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ARTS & CULTURE
THE CAMPUS NOVEMBER 23, 2020
Bridget Boucher, Arts & Culture Editor » thecampus.ac@gmail.com
Travelling to downtown Sherbrooke It’s official: the last standing piece of hangout-friendly land in Southern Quebec has fallen into the hands of COVID-19. With the red zone regulations now in effect in Estrie (see Cassie MacDonell’s article on page 2), hanging out with friends in a pandemic-safe way seems harder than flying to Australia for winter break. However, the city of Sherbrooke offers an interesting solution that combines both safe in-person friend time and a sense of travelling: sightseeing tours in the beautiful city centre. Join a friend, and enjoy a socially distanced walk with the spirit of vacation! Downtown Sherbrooke is full of hidden gems that are easily overlooked. Guided sightseeing tours are offered through the app BaladoDécouverte, which allows you to learn about your home or host city and admire its main attractions through various themed routes. GPS localization and interactive maps are included to facilitate orientation in the neighbourhood, and the app also provides audio explanations, video capsules, and pictures that offer valuable additional information about the sightseeing circuits. It even presents a downloading option for the whole material, so no LTE is needed. It’s like having a personal tour guide that you can carry around in your pocket! A fan favourite of this touristic activity is the Sherbrooke Rétro circuit that teaches you about Sherbrooke’s history
with a twist. While the itinerary leads you to various historical sights of the city centre, you can find pictures dating from forty to one hundred and twenty-five years ago on the app that match the exact location of the attractions. You will be standing in front of glorious city landscapes with their exact historical replica in your hand, allowing for direct comparison. It is up to the most observant to notice the differences. If you are a history nerd and you have a sharp eye, or even if you are just a curious person looking for a fun afternoon activity, this circuit is for you! However, my personal favourite is the route of the murals of Sherbrooke. This circuit includes 18 giant murals painted directly on the buildings of the city centre. As for all tours, audiovisual content is offered through the app that discusses everything from the creation of the mural to the work of the artist behind it. These playful wall paintings focus on optical illusions and trompe-l’oeil – the circuit is the biggest trompe-l’oeil mural tour in North America. Likewise, the murals themselves are gigantic. For instance, look for the hanging heart: it is bigger than a full-sized car! Not only are these murals immensely impressive and a sight for sore eyes, but they also retell Sherbrooke’s cultural and artistic history. This tour is perfect for artistic souls and people who love a good view; it’s like an outdoor museum! No matter your personality type, there is a guided
Diversity in assigned course reading Diversity is a hot button topic on today’s university campuses, especially after the protests surrounding police brutality and racism this summer. At Bishop’s, many ideas have been proposed on how to diversify the student experience, from introducing a Diversity Week, to incorporating a mandatory class on racism into the curriculum. While all are great in theory, one cannot run before they can walk; it’s important to consider the smaller steps first, starting, perhaps, with auditing and changing what is currently being taught on the Bishop’s campus. As a major in English with a literature focus, I am expected to fulfil a set of varied requirements ensuring that I get a well-rounded education in English literature. At least, that’s what I thought going in. Now in my third year, and after all of the events of 2020, I’m not so sure. Several of the courses I enrolled in for the fall 2020 semester have failed to meet my expectations, specifically regarding their assigned reading lists. A class I chose entitled “The Contemporary American Novel” seemed like it should have its pick of the litter in terms of a diverse curriculum; to my disappointment, I found that two of the three novels assigned were virtually from the same perspective: a straight, middle-aged, white, male protagonist written by a straight, middle-aged, white, male author. Contemporary American Novel seems like it could lend itself pretty easily to diverse perspectives; while, of course, not being American, the example of Margaret Atwood’s novels come rather readily to mind, and I’m sure an American counterpart could easily be found (perhaps Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl, which is, in my opinion, one of the best modern mystery novels). And of course, diversity is not just including voices of different genders: authors and protagonists of varying races, sexualities, and religions must also be included. I am a big fan of Toni Morrison’s work and thought that, especially in today’s climate surrounding the protests of this summer, it would be prudent to include teachings about race. Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner would not be out of place on such a list either, nor would, if one would like to forgo the limitations of the novel and include poetry and other literary forms, the works of Maya Angelou, Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, Mary Oliver, or Leonard Cohen.
Manu Bissonnette Contributor
sightseeing tour for you. The audiovisual content is only offered in French, but the sightseeing attractions themselves are worth the detour. If this circuit was offered in Barcelona, Spain, I’m convinced you would do it, so why not try it here? Enjoy a breath of fresh air with good company while you discover the beautiful city of Sherbrooke!
Sightseeing Gaiter. Graphic by Kate Schwartz
Bridget Boucher Arts & Culture Editor
This is not to say that this lack of diversity was intentional, but as educators, it is important to consider that students come from all walks of life, and not seeing themselves in any of the literature they are ordered to consume can feel very alienating. Of course, if one is studying a very specific period or author, it might not be possible to diversify the assigned reading. For example, a course on Shakespeare will have a very hard time focusing on any other perspectives than the straight white man’s, given that it is largely the narrative of all Shakespearean plays (that being said, where there’s a will, there’s a way—perhaps a Shakespeare course could include the study of title characters: The Moor in Othello or of Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, both of which give agency and voices to minorities that would not typically be very vocal in that time). In such dystopian times as these, I find it a touch disheartening that such little effort appears to be put into diversifying educational resources. I guess as Margaret Atwood says in her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, “Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum”– but for now, if anyone has any suggestions for some more diverse reading I can do on my own, I’m all ears (thecampus.ac@gmail.com).
Books by various American authors. Photo courtesy of Bridget Boucher
Amphilanthus Anonymous
And who were you before She told you who to be? Before you were broken At her beck and call Upon your knees? And who were you before She trained you up so violently? You’re a coward, lovesick craven Not your fault that you’re so weak. Spent four years in purgatory Helpless every time she’d leave Tied you up and told you pretty lies Between her neon teeth Straighten up, you spineless bastard Look me in the eyes when you speak You owe me this–– You won’t be rid Of me so easily.
