ConneXions 2.0 - A Faculty of Arts speaker series
Everyone is welcome to the second Faculty of Arts ConneXions 2.0 series! This week, two new faculty members will engage us in the kinds of "provocations" that animate their teaching and scholarly activities.
Provocation: We teach students, yes, but what does that mean?
Friday, March 7, from 2:30-3:30 pm, SDU Main Building, Room 320
S茅bastien Parker, Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology
Title: 鈥淭he 'Trust Challenge': Developing Critical Advocates for Academic Institutions in Polarized Times鈥�
This talk explores a central question: how can we develop informed citizens who both question and champion academic institutions in an era of declining institutional trust? Against a backdrop of government and academic funding cuts, polarization, and increasing skepticism toward expertise, we face a challenge. Students must develop the critical thinking skills to recognize methodological limitations and institutional biases while simultaneously becoming advocates for knowledge-producing institutions worthy of public confidence. Drawing on a series of data visualizations on cohort trends in trust and polarization, as well as classroom pedagogical experiences, notably, I provide threads for thinking about how we might cultivate "critical advocates" for positive change in our communities.
Brent MacDonald, Psychology
Title: 鈥淒isrupting Mental Toughness Mythology: What mental toughness really is and how/why it can/should be implemented for university students to enhance their post-secondary- and life-experiences鈥�
My real interest is in the development and understanding of mental toughness. First off, it鈥檚 important to understand what mental toughness is not (as it has been wildly misunderstood, in part due to its roots in sport psychology and in part because of its co-opted use in corporate and military 鈥渢oxic masculinity鈥� culture). It is not about 鈥渟ucking it up,鈥� nor is its polar opposite mental weakness. It is a combination of a number of concepts embedded (to an extent) in stoicism and positive psychology (including resilience, growth mindset, risk-taking, and other factors that are involved in the human endeavour). But it is something also that can be studied, understood, and applied. Its application at the university level is well researched and shows promising results. Specifically, my interest is in how mental toughness can be developed in university students, particularly those with neurodiverse profiles, along with its possible applications in education and health care.
