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LLIR Winter 2024 at Glendon
January 12 to March 15, 2024
[AM] Missing in Action! Untold Stories of Canadians’ Participation in Historic Moments with Ted Barris
(This course is now full and no longer available.)
Columnist Robert Fulford once wrote, “History is a party to which Canada has not been invited.” Whether it’s our youth (a nation of only 155 years), our lack of self-confidence (we’re not a British lion or an American eagle) or our global reputation as quiet peacemakers not warriors, Canadians never boast about their accomplishments making history. Yet, if one examines the past more closely, Canadians have played pivotal roles in momentous events, particularly in wartime.
In this lecture series, Ted Barris will explore: 1) the role of the humble steamboat in assuring Confederation; 2) the unpredicted victory at Vimy Ridge in WWI; 3) how a Canadian scheme in WWII ensured victory in the air war over Europe; 4) what Canadians did in the famous Dam Busters raid; 5) the leading roles Canadians played in the Great Escape; 6) what Canadians accomplished on D-Day that other Allied forces did not; 7) why Canadians are considered “liberators” to the Dutch; 8) how Canadians assisted in the first-ever defence of the UN Peace Charter in Korea; 9) what has made Canadian veterans leaders in understanding PTSD; 10) how Canadian naval, merchant, air force and civilian know-how won the longest and toughest battle of WWII, the Battle of the Atlantic.
[AM] The Kitchen: The Meaning of Hearth and Home with John Ota
This course is a journey through history in search of the perfect kitchen design. The journey will focus on the kitchen as the centrepiece for describing the history of the North American house, kitchen design, roles of men and women, food, cooking and recipes. Each lecture will focus on a tour of a significant house, including those of Julia Child, Georgia O’Keeffe and Elvis Presley. By using historic documentation, photographs and architectural drawings, we will analyse the architectural exterior, interior rooms, the life of its inhabitants and then focus on the kitchen. Key topics to be addressed will include the origins of the kitchen and its historical development, architectural layout, the invention of kitchen appliances, the origins of different foods, drinks and cooking methods. Each lecture will then move to offering practical advice, itemizing the historical features that could be incorporated into a contemporary setting and contribute to making a perfect kitchen. The objective of this series is to review the history of the kitchen and the architectural development of the house. As well, it will provide a history of how we lived in the past so as to better understand our present in terms of food supply, comfort and the meaning of home. Ultimately, this series is designed to provoke discussion that will have a positive impact on the future of kitchen design, cooking and nutrition.
[AM] A History of Indigenous Canada: Why this Matters Today with Alison Norman
(This course is now full and no longer available.)
This course will examine the history of relationships between the Indigenous people of Canada and the settler population who arrived beginning in the 17th century. The focus will be on explaining the complex legacy of colonialism and how its impacts are still seen today. Key topics will include an introduction to traditional cultural, political and economic systems of the First Nations; the loss of Indigenous lands and the creation of reserves through the treaty process across the country; the involvement of the churches and the residential and day school systems; the roles that Indigenous leaders played in fighting for the rights of their communities; and how colonial processes have resulted in injustices that still linger today. The course will attempt to debunk some common myths and assumptions and will help participants to work towards truth and reconciliation.
[PM] Who are the Slavs? with Stan Kirschbaum
(This course is now full and no longer available.)
In February 2022, Russia launched a massive military operation on a neighbouring state, Ukraine. What is startling about this event is that the Russians, a Slavic people, proceeded to wage war on another Slavic people, the Ukrainians. Why did they? Are there historical precedents? Aren’t the Slavs a specific ethno-linguistic group of peoples who have so much in common that such an action is not only surprising but should be unthinkable? Hence the question: Who are the Slavs? What do they have in common? What distinguishes them one from another? Is the war in Ukraine, also seen as a test of democracy and European stability and security, merely a specific and singular occurrence? If it is, why is that the case and what do the other Slavic peoples have to say? This lecture series will seek to answer these questions by looking at the origin, the languages, the religions, the culture, and especially the modern history of the Slavic peoples of Europe. Each Slavic nation will be presented so as to establish its place in European history, understand the factors that underpinned the decisions and drove the actions of its leaders when faced with challenges, and assess the local, regional, and international consequences.
[PM] The History of Comedy with Andrew Clark
(This course is now full and no longer available.)
For as long as there have been people there’s been comedy. The oldest Egyptian hieroglyphic for laughter dates to 2900 BC and the Old Testament has 26 references to laughter, including Chapter 18 of Book of Genesis when Sarah, aged 90, laughs at the news she is going to be a mother. This course will examine the evolution of comedy and explore the recurring motifs and styles that have survived through the ages. We’ll explore Indigenous humour. We’ll examine how Roman rhetoric relates to modern stand-up comedy, how vaudeville and music hall have been reborn on Tik Tok and Instagram. We’ll also do deep dives into the history of Canadian comedy, from the soldiers’ concert parties of the First World War to radio comedy in the 1930s and 40s, as well as the birth of stand-up comedy, the rise of Boomer humour in the sixties and seventies as well as alternative comedy of the 1990s. Along the way, we will make time for in-depth study of seminal comedic works such as Groundhog Day.