Sessions will be in the Multipurpose Room, 5B-16
**Except, Wed. Feb. 8 at 6:30 pm in 4C.1 and Thurs. Feb. 9, 8:30 – 1:00; in Theatre
Dawson College Social Science Week
February 6th to 10th, 2017
Monday, February 6th
8:30 am
“We live with HIV now” - Reimagining care services for women living
with HIV in Canada
Nadia O’Brien,
PhD Candidate, McGill University (Department of Family Medicine)
*Sponsored by Sciences Participating with Arts and Culture in Education (S.P.A.C.E.)
The HIV-epidemic in Canada has greatly shifted over the last three decades since the first
cases of HIV/AIDS were diagnosed. Women now account for over half of those infected with
HIV globally, and represent nearly a quarter of people living with HIV in Canada. Medical
advances in the treatment of HIV have significantly increased life expectancy and simplified
drug therapies, transforming HIV into a manageable, chronic disease. Given these shifts in HIV
treatments and populations affected, care services for women with HIV must be reimagined to
meet the needs of women across their life course. Drawing on five years of research in
partnership with women living with HIV in Canada, this talk will highlight some of the questions
and glitches women with HIV, their care providers, and their communities are currently
navigating. Issues of concern include: how women with HIV may reclaim a healthy sexuality
despite their HIV status and current criminalization laws; what supports are required to enable
women to conceive and deliver HIV-negative children; how health services must adapt to meet
women’s comprehensive health care needs into menopause and beyond; and finally, what
challenges to HIV prevention and care remain, despites decades of progress.
10:00 am
How Sacred Texts Legitimize Male Privilege: The Case of the Hindu
Ramayana
Laurence Nixon, Religion
The popular Hindu epic, the Ramayana, like many other sacred texts appears on the surface to
set forth worthy models of moral decision making in the context of a narrative struggle between
the forces of good and the forces of evil. However a critical analysis of this text reveals that the
story is one which advocates and legitimizes male dominance by devaluing the capacities of
females as moral agents. This critical analysis will follow a summary of the epic in a PowerPoint
presentation and will include a reference to some empirical data (field research in a south Indian
village) in support of the analysis.
11:30 am
Hollywood and History: Take 4! Historical Accuracy in Mini-Series
Catherine Braithwaite, History
Lisa Steffen, History
Should we care that a mini-series might manipulate, distort or completely alter historical events
or people so as to make the story more exciting, romantic or fun for the viewer? After all,
shouldn’t historical shows be entitled to give us a break from the realism of life; can we not
permit them some historical license for the simple pleasure of entertainment? Unless a network
designates the program as a ‘documentary’ is not the mini-series intended to be viewed as a
captivating story, without the weight of ‘historical accuracy’ to spoil our viewing pleasure? To
what point should a historical mini-series be accurate, factual and based on reality? This
session will examine the genre of "the mini-series" in a quest to arrive at some conclusions
about the place of ’historical accuracy’ in television entertainment.
1:00 pm
Working it Out Together: Digital Stories of Indigenous Resilience and
Power
Xina Cowan, educator, writer and media maker with Kanien'kehá:ka
(Mohawk) and Irish roots.
Michelle Smith, Métis filmmaker, educator and media artist.
Cinema/Communications and First Peoples Initiative, Dawson College.
We’ve reached a turning point in history and a shift is taking place. There’s still a big hill to
climb, but one thing is for certain; a powerful movement is well underway and our people are
leading the action. We know that our stories hold incredible power, and people are listening
more than ever. Above all else, our stories show us all the nuances that make up who we are as
Indigenous people.
WIOT Magazine Editor-in-Chief Xina Cowen and WIOT TV Series Director Michelle Smith
present the dynamic stories of courageous men and women who are figuring out what it takes to
be well and to thrive. Colonization has wreaked havoc on our bodies, minds, communities, and
spirit. The APTN series, Working It Out Together follows Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk)
Olympian and Health Advocate Waneek Horn-Miller on a journey to reclaim our well-being
and build an Indigenous movement of positive change. WIOT Magazine is an on-line gathering
space featuring the work of indigenous writers, artists, activists, filmmakers, scholars, and
knowledge keepers. Xina and Michelle will present content from the series and magazine,
highlight decolonizing work across the country and introduce some of the creators. Surprise
guests guaranteed!
2:30 pm
Education Cannot Wait: Supporting Children’s Right to Education in
Emergencies
Caroline Keenan,
Senior Specialist Education in Emergencies at Save the Children
For many, when we hear about the response to emergencies like the 2015 earthquake in Nepal,
the Ebola crisis in West Africa, the ongoing war in Syria and related displacement across the
Middle East – we think of humanitarian workers giving out food, water and medical care to
affected communities. While these interventions are an important part of this work, in the face of
a humanitarian crisis, education also provides a lifeline for children. Not only does education
provide children with a return to normalcy, a chance to be with friends in a safe and protected
environment and be a child in the midst of chaos, providing uninterrupted access to education
ensures a strong foundation for the future – for individual children and for communities more
broadly.
The presentation will provide an overview of the work of agencies to provide both immediate
and longer term, sustainable solutions to protect children’s right to education.
4:00 pm
Student Debate on the introduction of Bill C-16, an Act to Amend the
Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code on Matters
Regarding Gender Identity and Expression
Law, Justice and Society Profile
This debate will be done in British Parliamentary style. The motion of the debate will be on
whether the government should allow the introduction of Bill C-16, an act to amend the
Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) and the Criminal Code. The amendment consists of
adding gender identity or expression to the list of types of discrimination that should be
prohibited. Gender identity is each person's internal and individual experience of gender. It is
their sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. A
person's gender identity may be the same as or different from their birth-assigned sex, and it is
fundamentally different from a person's sexual orientation. Gender expression is how a person
publicly presents their gender. This can include behaviour and outward appearance such as
dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person's chosen name and pronoun are also
common ways of expressing gender. This debate will discuss a variety of issues associated with
this topic ranging from the protection of human rights to the potential consequences of
introducing the amendment to the society.
Tuesday, February 7th
8:30 am
Precarious Work by Recent Immigrants: New Graduate Research in
Montreal
Alexandra Law
Susana Ponte
Manuel Salamanca
From unpaid internships to temp agencies, precarious work is a reality for many immigrants in
Montreal. In this presentation, two graduate students at University of Montréal share new
research on precarious work in our city. Susana Ponte Rivera presents her work on unpaid
internships by immigrants seeking ‘Canadian experience’. Her work as an employment
counselor gives her unique insight into this topic. Manuel Salamanca will share his experience
studying temp agency work at Montreal’s Immigrant Workers Centre. He will share his
experience constructing a research plan, including a survey and ethnographic research. The
presenters will also answer student questions about graduate study in the social sciences.
10:00 am
Dawson Oral History Project
Mark Beauchamp and Ben Lander, History
Since 2012, Research Methods students at Dawson have conducted oral history interviews with
over 1100 Montreal residents. Each student who records an interview with a member of their
community is engaged in doing original research, complicating and expanding existing bodies of
knowledge regarding the meaning and experience of historical events. Last fall, the Dawson
Oral History Project conducted a research project on the theme of Work. Some of the students
who participated in this project will present their research and talk about some of the challenges
and benefits of using oral history narratives as primary sources for social science research.
11:30 am
The Rise of Donald Trump: Social Science Explanations of an Unlikely
President
Chris Bourne, Political Science
Charles Ramsey, Economics
Pierre L'Heureax, History
Anna-Liisa Aunio, Sociology
The success of Trump's presidential campaign caught many observers by surprise. Yet in
retrospect, a variety of reasonable explanations can be articulated. In this panel, four Dawson
social science professors will consider the economic, historical, sociological, and political factors
that contributed to his election.
1:00 pm
Sleep, Insomnia and Things That Go Bump in the Night!
Catherine Fichten, Psychology
This session will provide a basic understanding of sleep, of the nature and treatment of:
insomnia, delayed and advanced sleep phase, and nightmares. It will also provide basic
information about parasomnias, including sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, and night terrors.
2:30 pm
Sex Spirit Strength: Film Screening & Discussion with Director
Courtney Montour
Sex Spirit Strength follows Michael and Jack, two young Indigenous men, as they shed the
stigma and shame associated with their sexual health and gender identity. Michael, a former
addict who lived a high-risk lifestyle that left him with permanent scars, hopes his activism work
will discourage other young people from going down the same path. Jack, a transgender gay
man, is committed to bringing pride back to two-spirit identity through education and activism.
With a compassionate lens, Sex Spirit Strength takes a candid look at the challenges and
triumphs of these two brave young men as they reconcile their past, embrace their identities,
and strive to make a positive difference in their communities.
4:00 pm
Building Resistance to Violence
Pat Romano, Humanities
Kim Simard, Communications
Violence always needs a justification. Whether it is governments seeking the public's
acceptance of their latest military action or an individual's search to justify their own behavior,
the use of violence is legitimized in some way. Unfortunately, this seems far too easily done.
From the widespread acquiescence of damaging public policy to the lack of outcry over the
increasing use of drones to kill people who may be a threat, the acceptance of violence seems
more often reflexive than reflective. Indeed, this is the real danger posed by our cultural
normalization of violence: our consent just seems to "make sense" or "feel right." Panelists Pat
Romano, Kim Simard and students from their paired course Imaging Violence and
Nonviolence will talk about the nature of this problem, drawing on their own work, that of
contemporary artists and culture jammers, and the It Happens Here and Inspire
Solutions projects, to offer an educational strategy to resist violence in its many forms.
Wednesday, February 8th
8:30 am
*Sponsored by Sciences Participating with Arts and Culture in Education (S.P.A.C.E.)
Come and hear former RM students share their research experiences with a focus on
challenges, glitches and obstacles that emerged during their research processes. This session
is designed with current RM students in mind and attendees will be strongly enco
-
10:00 am
Ancient Power Dressing: Women, Clothing, and Religious Authority in
Early Christianity
Dr. Carly Daniel-Hughes,
Associate Professor of Religion Concordia University
This talk considers how debates about the meaning of particular kinds of dress—women’s dress
in particular—allowed early Christians to play out competing cultural and social values.
Prescribing how women groomed their bodies and clothed them, prominent male Christian
writers envisioned their communities as sexually pure in order to claim cultural authority over
other groups in the Roman Empire. Yet their attempt to define women’s dress was not
successful and regularly landed them in debates with early Christian women themselves who
had a variety of interpretations of their clothing, and so too, of their sexuality and their bodies.
Ultimately, this talk examines ancient debates over religious authority and women’s dress with a
view to divisive debates in our own time about the significance of “religiously-marked” clothing
(such as the hijab, yamulke, or crosses) in public life.
11:30 am
The Middle Passage: The Route to the Sale of Slaves
James Nurse, artist
James Nurse will speak about pre-slavery Africa, the slave trade and the effects of slavery on
the diaspora using his vivid acrylic figurative paintings depicting African people and wildlife to
illustrate his talk.
1:00 pm
Anglophones for Québec Independence (AQI): Bridging the Two
Solitudes and Collective Emancipation for All
Jennifer Drouin, Associate Professor of English (AQI founding president)
Robin Philpot, editor, author, translator (AQI founding board member)
François Parenteau, comedian, talk show host
In 2016, the group Anglophones for Québec Independence (AQI) was founded to provide a safe
space for Anglophone sovereignists to come together, feel less alone, and speak with a
collective voice. Their public "coming out" sparks a number of questions: What has been the
role of Anglophones in the Québec independence movement in the past? What would be the
fate of the Anglophone community in an independent Québec? How can young Anglophones
contribute to ongoing efforts to make the Québec independence project more relevant in the
21st century?
2:30 pm
Indigenous in the City: Survival, Support, Solidarity
Wayne Robinson, Native Montreal
Montreal sits on unceded territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation. The area where the
city is located has always been a gathering place for Indigenous nations. Today over 26,000
Indigenous people live in Montreal. The number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people who call
this place home has increased by 135% between 2001 and 2011, with a large number of people
migrating from the reserve to the city. (Native Montreal) The community is extremely diverse,
with varied experiences, needs and aspirations, but stories of homelessness, poverty and
substance abuse tend to dominate the discourse around urban indigenous experiences.
Wayne Robinson is a member of the Ojibway Nation from the community of Biigtgong
Nishnaabeg (Pic River) in Northern Ontario. He has worked within the social services for over
15 years with an emphasis on providing front line supports to Indigenous and other racialized
youth and community groups. For the last year he has worked at developing the social services
of Native Montreal, a community organization that provides services to the diversified urban
Aboriginal community of Montreal. Wayne will share his insights as Human Relations Officer for
Native Montreal. How do organizations like Native Montreal build community far from the
homelands of urban indigenous peoples? What are barriers to a good life in the city? How can
indigenous and non-indigenous students build solidarity with urban indigenous peoples and
organizations? How can a college like Dawson, in the heart of the city, contribute to
understanding and good relations?
4:00 pm
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty by Educating and Empowering Youth
Kate Bateman, President – Youth Upliftment International
Youth Upliftment International’s mission is to provide youth living in poverty with the opportunity
to receive a quality education, while also meeting their basic needs. Our vision is to break the
cycle of poverty in the communities we work with, by educating and empowering the youth. We
envision that the group of youth we assist today, will become the educated and empowered
leaders of tomorrow!
This talk will address the role of education in breaking the cycle of poverty.
6:30 pm
Film Screening: Gun Runners
Q & A with Catherine Van Der Donckt, sound designer
Organized by Andrew Katz, English
When Kenya is overrun by guns, the government introduces a glitch: anyone can trade in their
guns for amnesty and a pair of running shoes. A new documentary, GUN RUNNERS, by Anjali
Nayar, tells the story of two friends who accept this offer in the hopes of making it big as
marathon runners. Nominated by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for Best
Cinematography in a Feature Length Documentary, and recently shown at the Palm Springs
International Film Festival, this powerful documentary gives us a glimpse of the impact of the
proliferation of small arms in Kenya, the fragile livelihoods of their families that are at stake, and
the lives of two friends and their community. Organized by S.P.A.C.E.
Thursday, February 9th
8:30 am *ROOM: Theatre
The Power of Indoctrination: Why I Supported Hitler
Hans Uhthoff
Hans Uhthoff was 7 when Hitler came to power. If he was too young to understand the
significance of that event but it soon had a profound impact on his life. As far as he can
remember, he had had an interest in sport. In 1935, he had to join the Hitler Youth, an
organization where he would practice several sports, go on holiday camps during the summer
and meet many friends. He did not understand the ideological dimension of this movement but
just enjoyed all the things he was doing, including learning to build and fly a glider. Soon enough
he was a supporter of Hitler despite the fact that his father was a staunch opponent of the
Fuhrer. The Nazi indoctrination system was stronger than family bonds. It is only towards the
end of the war, in which Hans Uhthoff fought and was wounded, that he started to understand
that his father had been right all along the way.
10:00 am *ROOM: Theatre
Food Justice and Sustainability: New Directions in Research and
Action in Montreal
Anna-Lisa, Sociology
Over the past ten years, researchers and activists have drawn on local movements and critical
analyses of our industrialized food system to change the “farm to plate” supply chain and
contribute to sustainable food initiatives across North America. In Canada, some
neighborhoods now overflow with choices from community gardens, farmers’ markets, and other
avenues of access to fresh, organic, and local food. Yet at the same time, food insecurity and
inequality have increased across Canada, and dependence on food banks rose to record levels
in 2015. Thus, other poor neighborhoods continue to face serious challenges in access and
availability to affordable food choices, wherein many households struggle with not enough or
processed and unhealthy food. This session explores the issue of research and action for food
justice and sustainability in our food system, which addresses the theoretical, conceptual, and
practical issues of changing our food system to address both issues of inequality and
sustainability in our food system. Current research on the food system in Montreal involving
both the neighborhood of Parc Extension and South West (St-Henri, Little Burgundy,
Griffintown, Ville-Émard, Côte-St-Paul, and Pointe-St-Charles) as well as future directions for
the food justice and sustainability project to improve the food system in partnership with the city
of Montreal will be discussed.
11:30 am *ROOM: Theatre
On the Frontlines of the Migrant Crisis
Ruby Irene Pratka, freelance journalist and human rights advocate
Ruby Pratka spent the summer on a ship in the Mediterranean as communications officer for
SOS Méditerranée, a small, crowdfunded Franco-German NGO rescuing migrants in the
Mediterranean. In the nine weeks she spent on the ship, from late May until the end of July,
close to 2000 people were rescued. Now that number is over 10,000. What leads a person to
leave home, cross a desert and step onto an unseaworthy inflatable raft? Why have the
numbers of people taking this risk risen? What happens during and after the crossing? Who are
the people assisting the migrants? Come and find out in their (and our) own words.
1:00 pm
The Importance of Children’s Rights
Nicolas Steinmetz, MDCM, retired Associate Professor of Pediatrics at McGill University
and physician in Montréal’s Department of Public Health.
All living things, human beings included, need specific environmental conditions to achieve
optimal development. Stressful social and physical environmental conditions lead to sustained,
increased blood cortisol levels. This is harmful to the developing brain. This kills brain cells,
synapses are not made, and some are undone. Brains are smaller than normal, IQ is reduced,
and school failure follows. Behavior is affected. There is increased illness over the lifespan, and
life is short. Thirty five percent of Montréal children are affected by such conditions. It is a silent
epidemic. Can this be prevented? Yes. We need to respect the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child. But we are not doing it.
2:30 pm
Rehabilitation in the Canadian Justice System
Norman Lemay
Mr. Lemay was incarcerated in Ontario and Québec during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000. He will
be speaking about rehabilitation in the Canadian justice system
4:00 pm
MONTREAL WAR STORIES – When Italians were ‘The Enemy’.
Joyce Pillarella
During World War II, the Canadian government had the right to intern any citizen they thought
‘could’ undermine the war effort. Proof was not necessary. In Montreal over 200 Italian men
were sent to internment camps and over 20,000 Italians were registered as Enemy Aliens. The
consequences were devastating to the families of the internees and to the Italian community.
Joyce Pillarella has researched this untold story for over 10 years, interviewed the children of
the internees and written a book. Her presentation will take us into the homes and
neighborhoods of Montreal during the 1930s and 1940s to help us understand what happens
when being a member of an ethnic group makes you suspect and your allegiances are
questioned.
Friday, February 10th
8:30 am
Parenting Capacity Assessments
Abraham Worenklein, Psychology
A parenting capacity assessment consists of evaluating a parent's capacity to meet the child's
needs by considering many factors that interplay when determining if a parent is capable of
meeting the child's needs. In fact, there are many components that need to be considered
including cognitive, emotional, historical, social, personality and biological factors.
One aspect of such an assessment is to determine risk and protective factors. "Risk factors are
factors that are known to be associated with or predictive of negative outcomes: that is, factors
that are likely to lead to the needs of the child not being met. Protective factors are the factors
that protect or buffer a child against negative developmental outcomes; that is, factors that are
likely to lead to the needs of the child being met, or characteristics that decrease the impact of
abuse or neglect" (Budd et. al. 2011).
The presentation will also touch upon youth protection agencies in Quebec and Ontario.
10:00 am
A Vision for Quebec
Jean-Francois Lisée, Leader of the Parti Québécois
11:30 am
Panel: The Business of Human Trafficking
Jen Dellar, project coordinator for En Marche!
Dwane Connors, Forensic Criminologist, International War Crimes
Tribunal and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Melina Larriza, Human Trafficking Unit of the RCMP
Stéphanie Ricard, director for PIaMP
What single-most traded commodity can be repeatedly extracted from, while generating billions
of dollars in illicit annual revenue? Loss of identity is central to the dehumanizing process of
Human Trafficking. This panel will introduce three perspectives to help us reflect on our ability
to respond as global citizens to this outrage: the domestic reality of sex trafficking in Montreal,
the global context observed during armed conflicts and in post-conflict areas, and the Canadian
perspective based on cross-sectoral collaboration increasingly needed as Global Forced
Displacement hits record high*. Although each perspective reflects a mix of various approaches,
each relies on the Palermo Protocol to develop a more coordinated response. While traffickers
tend to benefit mostly from populations that are highly at risk, this talk encourages us to
recognize our shared responsibility within the process.
1:00 pm
Intersexions: Activism by LGBTQ Racialized and Indigenous People
in Montreal
Alan Wong, Vanier College, co-founder of the Qouleur Qollective
Karine Myrgianie Jean-Francois, Qouleur Qollecive and LGBTQ youth
group Project 10
Diane Labelle, Two Spirit activist
Montreal has had a long history of activism around LGBTQ issues. One aspect of this activism
that has been often overlooked, however, is the involvement of people of colour and Indigenous
people in this movement. A close look at the participation of LGBTQ racialized and Two-Spirited
people in political and community organizing in Montreal brings into sharp relief numerous forms
of discrimination they have experienced in both overt and subtle forms. This panel features
three activists and community organizers who have worked towards addressing the specific
challenges faced by those whose lives are lived at the intersection where race, gender, and
sexuality meet. They will speak on different aspects of that intersection to highlight both the
struggles and contributions of LGBTQ Indigenous and racialized people in Montreal.