Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecture Series
Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecture Series
Thanks to a gift from Tim K. Duncanson in 2018, this series supports an annual lecture in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities offered through the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities (SASAH). While the lecture will be open to the University community, it will also be a key component of the SASAH Speakers’ Series, which is an important part of the program’s curriculum. This lecture is named in honour of Robert Duncanson and Marjorie Patricia Duncanson.
Each year, the Faculty of Arts & Humanities will invite a scholar or artist to give a lecture at the University on a topic related to the SASAH program’s dedication to Learning with Humanity. The Lecture will stimulate both thought and discussion with regard to the importance of humanities scholarship, and related engagement, to a meaningful search for ways to exert a positive influence on complex contemporary and future problems and challenges.
2023-24 - Britt Wray, Author and Director of the Chair’s Special Initiative on Climate Change and Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Stanford Medicine
Thursday, February 29 at 5 PM in Conron Hall, 澳门六合彩开奖预测 (and ZOOM)
Britt Wray is a ground-breaking researcher and storyteller, and a growing voice around the mental health effects of climate change.
In “How to Cope with Climate Anxiety,” Britt demonstrates the emotional and existential effects of living in a warming world—and how we can get through them together. Although anxieties surrounding the climate crisis can cause us to burn out, give up, and question deeply personal decisions like whether to have children, working through these anxieties can unlock a deep capacity to care for and act on climate issues.
We need to look at the climate crisis as a whole—not just the political or technological issues, but the mental health consequences as well. These effects can be severe, even leading people affected by climate events to experience PTSD and a loss of identity. To combat this, Britt presents practical tips and strategies for healthily and productively dealing with our emotions, living with climate trauma, and strengthening our communities so we can combat climate change together.
Britt has a PhD in Science Communication from the University of Copenhagen, and she is an advisor to the Good Energy Project for climate storytelling and the Climate Mental Health Network. She’s the Director of the Chair’s Special Initiative on Climate Change and Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Stanford Medicine. Britt’s acclaimed book Generation Dread, about finding purpose during the climate crisis, was named a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Literary Awards.
2022-23 - Cameron Bailey, (BA'87, LLD'18), CEO of Toronto International Film Festival
2021 - 22 - David Usher, musician, author, founder of artificial intelligence creative studio, Reimagine AI
2020 - 21 - Dr. Jillian Horton, author, musician, general internist, Director of the Alan Klass Health Humanities Program at the Max Rady College of Medicine in Winnipeg
We welcomed Dr. Jillian Horton (Faculty of Arts & Humanities alumna, English, BA '96, MA '97) on March 4, 2021 to a virtual event as our 3rd Annual Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecturer. In partnership with The Schulich Medical School, Words Festival, SASAH and the Department of English and Writing Studies at 澳门六合彩开奖预测, we present this talk during The Grand Rounds.
Dr. Horton discussed her new book . Dr. Horton is an award-winning medical educator, writer, musician and podcaster. After graduating from English at 澳门六合彩开奖预测, she completed a residency and a fellowship in internal medicine at the University of Toronto and has held posts as an associate dean and associate head of internal medicine. As a teacher of mindfulness, she is sought after by doctors at all stages of their careers.
2019 - 20 - Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
On November 14, 2019, we welcomed Naomi Oreskes is Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University as the 2nd Annual Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecturer.
Naomi is an internationally renowned geologist, science historian, and author of both scholarly and popular books and articles on the history of earth and environmental science, including , and in recent decades has been a leading voice on the issue of anthropogenic climate change.
2018 - 19 - Matthew Teitelbaum, Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The inaugural Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecture took place on March 4, 2019 featuring Matthew Teitelbaum, Director, , Boston. Matthew Teitelbaum is an international leader in the world of art museums and galleries. His lecture addressed the subject of the future of museums in the twenty-first century with reference to his experiences leading art institutions in the United States and Canada.
