those involving content rights, participation and privacy issues.

Presenter:

Stephen Downes, Senior Research Officer, National Research Council.

A well-known author, speaker and technologist, Stephen Downes has contributed a series of innovations to the online learning community over a 35 year career developing internet technologies for online learning and new media technologies, including open education resources (OER), massive open online courses (MOOC), and personal learning environments (PLE). Recent publications include 'Ethics, Analytic s and the Duty of Care' and 'Three Frameworks for Data Literacy'.

Website: https://www.downes.ca

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/8zXAhqXLWoC7jC3V6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

What the French Thought about Wendat Parents:
Persisting Perceptions of Indigenous Childrearing

This talk discusses 17th Century Wendat family life, highlighting the ways that Wendat culture differed from the family order that French settlers sought to create. French Jesuits, colonists and numerous visitors were offended by Wendat customs and family structures. In the centuries since then, perceptions of deficient Indigenous childrearing have persisted, informing the Indian Act and modern state policies and practices of child separation.

I don’t have a formal reading or article that students should read in advance, but it might be helpful for them to read through this page for an overview of the Wendat nation.

Presenter:

Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2008, after completing her PhD at McMaster University in 2006. Her SSHRC-funded research focuses on family life: parenting magazine advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families. She lives on the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener) and her teenaged children roast her for being a so-called parenting “expert”.

A link to my research publications is here.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/1Ees2jCD2guxYWDZ9

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Exploring gender inequalities in parenting time:
Some sociological perspectives from Canada

Tom Buchanan came to Mount Royal in 2012 to serve as Chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He received his PhD from the University of Cincinnati in 2002. Tom's interest in sociology is heavily informed by his previous work with disadvantaged children and families. His work focuses on examining gender inequalities at work, in organizations, and in families. Tom's research also focuses on student adjustment to the university life stage. In this area, Tom explores helicopter parenting as well as the university experience of students experiencing disabilities. In his free time, Tom likes spending time with his family in the Alberta outdoors and building community through music.

Tom Buchanan, Ph. D.
Professor of Sociology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
4825 Mount Royal Gate SW
Calgary, AB, Canada T3E 6K6
phone: 403.440.8774

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/4uhAJt7G4Sfd8Sg47

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Expressive Writing for Health and Wellness

This is session #4 is the series

• 20-minute writing workshop with 10-minute Q&A (or sharing writing/thoughts/feelings)
• Invocations to start and end, so participants have a calm, safe space in which to reflect and express themselves

During this workshop, participants will use expressive writing to engage in self-care and achieve greater emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual wellness. Using short 1- to 3-minute writing exercises, we will decrease stress, gain clarity, and improve health and wellness by freeing our emotions through writing. Discover how to use writing as a powerful tool for self discovery and as a way to manage personal and vicarious trauma. Take care of unfinished business, centre yourself in your body and in the present moment, and manifest your intentions for self and others in this interactive session. Bring pen and paper, a journal, or an electronic writing device.

Presenter:

Suzanne Methot is the author of the non-fiction book Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing and co-author of the textbook Aboriginal Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations. Her new book for young adults, Killing the Wittigo: Indigenous Culture-Based Approaches to Waking Up, Taking Action, and Doing the Work of Healing, will be published in June 2023 by ECW Press. She has worked as an adult literacy practitioner, as an elementary classroom teacher, and in advocacy and direct-service positions in Indigenous-led agencies. Suzanne was born in Vancouver, raised in Sagitawa (Peace River, Alberta), and lived in Toronto for 29 years. She is Asiniwachi Nehiyaw (Rocky Mountain Cree) of mixed Indigenous and European heritage. She lives on Gabriola Island, near Nanaimo, BC. For more information, check Suzanne’s website at https://www.suzannemethot.ca/.

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/bcRF1xfNTp64L7UX6

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925

Irreligion and  Anti-Religion

Does God Exist ? This is a question that has led to debate, anxiety, anger, and tremendous violence. “Empirical evidence” means that which can be detected  by the five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and  hearing. There is no empirical evidence that God exists, thus people draw their evidence from other sources. Argument for the existence of God comes from feelings, testimonials, personal experience, anecdotal evidence, and most of all – faith.

Presenter:

David Aveline is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University in Calgary. He was born in England, grew up in Quebec, and got his Ph.D. at Indian University in the United States. He teaches course in the sociology of the body, the sociology of religion, and the sociology of sexualities. He is also co-author of a textbook on sexuality as well as a number of journal articles. For the past five years, he has been researching people's belief in ghosts. https://youtu.be/mbto3eooIdg

Cost: Free

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/syFBShRToRtwrt9f9

This is part of the Maskwacis Cultural College Microlearning Series and is open to the public.
Contact Manisha Khetarpal by email  mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca or call toll free: 1 866 585 3925