Land Acknowledgement: Lakehead University is located on the traditional territories of the Fort William First Nation (Thunder Bay campus) and the Anishinaabeg (Orillia campus).
Anthony Puddephatt Email: apuddephatt@lakeheadu.ca
Assistant Dean, ThunderBay
Susan Viitala Email: sviitala@lakeheadu.ca
Administrative Staff
FOCUS
In this Issue
Dean’s Message
Highlights
Teaching Research Activities
SSH Achievements
The social sciences have a critical contribution to make, in helping us understand, imagine, and craft a more sustainable future for all.
- UNESCO
The humanities teach us, incrementally, endlessly, not what to do, but how to be.
- Mark Slouka
Message
Welcome! This is the first issue of FOCUS, the biannual digital summary of highlights with one of the largest faculties of Lakehead University. We are composed of over 1400 students and 61 full-time faculty in 2023, supported by contract lecturers and staff. FOCUS aims to enhance awareness of our amazing programs, disciplinary expertise, and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary reach in examining the past, understanding where we are now, and contributing to a future we could all be proud of.
The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities consistently showed excellent scores in the 2023 Canadian University Survey Consortium, National Survey of Student Engagement, and Student Feedback on Teaching in the following areas: overall satisfaction with courses, student participation, and educational experience. Our high-quality programs, scholarship, and research endeavours serve diverse communities.
FOCUS is a snapshot since I assumed the role of Dean in November 2023. The highlights included here are in no way exclusive. Check our faculty website for more information on each department and faculty engagement. Thank you for your continuing support of our public mandate to serve our communities, locally and globally. - Glenda 1 2 2 3 3
Teaching
CRIMINOLOGY
The Criminology program under the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies based in Orillia campus used innovative teaching strategies to enhance experiential learning. Examples included field trips, mock interrogations, and investigative interviewing. The program coordinator in Fall 2023/Winter 2024 was Dr. Michael Stevenson.
HISTORY
The Department of History continues to enhance its Public History program with community placement of HBA students at the Thunder Bay Museum. The Friends of the Finnish Labour Temple, participated in by Kelly Saxberg, Michel Beaulieu, Ron Harpelle, and Nathan Hatton, was awarded a $150,000 Resilient Communities Fund Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to develop skills for media digital creation. The department chair in Fall 2023/Winter 2024 was Dr. Michael Stevenson.
LANGUAGES
The Department of Languages has a partnership with La Vérendrye. Students in French Education majors who took FREN 3510 (Advanced Oral Skills) were provided opportunities to teach French to Grade 10 and Grade 11 pupils. Students in the French major program were invited by La Vérendrye to participate in a SLAM workshop followed by a competition. The department chair in Fall 2023/Winter 2024 was Dr. Isabelle Lemée.
Research & Publications
Criminology Davut Acka received a Mitacs Accelerate grant to evaluate the Procedural Justice Training of the Barrie Police Service. Akca also wrote a report for the Thunder Bay Police Services Board on the use of AI policy and drafted the actual policy. Other publications include:
Akca, D., Ozeren, S., Bastug, M., & Ergene, A. “Collective Resilience in Diaspora Groups: A Comparative Study of Kurdish Youth in Canada and Sweden”, Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression 1–27 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1080/19434472.2024.2334916
Akca, D., Shoemaker, B., Cesaroni, C., Ammar, N., & Ouellet, M. “Joy, Compassion & Job Satisfaction: Insights into the Canadian Prison Chaplaincy”, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X231212812
Department of English
Kathryn Walton won the James Randall Leader Prize for 2023 for the best article published in Arthurian Studies, “Rewriting a Demon: Merlin’s Changing Characterization in Three Versions of Arthur and Merlin”, (Arthuriana 32.1 (2022).
Teaching
MEDIA, FILM and COMMUNICATIONS
Ten students during the Fall and Winter terms gained internships with Rogers TV, Orillia Museum of Art and History, Orillia Opera House, Laura Joy Photography, and Information Orillia. The program coordinator is Dr. Alice den Otter.
OUTDOOR RECREATION, PARKS and TOURISM
Dr. Leigh Potvin and Dr. Julie Rosenthal received funding in June from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to develop a micro-credential in Risk Management for Indigenous Land-based Practitioners. This will benefit those working on land-based therapeutic programming in remoteoutdoor settings in partnership with Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Dilico Anishnabek Family Care, and the Métis Nation of Ontario. Dr. Julie Rosenthal was also awarded a Thunder Bay Community Foundation Grant in collaboration with LUSU for the BIPOC Outdoor Adventures Club. The department chair is Dr. Leigh Potvin.
VISUAL ARTS
The Department of Visual Arts hosted a lecture and workshop with renowned ceramic artist Arlynn Nobel. Students and faculty exhibited their works at the Co Lab Gallery, the Definitely Superior Art Gallery, and the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in Thunder Bay as well as at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. The department chair is Dr. Sam Shahsahabi.
Department of History
PUBLICATIONS
Steven Jobbitt was awarded the Nandor Dreisziger Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Hungarian Studies in Canada by the Hungarian Studies Association of Canada. Sample publications of faculty members in the department:
Gyuris, Ference, Steven Jobbitt and Róbert Győri. “Hungarian Geography between 1870 and 1920: Negotiating Empire and Coloniality on the Global Semiperiphery,” AnnalsoftheAmericanAssociationof Geographers vol. 114, no. 4 (2024): 652–670.
Hébert, Valerie, ed. Framing the Holocaust: Photographs of a Mass Shooting in Latvia, 1941. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2023.
McKercher,Asa,andMichaelD.Stevenson. Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953-1961. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2024
McKercher, Asa, and Michael D. Stevenson, eds. NorthofAmerica:CanadiansandtheAmericanCentury, 1945-1960. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2023.
Ratz, David, and Michel S. Beaulieu. “Guard Duty for The Garries: Soldiers, Internees, and the History of POW Camp R," Canadian Military History 33, no. 1 (2024): 1-36
Activities
ENGLISH
The Department of English conducted its 7th Annual Undergraduate and Graduate Student Conference on April 11 participated by both campuses. Topics included media and indigeneity, historical fictions and gender construction, and speculation and subversion. The department also hosted the McLeod Lecture by Ramzi Fawaz from the University of Wisconsin during the Research & Innovation Week on February 29. The department chair is Dr. Anna Guttman.
GENDER AND WOMEN’S STUDIES
The Department of Gender and Women’s Studies conducted the 2024 feminisms at the lakehead with the theme Feminist Media, Performance, and Cultural Studies on April 10 at the Faculty Lounge and online. The department chair is Dr. Lori Chambers.
HISTORY
The Department of History sponsored the presentation of the 3rd Annual Spotlight on Academics Film Festival in February organized by Kelly Saxberg and Ron Harpelle. This festival featured films from around the world, with a total of 45 films shown online and a selection for a live audience. The department chair in Fall 2023/Winter 2024 was Dr. Michael Stevenson.
MEDIA, FILM, and COMMUNICATIONS
The Media, Film, and Communications program of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies held its annual Media Arts Showcase during the Research and Innovation Week in March at the Orillia campus. The program coordinator is Dr. Alice den Otter.
Department of
Music
Creative Works and Publications
Department of Sociology
The Department of Music, in partnership with the New Music North Concert series and the Canadian Music Centre, hosted a concert on February 27 that showcased contemporary music compositions by Lakehead University faculty members Aris Carastathis, Darlene Chepil Reid, Sean Kim, and Patrick Horn, alongside the work of fourth-year composition student Amani Sloley and Lakehead University alumni Jared Hynnes. This concert was supported with a $1000 grant from the Canadian Music Centre-Ontario Region.
Anthony Puddephatt’s review essay, “Living Green while Locking Down? Bruno Latour on COVID-19 Lockdowns in the Midst of the Climate Crisis” published by Symbolic Interaction (2022) was one of the top 10% of papers downloaded in 2024
Activities
MUSIC
The Department of Music continues its suite of activities for students and the community. These included the LUMNIA Concert Series, New Music Ensemble with student composers’ premieres (December 6), Lakehead University Wind Ensemble (December 5), Voice Student Recital (November 26, April 27), Woodwind Student Recital (March 28), LUMA Winter Recital (December 5), LUMA Spring Recital (April 2), Strings Student recital (April 6), New Music Ensemble featuring premiers of new works (April 9), Wind EnsembleRecital(April11),and Composer’sCanvasswith Amani Sloley (April 12). The Department of Music students and faculty also performed experimental compositions based on intuition, reflection, and discovery in Sound Reflections on February 29 during Research & Innovation Week. These events were held at the Jean McNutty Recital Hall at the William H. Buset Centre for Music and Visual Arts.
Susan Korstanje directed Medieval Legacy performed by the Lakehead University Vocal Ensemble on December 4 at the Trinity United Church. Susan also directed John Rutter’s Requiem presented by the Lakehead University Vocal Ensemble with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and Chorus on March 22 at St. Paul’s United Church. Brenna Prouse performed Fascinating Females as an Honours Project Recital on April 18 at the Trinity United Church. The department chair in Fall 2023 was Dr. Aris Carastathis. Dr. Evgeny Chugunov has been the department chair since Winter 2024.
SOCIOLOGY
The Department of Sociology conducted its Annual Graduate Student Professional Development Workshop Series. Sessions include training in developing professional resumes, presentation skills, publishing theses or research projects, and writing grants. The department chair is Dr. Chris Sanders.
Activities
VISUAL ARTS
The Department of Visual Arts hosted the 39th Annual Lakehead University Student JuriedExhibition andHonours Graduating Show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. This opened on March 22, and the Donor Selection Night was on March 27. The Dean’s Awards were presented on April 5 to Alyssa Angus (Indigenous Artist), Emma Dagenais (Ceramics), Marie Gauthier (Painting), Jillian Jurimae (Sculpture), and Keira Strickland (Drawing). The department chair is Dr. Sam Shahsahabi.
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
The first Faculty Graduate Speaker Series (Winter 2024) was held on February 23 at the Graduate Student Lounge, CASES Building. Jenna Scali, MA in Sociology, presented her work on “A Feminist Analysis of Women’s Chronic Pain Experiences in Northwestern Ontario”. The supervisor was Dr. Barbara Parker.
In support of the newly created SS&H Student Engagement Fund, the Dean’s office initiated a fundraising activity, Spring Jibe, at the Masala Grill on May 29. A $2 donation was given for every dine-in meal ordered. The event raised $120. We are preparing the next fundraiser event, Winter Jibe. Thanks to Mark Tilbury and the staff at the Alumni Office for their support.
Upcoming
A proposal to create an Asian Studies Minor Program was submitted in June. Planning is on the way to establish a Community Public Professor Series to showcase faculty members' research projects Contact the Dean’s Office to schedule a short presentation in the community.
SSH Achievements
• Top 3 undergraduate universities in Canada for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Grants in 2024 (see Maclean’s 2023, https://education.macleans.ca/feature/canadas-best-universities-bysocial-sciences-and-humanities-grants-rankings-2024/)
• MA in Social Justice Studies, a transformative and flexible interdisciplinaryprogram, attracts studentsin Canadaandaround the world. For program details, see https://www.lakeheadu.ca/programs/departments/social-justice
