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appointed
Dr. Carl Hoefer has been appointed Director, Rotman Institute of Philosophy beginning July 1, 2013.
Professor Nandi Bhatia has been appointed Associate Dean (Research) for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
Professor Joel Faflak has been appointed as the (first) Director of the School of Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
The Written Word:
Kathryn Mocklerfrom Writing Studies has recently published The Saddest Place on Earth, her second collection of poetry published by DC Books.
Paul Coates from the Department of Film Studies has recently published Screening the Face by Palgrave Macmillan Press. Read more
Jamie Q from the Department of Visual Arts will be releasing a new book on October 26th.It will be launching in conjunction with the Forest City Gallery exhibition "Graphic Underground," curated by Brian Lambert of the McIntosh Gallery. Read more
Anne McTaggert from the Department of English has recently published Shame and Guilt in Chaucer by Palgrave Macmillan Press. Read more
in the news...
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Imagine that a close family member of yours was involved in a terrible car accident.
The accident caused a traumatic brain injury that, despite the best efforts of physicians, has left your family member with a nebulous prognosis and severely diminished levels of consciousness. The attending neurologist explains to you that your family member has received a diagnosis of vegetative state — a disorder of consciousness characterized by cycles of wakefulness without concomitant awareness. Read More
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Since childhood I have loved the "Note on the type" that one finds at the end of many books. It generally says something like: "This book was set in Janson from matrices first cut by the Dutchman Anton Janson, a practicing founder in Leipzig during the years 1668-1687. The delicate serifs of Janson give a sense of peace and repose, while the sturdy hasts convey strength and stability." As a teenage reader, I was amazed at both how old some typefaces were and how many affective qualities were attributed to them. Read More
Western-led team delivers world-first ethics guidelines
Led by Charles Weijer of Western’s Rotman Institute of Philosophy, in association with Jeremy Grimshaw and Monica Taljaard of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, an international team of researchers has issued world-first ethics guidelines governing cluster randomized trials (CRTs).... Read More
It’s 11:30 a.m. and this is how the morning has gone for the 71 students in Science One at the University of British Columbia—one of the rare small-class programs that brings big universities down to a more human scale. It started with a physics mid-term, which most of these high achievers feel good about. Then a quick, unscripted shift into biology... Read More
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In life and art, you never know what you’re going to get. And that excites Jamie Q.
This is the approach the London artist took in creating a new art book, The Possibilities Are Endless, published by Western’s McIntosh Gallery Curatorial Study Centre and launching this Friday at the Forest City Gallery. Read More
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As Western’s Writer-in-Residence program, hosted by the Department of English, celebrates its 40thanniversary this year, it’s important to keep its role and necessity in mind, said Manina Jones, professor and vice-chair in the English department. Read More
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Next fall, Western will welcome 25 undergraduate students to its new School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities (SASAH), a unique-to-Canada program offering what organizers call an elite liberal arts education. Read More
For more news stories visit our news archives
In memoriam: Brenda MacEachern, June 15, 1948 -- October 11, 2012
Remembering the day we honoured 'my everyday hero'
Editor’s note: Sonia Halpern, Department of Visual Arts professor, who teaches in the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research, nominated Brenda MacEachern for the Western Award of Excellence in 2006. She would win the award the following year. At the ceremony, Halpern delivered the following speech about MacEachern’s many accomplishments at Western. It is printed here in honour of MacEachern, who died Oct. 11.
I am thrilled to say a few words about Brenda MacEachern in honour of her being a recipient of the prestigious Western Award of Excellence.
Brenda has been the curator in the Richard and Beryl Ivey Visual Resources Library in the Department of Visual Arts since 1970. She acquires, catalogues and manages 150,000 slides in the library’s collection (in addition to a host of other visual art resource materials and equipment) – a collection of images which covers the history of Western art from pre-historic time to the present. She also manages staff and work-study students, and interacts with faculty, students and the public, whom she graciously assists every day. Read More
In memoriam: Lisa M. Zeitz, July 17, 1956 – October 6, 2012
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University, students lose a 'champion'
Dr. Lisa Zeitz joined the Department of English on July 1, 1989. She held a PhD from Queen’s University, an MA from the University of Virginia, and a BA from Queen’s. Her specialty was Restoration and 18th-century English literature, with a particular interest in religious and intellectual history, narrative technique, and landscape aesthetics. Before joining Western’s faculty, she held a SSHRCC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto, and won the highly prestigious Polanyi prize in 1989. She published articles in the journals Nineteenth-Century Literature, Eighteenth-Century Life, Studies in English Literature, and many others. Her work has been characterized as “shrewd, sophisticated, and completely up to date…her writing is uniformly lucid and vigorous.”
These qualities also characterize Lisa’s work in the classroom. Over the years, students have written enthusiastic letters of praise. “She is, quite simply, one of the most outstanding and dedicated teachers I have ever encountered.” She was, writes another former student, “a consistently inspiring, passionate, professional, and innovative scholar and teacher whose commitment to her work in all its various facets affects students both academically and personally.” Lisa’s commitment to her students, especially at the undergraduate level, earned her accolades not merely on account of her dedication, but also on account of the demanding, rigorous, and intellectually honest expectations she had for all of her students. Nobody ever got a free ride in her courses, and every grade her students earned was a true mark of achievement.
As a colleague, Lisa was a champion for the department and its faculty, to say nothing of the students at Western. One of the staunchest defenders of a degree in English, she steadfastly maintained her commitment to small classes, close engagement with both text and student, and rigorous assessment of student work. Colleagues who strayed too creatively in these areas could rest assured they would be hearing shortly from Lisa.
But she always corrected us with principled argument and wonderful humor. She was, quite simply, one of the wittiest people around, always ready with the quick reply and the self-deprecating comment. She had the gift of finding the absurd in the ordinary; the hilarity amidst the gravitas; and the unlikely comedy within even awful circumstances. We have missed her for too long in English already, the London Knights have lost one of their most dedicated season-ticket holders, and the baseball playoffs are going to have to get along without Dr. Zeitz’s passionate and knowledgeable fandom.
In an article published in the UWO Gazette shortly after her first hospitalization for cancer, Professor Zeitz beautifully conveyed the style of her engagement: “I don’t know if there is anything more exciting than watching young women and men learning who they are, and exploring what they think, feel and believe.” This commitment inspires us all today.
While our loss in English is significant, we offer our condolence and support to her spouse, Dr. Peter Thoms, also a longtime member of our Department. Our thoughts are with him, and with Lisa’s family at this time.
Bryce Traister,
Chair, Department of English
Thanksgiving, 2012
40 things we need to know about the next 40 years
On Nov. 15, 2012, Western News celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special edition asking 40 Western researchers to share the 40 THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEXT 40 YEARS.
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accepting submissions
In the fortieth year of the Writer-in-Residence program, the University Students’ Council and the Department of English have collaborated to create a new, parallel position, unique in Canada: the Student Writer-in-Residence (SWIR). The SWIR is expected to provide mentorship for student writers, to take a leadership role at a variety of literary and cultural events on campus, and to develop and present his or her own writing to the greater Western community. Application deadline is January 6, 2013 Read more
To be awarded by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident registered at Western. This prize of $1,000 is awarded competitively for a recent work of creative writing, in English or French, on a theme of Canadian heritage. Deadline is February 15, 2013
Awards
Henrik Lagerlund & Alison Conway:
Graham and Gale Wright Distinguished Scholar Fellowship
M.J. Kidnie & Sonia Halpern: Arts and Humanities Teaching Excellence Award
Henri Boyi: Western Humanitarian Award
Kathryn Mockler: Angela Armitt Award for Excellence in Teaching
To read more about Faculty Achievements click here
department Links
- Classical Studies
- English
- Film Studies
- French Studies
- Modern Languages and Literatures
- Philosophy
- Visual Arts
- Women's Studies and Feminist Research
- Linguistics Program
- Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication