February 2016

Sign up for an incredible experience

You'd be surprised by how much is going on at Congress 2016 beyond association conferences! Discover the much-anticipated Big Thinking lectures, stroll through Expo or attend the university's interdisciplinary symposia. New programming being added daily. Register by March 31 to benefit from early bird rates!

Read an interview with Bart Beaty, Congress 2016 Academic Convenor, on his experience with Congress and the benefits of attending.

Federation news & events

Big Thinking on assisted death in Canada

With Canadian lawmakers crafting new legislation on physician-assisted dying, the Federation is excited to host its first Big Thinking event of 2016, featuring a leading scholar on the law and ethics of assisted dying, Jocelyn Downie.

Big Thinking on the Hill spring line-up

The Federation continues its celebrated Big Thinking on the Hill lecture series, featuring: "Reforming Canada's voting system," by Dr. Andr� Blais on March 22, and "The evolving Middle East," by Dr. Janice Stein on April 19.

Federation presents budget submission 2016

The Federation is preparing to once again present the key priorities of the humanities and social sciences communities to government through an official submission to inform the 2016 federal budget. We welcome member input or information on those preparing their own submission. Read the Federation's most recent submission.

2016 Federation elections

Following the nomination period for three positions on the Federation's Board of Directors, we are pleased to welcome Guy Laforest as President-Elect and Tim Goddard as Director, Teaching and Learning. Cindy Blackstock was also acclaimed for a second two-year term as Director, Equity and Diversity. More on the elections here.

Examining Canadian ancestral languages

Each month our new Bookmark it! blog series profiles books that are significant to Canadian culture, society and research. ASPP-funded book The Decolonizing Poetics of Indigenous Literatures by independent scholar Mareike Neuhaus examines the value of Indigenous literature when written in the language of the colonizer in a blog post.

Board member under the spotlight

Congratulations to Cindy Blackstock, Director of Equity and Diversity on the Federation Board, for her leadership alongside the AFN and many child advocates, for a big win in a nine-year challenge of the federal government, with a landmark ruling from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and important implications for First Nations children.

Member news

Aboriginal reconciliation

Federation Executive Director Jean-Marc Mangin recently had the opportunity to visit Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, notably to learn more about growing and rich programming and engagement with Aboriginal communities. Read more in his blog post.

Highlights from the SSH community

Human Dimensions Open Data Challenge

In partnership with Compute Canada, Ontario Centres of Excellence and ThinkData, this new SSHRC competition invites teams to address questions on how data can influence critical business, policy, and social challenges in Canada's natural resources and energy sectors through 2035. Deadline: March 31, 2016.

Seeking Impact Awards nominations

The SSHRC Impact Awards recognize outstanding achievements in research, research training, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities partially or fully funded by SSHRC, with four prestigious awards worth C$50K, in addition to the Gold Medal valued at C$100K. See categories and institutional eligibility guidelines. Nomination deadline:April 5, 2016.

The Future of the PhD in the Humanities

Registrations now open for Carleton University conference on The Future of the PhD in the Humanities on May 16-18. The Carlteon event will explore how to rethink graduate humanities education, develop new programs, change the culture of the academy, and enhance how humanities degrees are viewed.

Upcoming events

AAAS 2016 Annual Meeting - Washington, D.C., February 11-15
Manning Conference - Ottawa, ON, February 25-27
Salon du livre de l'Outaouais - Gatineau, QC, February 25-28
2016 NHA Annual Meeting and Humanities Advocacy Day, Washington, D.C., March 14-15

See more events in our Calendar of Events.

Recent news

More PhDs finding jobs as tenure-track professors, study says (Globe and Mail)
PhDs are Important Contributors to Ontario's Success - and Not Just in Universities (Council of Ontario Universities)
The innovation long game starts now (Research Money)
The impact of home-country context on scholarship outcomes (The Association of Commonwealth Universities)
The families were my inspiration, says Blackstock as fight to win justice for aboriginal children nears end (Toronto Star)
I am a witness: Human Rights Tribunal update (First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada)

Read more headlines in our weekly news digest SSH News.

Ideas can....put you to the test!

The Federation History Quiz is in full swing! We've posted a new question this month so you can test your knowledge of the Federation's history and enter to win one of several prizes.

Good luck!

Contact Us

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federation@ideas-idees.ca

www.ideas-idees.ca

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The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is a national, member-based organization that for 75 years has promoted the value of research and learning towards a free and democratic society. For more information, visit www.ideas-idees.ca.