Arts News

Waterloo philosopher, classicist, and psychologist win Ontario Early Researcher Awards

Andrew Faulkner (Classical Studies), Roxane Itier (Psychology), and John Turri (Philosophy), join five other Waterloo researchers as recipients of this year’s Early Researcher Award (ERA), a prestigious grant offered by the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation to support emerging researchers and their teams.  Notable this year is the inclusion of humanities scholars among the scientists and social scientists: of the 62 awardees across the province, three are from humanities disciplines--and two of those are Waterloo scholars. 

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Dr. Andrew Faulkner studies Greek poetry in order to explore cultural interaction within the Mediterranean Basin and Near East in the period of Late Antiquity (3rd-7th centuries AD), a time of great political and cultural change. Faulkner is particularly interested in how the study of this period can inform our understanding of multicultural interaction in modern-day Ontario.

 

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Arts professors lead as Distinguished Teachers at Waterloo

Tim Kenyon and Tracy Penny Light are two of the university's four recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Teacher Awards

Arts continues to be the leading faculty for recipients of the university's Distinguished Teacher Award. Kudos to professors Tim Kenyon (Philosophy) and Tracy Penny Light (Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies) for each receiving the 2012 award, as announced by provost Geoff McBoyle at the university senate on March 26.

Distinguished Teacher Award citation on Tim Kenyon:

Tim Kenyon is an associate professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy. Tim highly regarded for his “great ambition for student success”.  Students note that he incorporates memorable examples and humour into his lectures while encouraging student questions. His “mastery in the classroom” challenges their understanding of the course material while maintaining a positive atmosphere within the classroom. His genuine concern for his students’ success exists beyond the classroom, demonstrated by the extra study sessions he organizes. Tim also mentors junior faculty members. He works to cultivate a departmental environment in which faculty members and graduate students have regular opportunities to discuss their teaching practices, to...

Berlin performance artist makes Canadian debut at uWaterloo

Waterloo Centre for German Studies presents
Faust in the Box by Bridge Markland
March 27 and 28 at 8pm, Theatre of the Arts, uWaterloo

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS) has invited Berlin performance artist Bridge Markland to stage her one-woman-show Faust in the Box, based on Goethe’s famous play “Faust”, on March 27 and 28, 2012.Arts News Image

Crossing boundaries of gender, performance, theatre, cabaret, collage, and puppetry, Markland gives the story of Faust - an intellectual who sells his soul to the devil for knowledge - a new and interesting spin. Using only a cardboard box for a set, Markland switches effortlessly between the characters of Margaret (the girl Faust seduces), Mephisto (the devil), and Faust himself, using hand puppets to perform the multiple roles.

Intellectually stimulating and highly entertaining, the performance is accompanied by an extraordinary sound collage and well-known pop tunes, making the 200+ year-old story more accessible to contemporary audiences of all ages. The juxtaposition of...

Drama production explores war, politics, and art

Scenes from an Execution by Howard Barker
Opens March 8th in Theatre of the Arts, University of Waterloo

“This is a huge show for us” says UWaterloo Drama production manager Janelle Rainville about the final production of the department’s 2011-12 season.  Opening in Theatre of the Arts this Thursday, Scenes from an Execution features a cast of 16 students and one professional actor (Heather Hill, actress and voice teacher). Rich in language and ideas, the production also features sophisticated performance and design elements including an original sound score performed live, a major video component, and a 13’ x 8’ pool of water in which the actors perform.Arts News Image

Howard Barker’s Scenes from an Execution takes us to 16th century Venice, shortly after The Battle of Lapanto: an event that changed the course of history by preventing the Ottoman Empire from advancing further into Europe.  In the play, the head of state has commissioned the most talented and extraordinary artist of the time to paint this...

ARTS 301- professors share ideas with students and the public

Scholarship for an uncertain world

The uncertainties of the present age are numerous: our society, our environment, and our understanding of human existence have all been challenged. Borrowing the theme from the upcoming Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences: Scholarship for an Uncertain World, a series of public lectures has been developed by uWaterloo professors in the Faculty of Arts, who are exploring these issues. “By opening ARTS 301 to the general public, the Faculty of Arts is demonstrating that the work we do is not separate from society, but part of it,” says James Skidmore of Germanic and Slavic Studies.

For instance, on March 5th, Martin Cooke of the Sociology and Legal Studies department will present Social policy for 21st-century risks. This lecture will look at some of the major challenges facing many of our systems of social provision, including welfare, employment insurance, health care, pensions, and education. And, on March 19th, Andrew McMurry of the English department explores an issue that some say is the greatest threat to our planet – global warming, in his lecture on The role of humanities in the time of climate change; or, what to do as the world burns.

 “The Arts Lecture...

Master of Public Service program hosts Minister Glen Murray

- from a Master of Public Service release

On Thursday, February 16, students and faculty in the University of Waterloo’s Master of Public Service (MPS) program were delighted to share an intimate dinner at the University Club with the Honourable Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Toronto Centre.

Minister Murray was the guest of honour at the event, which was organized by the Master of Public Service Association (MPSA), the executive body representing students in the program. Other special guests included UWaterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Brampton South from 2004 to 2011 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2005, who currently teaches public policy development in the MPS program.Arts News Image

The dinner marked the culmination of months of planning by the MPSA Officers, who worked diligently to organize the event while juggling their demanding course load and applying and...

Stratford campus digital media showcase

Digital media students showcase the future

Stratford Beacon-Herald  Thu Jan 19 2012 

By: MIKE BEITZ STAFF REPORTER 

The QR code at the entrance of the University of Waterloo Stratford campus Wednesday was the first clue that the students there were doing something unique.

A quick scan with a smartphone triggered a self-guided tour of the Master of Digital Experience Innovation showcase, highlighting some of the clever, innovative and forward-thinking projects students have been working on in the program's inaugural year.

First up, a semiotic history of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, with video and still images flashing across a wall of Christie digital tiles, outlining how ancient Greek and 16th century Elizabethan theatres influenced and inspired the contemporary one here on the banks of the Avon.

"For me, it's a history lesson," said Kuo Yu Lu, one of several international students in the program still learning about some of the things that local residents take for granted. Coming from a background in game design, he said the MDEI program, with its combined focus on digital media, business and creativity, has helped him develop a new skillset that will pay off down the line.

"It fills in the gap between you and industry," agreed fellow student Sereen Masood.Next on the...

German Online award for GSS course

The Canadian Association of University Teachers of German and GermanStudies.ca  has awarded James Skidmore (chair of Germanic and Slavic Studies) the ‘German Online’ (GO) award for his online learning course, German Thought & Culture (GER 271/272). Covering German cultural history from its beginnings all the way to the 21st century, Skidmore’s course is lauded by the GO award selection committee for its “extremely rich and flexible learning environment that supports learning in multiple ways.”Arts News Image

“The course would not have earned this recognition without the help and support of the department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, the Center for Extended Learning, the Centre for Teaching  Excellence,  UW-ACE/LEARN, and the Library” Skidmore emphasizes.  The cooperation among these key groups, he says, “provides a full learning environment that students respond well to.” 

 “GER 271/272 uses online technologies in the most targeted, effective, and appealing manner" states the GO award announcement. "It employs new communication technologies in a thoughtful,...

From literary to digital, RIM scholarships enhance English graduate work

Connecting humanities research and digital technology

Building on a successful history of hiring co-op students and graduates from the Department of English Language and Literature, in 2010 Research in Motion (RIM) further recognized the department by committing $50,000 annually for graduate scholarships.

“The scholarships are a great vote of confidence in the department,” comments Fraser Easton, chair of English, “and a sure sign, I think, that it is a rather unusual English department, fully engaged with technology and new media, as well as the analytic and cultural traditions of literature and rhetoric.”

Now approaching its third year of enhancing graduate potential with individual awards of $5000 to $15,000, the scholarships have helped to attract top students, as well as promote by association the department’s growing strengths in digital communications. One of the recipients this year is Kent Aardse, a PhD candidate and holder of the prestigious SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Graduate Scholarship who transferred to Waterloo’s English department this year seeking a larger, more established intellectual home to continue his research on new media narrative in alternate reality games. “Kent was a very attractive candidate for our doctoral program,” says...

Master of Public Service program charts career paths

By Shelia McConnell, MPS Program Officer

In a time when our future seems more uncertain than ever, it can be difficult to choose a career path and stay committed to it. However, as one Waterloo Master of Public Service student discovered, when you do get on that path, it definitely pays off.

When Magdalena Surma first heard of the University of Waterloo’s Master of Public Service (MPS) co-operative program, which was launched in 2010, she knew it was right for her. As a Legal Studies major, she had already committed to a career in government and she believed the MPS program could make this happen.

“I was excited about the content of the program and I felt confident in the co-op program at Waterloo. As an undergraduate student, I had the opportunity to benefit from its many connections,” says Magdalena, one of 27 students in the inaugural class.

The program combines eight months of coursework (fall and winter), an 8-month co-operative work experience in government (spring and fall), and a 4-month major team project in the final winter term.

The chief objective is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need for a vital and effective career at any level of government in Canada.

Magdalena already knows where she will be working when she graduates...

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