Saturday 30 October 2021

Fall 2021 Scripture, Faith & Scholarship Symposium with Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo


Fill the Earth and Subdue: 
Exploring Relationships with Land 
with Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo

Date: 
Friday, November 5th at 1:30pm (Eastern)

Join the Meeting Here:

Meeting ID: 884 5521 8588

On Friday, November 5th, the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) will host symposium "Fill the Earth and Subdue: Exploring Relationships with Land," the fall instalment of our Scripture, Faith, and Scholarship series with Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo (June Callwood Professor in Social Justice and Special Advisor on Indigenous Issues at Emmanuel and Victoria Colleges).

Jonathan's work focuses on the history and impact of Residential Schools, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its Calls to Action, Indigenous interactions with Christianity and the Church, and community relationships. Jonathan is particularly interested in exploring the use of personal stories, experiences, and worldviews in the creation of human connections. In his time with us, Jonathan will speak about the role of scriptural narratives and scriptural interpretation in the Indigenous interactions with Christianity.

We are delighted to welcome Jonathan as he gives the ICS community a glimpse into the ways in which his interpretation of sacred texts has helped to shape his professional journey, and we invite you to join us virtually via the Zoom link above (phone-in options are available below).


More About Jonathan

The majority of Jonathan’s university career has been in the area of Indigenous student services through his involvement in First Nations House and as the Director of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (Provost’s Office and Human Resources & Equity) at the University of Toronto. He was an ESL Instructor with LINC (Language Instruction to Newcomers to Canada) and coordinated a Basic Skills and Career Program for adults at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.

Jonathan is from Kahnawake, a Mohawk community outside of Montreal. He is an unwavering Montreal Canadiens fan, loves to downhill ski, has an uncanny knowledge of superheroes and comic books, and loves to spend time with his wife and children. Oh yes, there is also a bunny and cat at home!


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Meeting ID: 884 5521 8588

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdUbavqYAA

Prayer Letter: November 2021

Monday, November 1- Friday, November 5:


At ICS/CPRSE, we are excited to announce that the opening session of our 2021 Colloquium, Philosophy Otherwise: Relearning the Philosophical Craft, will take place on Monday, November 1st, at 6:00pm! This will be the first of five sessions designed to help us reflect critically on the impact of systemic racism in our scholarly community and tradition, as well as to envision ways to integrate considerations of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our learning, research, and public outreach.

We give thanks for the members of the Colloquium Planning Committee (Héctor Acero Ferrer, Abbi Hofstede, Andrew Tebbutt, and Danielle Yett) who have been working tirelessly over the past year putting together a program that responds to ICS's institutional call to acknowledge, lament, and uproot systemic racism in our institution. We also give thanks that along the way we have developed meaningful relationships with scholars, who represent radically diverse scholarly approaches and tradition, and are making significant efforts to reflect on what it means to think philosophically and theologically in a post-2020 world.

Colombian philosopher, Dr. María del Rosario Acosta, Professor & Interim Vice-Chair of the Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of California Riverside, will be providing the leadership in this first session. Dr. Acosta brings to us a wealth of experience in Continental Philosophy, as well as decades of direct work with survivors of political violence and police brutality. In her work on "Grammars of Listening," Dr. Acosta attempts to open a philosophical space to listen to the voices of individuals and communities oppressed and marginalized through systemic violence. In doing so, Dr. Acosta considers the act of listening both as a philosophical category and as a practice that can aid philosophy in reimagining itself in a post-colonial world. Please pray for Dr. Acosta as she leads this session, and all those who will be participating in the colloquium that they might have insight as they reflect on their own philosophical and scholarly practices.

Also today, November 1, is the application deadline for students wanting to enter the MA in Education Leadership program if they want to start in the 2022 winter term. Please pray for wisdom for Gideon Strauss and Edith van der Boom as they review the students’ applications this month.

During Thursday night, October 28, ICS Emeritus Calvin Seerveld's wife Ines passed away in her sleep. We are grieved to hear of her passing, but give thanks that Ines was able to live out her days in the comfort of her own home and in the tender care of her husband and those who loved her. On these days of All Saints' (November 1) and All Souls’ (November 2), we ask you to take a moment to remember Ines, Cal, and their family and friends in your prayers. We pray also that God will send comfort and resurrection hope to all those who are mourning her loss, and especially to Cal.

On Wednesday, November 3rd, there will be a MA-EL Virtual Open House for current and future educators, between 4-5pm ET. This Open House will help future students understand the program and hear how current students are benefiting from this unique learning opportunity. Please contact Elizabet Aras, academic-registrar@icscanada.edu, for further details if you are interested in attending and/or know someone who might be. And please pray that this event will prove to be instructive and welcoming to potential students.

On Friday, November 5th, the ICS/CPRSE will host the Fall 2021 Scripture, Faith, and Scholarship Symposium with Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo, June Callwood Professor in Social Justice and Special Advisor on Indigenous Issues at Emmanuel and Victoria Colleges. In his presentation, "Fill the Earth and Subdue: Exploring Relationships with Land," Jonathan will share with our community how his frontline and academic work in Indigenous issues has expressed his faith and spirituality. We pray in thanksgiving for Jonathan as he gives the ICS community a glimpse into the ways in which his interpretation of sacred texts has helped to shape his professional journey.


Monday, November 8 - Friday, November 12:


Please continue to pray for Harley Dekker this week as he works diligently with the auditors to finalize the annual audit of our financial records for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021. We need to have the information ready in time for the AGM and the Annual Report, so we ask that God would bless these efforts with grace and speed of deliberation. Once again, we are very thankful for God’s watchful care over us, especially in the second half of this year during the pandemic.

Please pray this week and next for our Perspective production and mailing crew, especially Vidya Williams, Héctor, and Danielle as they work with Kevin, our designer, and Randy, our printer, to meet the deadline for sending out the mailing in a couple of weeks. This is always a hectic time so we ask for grace and strength for each one as they work together. May all enjoy a sense of accomplishment in the completion of this important and special project.

A number of our Junior Members are currently at various stages of thesis research and writing. Among these, we ask for prayers especially for the following of Senior Member Nik Ansell's advisees: Dong Wook, who is working on Derrida's "Religion without Religion" theme in conversation with Mark's Gospel; June, who is probing the philosophical implications of "liminality"; and Fred, who is tracing out the implications of René Girard's thinking for how we might understand the "necessity" of Jesus' death. Please pray for these Junior Members' continued inspiration, energy, and encouragement as they work on these exciting projects!

Please pray this month and next for the Educational Policy Committee and the Academic Council as they will be reviewing course proposals and policy proposals for presentation to the Senate at their winter meeting. Please pray for each of the members of these two committees, that they will have wisdom and clarity of thinking as they review these important documents, and for our Academic Dean, Gideon Strauss, as he leads the faculty in their academic programming and policy deliberations.


Monday, November 15 - Friday, November 19:


On Monday, November 15th, ICS/CPRSE will host the second session of our 2021 Colloquium, Philosophy Otherwise: Relearning the Philosophical Craft, this time under the leadership of Ntando Mlambo. Ntando is a lecturer at the University of the Free State in South Africa. In her work, Ntando explores how the emerging praxis of spatial justice can further the ecumenical church’s quest for a prophetic voice and actions in South African land reform. We pray for Ntando, for the colloquium planning committee, and for the ICS community, as we come together to reflect on the ways in which systemic racism subsists within Christian communities and to seek life-giving alternatives in our theological and philosophical praxis.

Currently, Senior Member Nik Ansell is under contract to write an essay on "Nature and Grace" for the T & T Clark "Companion to the Doctrine of Creation" volume. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring some reformational resources to the attention of scholars working in this area. But the deadline is now a pressing one, and Nik's contribution needs to be finished by the end of 2021. So we ask for prayers for Nik's concentration as he continues this work, and we pray that he may receive the blessings of time and stamina as he brings this project to completion.

We would value your prayers this week as we work with our printer on the final steps to get this latest issue of Perspective mailed out to our ICS community. We’re grateful for the expertise of our designer and printer, and pray that the many pieces of this process will come together in a smooth and timely manner.


Monday, November 22 - Friday, November 26:


During this week of the US Thanksgiving holiday, we want to share our prayers of gratitude for each and every one of our supporters in Canada, the US, and across the world. Your continued financial, prayerful, professional, and personal support of the day-to-day educational mission of ICS keeps us going. So thank you!

On Friday, November 26th, the Board of Trustees will meet virtually. Please pray for grace and wisdom for our Chair, John Joosse, and all our Board members as they deliberate together on the various matters before them during these still unpredictable times. Pray also for ease of use of the virtual meeting technology so that the deliberations go smoothly with little or no disruption.

Our Annual General Meeting will take place virtually on Saturday, November 27th. Please pray for John Joosse as he gives leadership to the meeting and for all those who will participate in the presenting of reports. We’re grateful for this yearly rhythm which affords the opportunity to attend to what we’ve accomplished, and the goals to which we aspire institutionally. We also give thanks for this chance to gather with the broader ICS community to reflect together on our educational calling and hopes.


Monday, November 29 - Tuesday, November 30:


As we quickly move into the end of the fall term, we would ask you to please pray for our Senior Members (and adjunct and sessional faculty) as they teach in the final three weeks of classes, and as they prepare for their teaching in the quickly-approaching winter term. We also want to express our deep gratitude for the new students who have come to ICS this academic year, as well as all the returning ones. Our students keep us alive in all kinds of ways. So we pray that they may stay in touch with their infectious enthusiasm amidst the demands that can be felt as we move towards the end of the semester and they work to finish up readings and other assignments and as they start to prepare their term papers and projects.

We would also ask you to pray for Brenna, our Recruitment Coordinator, and the rest of the team as they continue to promote the upcoming winter term courses. We ask for wisdom and creativity as they experiment with different ways to communicate to a wider and diverse audience about our learning opportunities, and we pray that these efforts will bring many students who would benefit from the ICS learning environment through our “doors.”

Partners in Provocation

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another,
and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

—Hebrews 10:24-25

‘Provoke’ is a strong word. Often, we use this word with a negative connotation, as when we counsel ourselves not to provoke someone to anger, or to refrain from stirring up volatile emotions in others. If we say a film or novel is ‘provocative,’ we usually mean that it is somehow dangerous or edgy, possessing the ability to arouse us in ways we might not always find helpful or welcome. Yet in the Letter to the Hebrews we are told that, when we gather together to encourage one another, we should also find ways to provoke each other.

The Greek word that the NRSV translates as ‘provoke’ in Hebrews 10:24 is paroxysmon. That is an intense word too. In fact, a variation of that word (paroxysmos) is used in Acts 15:39 to describe the “sharp disagreement” between Paul and Barnabas that caused them to break up their shared ministry and go their separate ways. What a throw down that must have been!

Of course, we still use the word ‘paroxysm’ today, which one dictionary I checked defines as “a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity.” Is Hebrews, then, asking us to figure out how to instill something like that in those with whom we gather? Whatever the case, I think it is safe to say that here we are counselled to do something more energetic and challenging than simply give our fellows a gentle nudge. In fact, other translations use words like ‘stimulate’ or ‘stir up’ to communicate the kind of incitement that the word paroxysmon connotes.

I like to think of ICS as a place where those who seek and desire God’s shalom, to live a life of love and good deeds, can meet to encourage—and even incite and provoke—one another. What is more, that meeting place does not only exist inside our classroom but includes all the other conversational spaces we curate both within and outside of the academy—even this very letter from me to you. I think what I like most about this passage in Hebrews, then, is that it speaks of provoking and inciting in the context of such a mutually supportive gathering of conspirators. I thus see ICS as a learning community that includes you, its community of support. Together, we are ‘partners in provocation,’ an encouraging community that does not shy away from the task of challenging each other to live lives replete with love and good deeds.

As we await “the Day that is approaching” (vs. 25), we do so together, encouraging and provoking one another. Thank you for being a partner in this joyful work. May God bless our collaboration so that it may erupt into a paroxysm of love and good deeds!

Shalom, my friends!

Ron Kuipers

Wednesday 6 October 2021

October 19: Jonathan Chaplin to Present on New Book

ICS and the CPRSE are pleased to welcome Dr. Jonathan Chaplin on October 19th at 1:30pm EDT for a presentation on and discussion of his most recent book, Faith in Democracy: Framing a Politics of Deep Diversity (available from SCM Press). This is an important work that delves into the complex relationships of faith and the public and political spheres, and we're very much looking forward to the opportunity to have Jonathan discuss these themes with us.

Here is a brief description of the book:

What is the place of faith in public life in the UK? Beyond 'secularism' that seeks to relegate faith to the margins of public life, and a 'Christian nation' position that seeks to retain, or even regain, Christian public privilege, there is a third way.
Faith in Democracy: Framing a Politics of Deep Diversity calls for an approach that maximizes public space for the expression of faith-based visions within democratic fora while repudiating all traces of religious privilege. It argues for a truly conversational space, reflecting theologically on the contested concepts at the heart of the current debate about the place of faith in British public life: democracy, secularism, pluralism and public faith. (from SCM Press)

Our virtual event on October 19 will be open to the public via Zoom, and our conversation with Jonathan will be steered by Junior Member Abbigail Hofstede and CPRSE’s Postdoctoral Research Associate Andrew Tebbutt

Below, you will find all the information needed to access the Zoom session. Simply click on the link to join on the day of the event and you will be taken directly to the meeting room. Please email cprse@icscanada.edu to let us know if you're planning to join.

* * *

Book Presentation - Jonathan Chaplin, Faith in Democracy
Time: Oct 19, 2021 @ 1:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 889 8993 1652

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Meeting ID: 889 8993 1652
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kem1XYoisC

Friday 1 October 2021

Prayer Letter: October 2021

Friday, October 1:


During the month of October, the CPRSE team approaches the final stages of planning of the colloquium “Philosophy Otherwise: Relearning the Philosophical Craft,” which will take place during the month of November via Zoom. This event will be a space to continue ICS’s ongoing reflection on systemic racism and its bearings on the scholarly tradition on which our institution stands. Please pray for the planning committee, as well for our guest presenters, as they put the pieces together for this important discussion for our community.


Monday, October 4 - Friday, October 8:


We want to give thanks for our first Academic Council meeting on September 20th which ended with a brief start-of-the-year check-in. The Senior Members are all looking forward to the semester and are excited about the courses they are teaching this year. Returning Junior Members are happy to get back into the groove, and are enthusiastic about staying connected with the community. New Junior Members felt very welcomed by everyone during Orientation Week, and said that the events that took place felt different from other universities in a positive way. We give thanks for this inspiring start to the new school year.

Bob Sweetman is starting to work with two more new students, Chris (MA) and Traver (PhD) who will be the last new students he takes on as he moves into retirement. These students have already been working with Bob as they took classes with him last academic year trying out ICS and its offerings since they were available online. Their experience was obviously positive enough to convince them to come back for more, indeed, to commit to take on a program of study at ICS. In the meanwhile, he continues to serve others as supervisor to five students: Grace (MA) and Julia, Eric, Samir, and Meg (PhD). Bob hopes to have helped each to either finish or be at the thesis writing stage by the time he retires fully. Please pray for Bob that he will have the energy and acuity to help each achieve their goals and enter into their future calling. Pray too for Bob as he starts the learning process on what he can expect of himself in retirement.

Please pray with us over these next few weeks as we work with the contributors to our fall issue of Perspective. This issue is a very special one as it will focus on introducing our new students this year. Pray particularly for our editors, Danielle and Héctor, as they ensure that all goes smoothly and timelines are met.

Please pray for the Recruitment Committee as they meet every Wednesday under the direction of Brenna, our new Recruitment Coordinator as they plan for the strategic recruitment for our quickly-approaching winter semester. Pray too for Brenna and the team as they begin thinking long-term about promotional strategies for our courses and programs in the 2022-23 academic year.

On the afternoon of October 9th, Héctor Acero Ferrer and Andrew Tebbutt will be participating on behalf of the CPRSE in the Society for Ricoeur Studies’ virtual conference. Together with Dr. Robert Vosloo (University of Stellenbosch), they will lead a panel titled Divine Incognitos: Paul Ricoeur on Forgiveness and Religion from the Intimate to the Public Sphere. This panel will take cues especially from Ricoeur’s understanding of the religious or theological dimension of forgiveness, in order to explore the various settings in which the “small acts of consideration” of forgiveness are possible, and what the restorative potential of forgiveness entails to individuals in such settings. Please pray for Héctor, Andrew, and Dr. Vosloo as they prepare for their panel, and that it might lead to fruitful discussions among the conference participants.


Monday, October 11 (Thanksgiving) - Friday, October 15:


This being the week of Canadian Thanksgiving, we want to join together and give thanks for the many answers to prayer this year. We have been blessed by our ICS Community again and again as they faithfully supported us in our times of need; we have seen God’s hand of protection over all of us during the yet another wave of the pandemic and all its challenges; and we have been encouraged by the grace and strength that God has given us during the difficult times.

As we start our next cycle of recruitment for the winter term and next academic year, please pray for all of the faculty and staff involved in our recruitment efforts, as well as the students who are considering taking our courses or becoming a part of the ICS community. Pray especially that we will be able to reach those students who are struggling with their faith, and might particularly benefit from coming here to wrestle with those questions in a supportive community.


Monday, October 18 - Friday, October 22:


The Academic Council will receive the 2020-2021 Reflective Practice Reports of Senior Members in its meeting on October 18, and will evaluate and celebrate each individually in their meetings throughout this academic year. These conversations will constitute the annual performance review of each Senior Member. Please pray for Gideon Strauss, our Academic Dean, as he leads these important discussions, and that each faculty member will be uplifted and encouraged.

Please pray for Bob and Rosanne Sweetman as for the immediate future they have the pleasure and challenge of having their daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren ages four and two living with them. They have not seen them since the pandemic began as they live in Tanzania. Their daughter is using this opportunity to receive the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, whereas their son-in-law has already been vaccinated in Tanzania. Their grandchildren are full of beans, creative, and very active; so we ask for energy for Bob and Rosanne as they enjoy the wonder and joy of being opa and oma and all that entails to their young grandchildren.

On October 19, ICS/CPRSE will welcome Dr. Jonathan Chaplin for an afternoon presentation and discussion of his most recent book, Faith in Democracy: Framing a Politics of Deep Diversity. Junior Member Abbigail Hofstede and CPRSE’s Postdoctoral Research Associate Andrew Tebbutt will help us steer this conversation, which will be open to the public via Zoom. If you’re interested in joining us for this event, please email ics-communications@icscanada.edu so we can send you the Zoom details once they’re set up. Please also pray that this event can serve as a space for fruitful exchange around some of the political issues most pressing in our communities today.


Monday, October 25 - Friday, October 29:


Monday marks the start of Reading Week for ICS Junior and Senior Members. Please pray for our students that they might have the creative energy and space to complete their writing and study assignments. Pray, too, for the faculty this week that God would graciously encourage and refresh them in their educational vocations at ICS.

Pray for ICS, and especially Harley Dekker, this week and next as he works with the auditors to finalize the annual audit of our financial records for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021. We have continued to see positive financial developments this past year and we give thanks for God’s care for us.

Please uphold the Board of Trustees in their oversight of the vision and mission of ICS, especially as they plan for the virtual Board meeting at the end of November, and the AGM, again via Zoom, around the same time. Pray for strength and wisdom for each one as they continue to provide support and leadership in the working out of God’s call to ICS now and into the future.

Education for Burning Hearts

They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking
to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

—Luke 24:32

I have long been fascinated by the story of Jesus’s post-resurrection appearance to two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. The story is utterly mysterious. The travellers do not recognize Jesus at first, but they are rapt as he opens the scriptures to them. They recognize the power of his words, without recognizing Jesus himself. Then, after they convince their fellow traveller to break bread with them, they suddenly recognize Jesus, and in that very moment he vanishes.

After their moment of recognition and Jesus’s simultaneous disappearance, the two travellers turn to each other and immediately understand why their hearts burned within them when the would-be stranger was speaking to them. A heart on fire—what a powerful image! It evokes the deep passion, yearning, and desire they already possessed for precisely the good news that Jesus had opened to them. When the two travellers finally turn to each other after Jesus disappears, they seem to conclude that their hearts had in fact recognized Jesus, even when their eyes did not. And now they find themselves alone once more, but transformed, hearts afire.

In my seminars at ICS, I ask students to perform a presentation exercise I call ‘The Burning Question’. I came up with the idea for this exercise because I wanted to steer students away from simply summarizing the reading, and instead to focus on the intellectual, existential, and spiritual issues the reading raises for them personally. Where in this reading does a volatile combination of passion and intellect erupt for you? Focus on that part of the text and unpack it for the rest of the class and attempt to explain why it arouses your perplexity and desire to understand. In this way, I hope to create a safe space for students to bring their spiritual passion into the classroom, and maybe even give them the chance to leave a sacred discussion with their peers in possession of the same burning heart that the travellers to Emmaus once possessed.

I have entertained the idea that Jesus disappears precisely at the moment when the travellers recognize him because that is the exact moment when his gospel of healing and transformation penetrates to the very core of their being, and they no longer need him to be physically present. For when we are in the grip of this passion, are we ever truly alone? In that moment, Jesus vanishes into, and indeed becomes, the fire in our hearts, and the grace of his passion may now fuel our efforts to join with the rest of our Messiah’s disciples in seeking God’s kingdom of shalom.

In the first letter of John, we are taught a similar lesson about God’s presence in absence: “No one has ever seen God,” we are there told, yet “if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). In love, God is with us even though we never see God—sort of like Jesus after he vanishes.

You, friends of ICS, make possible a school whose teaching is geared to fanning these same embers of divine love smoldering in all of us, to setting hearts aflame with our Messiah’s passion. It’s a risky, incendiary project—we’re not supposed to play with fire, after all—but it is an absolutely vital one.

Shalom, my friends,

Ron Kuipers

Winter 2022 Courses Announced!


With fall courses well underway, we're starting to look ahead to the Winter 2022 term at ICS. We’re very excited to announce the courses we'll be offering starting in January—all of which will remain available online.  

We’ll be running a number of courses that touch on topics ranging from Canadian colonialism, apocalypse and the book of Revelation, Deeper Learning, school governance, Franciscan thinkers, and, of course, Reformational Philosophy. Course syllabi and more information will be made available in the coming weeks, so visit our Winter 2022 landing page for the latest details on the following courses:


Birthpangs of the New Creation: Judgment unto Salvation in the Book of Revelation (Nik Ansell) 
In our culture, “apocalypse” typically refers to a cataclysmic, catastrophic ending, real or imagined. But what if the book from which we derive the term, i.e. the “Apocalypse”—or “Revelation”—of John, refers less to the end of the world than to a transition between the two Ages? With Nik Ansell, explore the topics of death, judgment, heaven, and hell as they are portrayed in the book of Revelation.

 

Deeper Learning: From Wonder to Inquiry to Practice (Edith van der Boom) 
In this course for instructional leaders, explore learning as a journey from wonder to inquiry to practice. Edith van der Boom helps Christian educators develop Deeper Learning within the context of a celebration of the learner, a mindfulness towards learning design, and a responsiveness to culture.

 

How to Govern a School: Board Governance, Decision-Making, and Community-Engagement (Gideon Strauss) 
Designed for new and aspiring principals, school leadership teams, and school boards; this new course, taught by Gideon Strauss, provides frameworks and tools for leadership in educational governance. Learn about the work of nurturing relationships among school stakeholders, with a focus on the pivotal relationship between the board and school leadership.

 

Individuality in the Franciscan Thought of John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham (Bob Sweetman) 
Examine the thought of John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham in relation to the doctrine of “individuality” in this seminar with Bob Sweetman. Against the backdrop of Franciscan spirituality and Aristotelianism, this course will closely consider philosophical accounts of our daily experience of both universality in the world (the fact that creatures come to us in kinds) and individuality (the fact that it is individual creatures that come to us in kinds).

 

Recognition or Refusal? Cultural Politics in a Colonial Canada (Andrew Tebbutt) 
Canada is often described as a democratic, “multicultural” nation; however, a growing number of Indigenous thinkers and activists are arguing that Canada’s approach to recognizing Indigenous peoples remains culturally and economically colonial. With Postdoctoral Research Associate Andrew Tebbutt, explore the idea of recognition and its application in Canadian politics through the lens of Glen Sean Coulthard’s book Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition and alongside other Indigenous authors such as Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Taiaiake Alfred.

 

Religion, Life and Society: Reformational Philosophy (Bob Sweetman) 
Explore central issues in philosophy through the lens of Herman Dooyeweerd, Dirk Vollenhoven, and the “Amsterdam School” of neoCalvinian thought. In this foundational ICS course with Bob Sweetman, you'll test the relevance of the reformational philosophical tradition for recent developments in Western philosophy and attend to critiques of foundationalism, metaphysics, and modernity.

 

Interdisciplinary Seminar (IDS) To be announced
Every winter, ICS holds its annual Interdisciplinary Seminar, which is an opportunity for Junior and Senior Members from different academic disciplines to come together and explore an idea or question from a variety of points of view. Stay tuned for more information about this year’s topic!


If you want to help promote our courses but aren’t sure how, feel free to reach out to our Recruitment Coordinator, Brenna Wehrle, at recruitment-coordinator@icscanada.edu!