UNews - PUBlic Professor Series

PUBlic Professor Series talk to examine the winners and losers of legalized gambling

trevor.kenney — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 16:25:44 +0000

People who gamble are always quick to tell the world when they’ve experienced a big win, but who’s really cashing in on gambling and who’s in the red?

Dr. Robert Williams is a research coordinator with the Alberta Gambling Research Institute and professor in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Health Sciences. He will explore the many facets of the exploding gambling world in his PUBlic Professor Series talk, Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers, on Thursday, March 26, 2026, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge.

Dr. Robert Williams is asking who really benefits from gambling?

Who really benefits from gambling, who is left behind and how are emerging technologies like AI shaping the future of gambling?

“Gambling seems to be everywhere these days, on television, in the news, at the corner store, and increasingly online, yet gambling itself is not new. It's been part of human culture for 1000s of years, from dice games in ancient Greece to chariot races in Rome and even lotteries used to help finance projects such as the Great Wall of China,” says Williams. “What is new is the scale and structure of modern gambling today. It's no longer primarily a social pastime. Instead, it has become a sophisticated global industry designed for generating profit.”

Williams will delve into how modern gambling works and why it is so compelling.

“In this talk I will look at the psychology that drives gambling behaviour, including the powerful reinforcement patterns embedded in electronic gambling machines and other games,” he says in this preview video. “I’ll also examine the cognitive biases that lead people to believe they can beat games that are mathematically designed for the House to win.”

Williams is a clinical psychologist and professor in the ULethbridge Addictions Counselling program. He frequently provides consultation to government, industry, the media and public interest groups, and regularly gives expert witness testimony on the impacts of gambling. He is widely published and is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on the prevention and causes of problem gambling, online gambling, the socioeconomic impacts of gambling, the proportion of gambling revenue derived from problem gamblers, Indigenous gambling and the population assessment of problem gambling.

The 2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series is presented by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate. We gratefully acknowledge the additional generous support of Dr. Dennis Connolly (LLD ’17), Knud Petersen, Dave and Kathy Greenwood, Dr. Michelle Helstein, Dr. Digvir and Manju Jayas, Deborah Lucas and Dr. Dena McMartin.

The annual PUBlic Professor Series lectures spark thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day, bringing together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge. This is the final event of the 2025-26 season.

Settle in for a tale as Dr. Don G. McIntyre shares Indigenous storytelling at PUBlic Professor Series

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 18:02:33 +0000

The narrative of Dr. Don G. McIntyre’s life view began like most children’s, initially shaped by the bedtime stories told by his parents. As an Anishinaabe child, his were Indigenous stories of Raven and Coyote, Nanabush, Napi and Che Jean, and they did not fit into the Western literary pattens of “once upon a time” and “happily ever after.”

Dr. Don G. McIntyre says the lessons he learned through childhood Indigenous stories are timeless.

McIntyre will bring those stories to life when he presents, Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds — Want Some?, at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s PUBlic Professor Series event on Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge.

“I would like to spend just a little bit of time with people, understanding their stories and giving them an opportunity to understand my stories so that we can see what we can take away from Indigenous storytelling,” says McInture.

Indigenous stories involve Tricksters — beings with a hand in the creation of the world and responsibility to keep our world in balance. Indigenous Peoples tell these stories to their babies to both nourish and carry them to sleep. As the children grow, they ask more difficult questions, and the stories develop to continue nourishing their capacity and desire to navigate the new complexities in their world.

“They were very, very simple stories that engaged me, that wanted me to be a part of them and that I wanted to be a part of,” he says. “Then, as I grew up and asked the right questions, asked why the system was, why the story was the way it was, those stories became bigger and more complex.”

McIntyre says those stories can serve the world well today, and the lessons they teach are timeless.

“Join me as I introduce you to the stories of my childhood and demonstrate how the lessons of my Indigenous systems can help answer the complex questions we are all facing today. Spend some time with me storytelling at Tricksters’ knee.”

McIntyre is a Status Indian from the Timiskaming Nation, of Scottish and Algonquin ancestry. An educator and scholar committed to advancing reconciliation and re-centring Indigenous knowledge systems in contemporary contexts, he currently teaches at the Dhillon School of Business and serves as faculty in the Indigenous Leadership Program at the Banff Centre. His research explores economic systems and structures, the meta-crisis, Traditional Indigenous Knowledge, and Indigenous trans-systemic approaches to leadership and change.

The 2025 PUBlic Professor Series has been generously supported by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate, Knud Petersen, Dr. Dennis Connolly (LLD ’17), Dave and Kathy Greenwood, Dr. Michelle Helstein, Dr. Digvir and Manju Jayas, Deborah Lucas, and Dr. Dena McMartin.

2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series (remaining schedule)

Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds – Want Some? — Dr. Don McIntyre, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers — Dr. Robert Williams — Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Upcoming PUBlic Professor Series talk to focus on relationship between mind and movement

trevor.kenney — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:05:04 +0000

We often picture the brain as a powerful computer built for thinking, reasoning and solving problems. But the brain did not evolve for abstract thought; it evolved for action. Long before language, logic or executive function, our ancestors had to reach, grasp and navigate through a complex world. The same brain systems that control our hands and movements also shape how we perceive, learn and solve problems.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez examines how the body shapes the mind.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez will explore the relationship between the mind and movement when she presents, From Action to Cognition: How the Body Shapes the Mind, as part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s PUBlic Professor Series on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Owl Acoustic Lounge.

“Every day, we’re remembering things, making decisions and navigating busy spaces. But what if the way you pick up a coffee cup, search for your keys, or build something with your hands could tell us how we think and solve problems?” asks Gonzalez.

Her research explains how everyday movements (reaching, grasping, building and exploring objects) reveal how cognitive skills like language, spatial thinking and executive function work and interact. She says that patterns of hand use, and their variations across age and sex, shed light on how each hemisphere of the brain supports different cognitive abilities.

“From children learning through play, to adults solving complex problems, to older adults maintaining independence, manual interactions with the environment give us a powerful window into how cognitive skills develop and adapt, and how we can help maintain them across the lifespan.”

Born and raised in Mexico City, Gonzalez was fascinated about why people behave the way they do, and it led her to studying psychology at the National Autonomous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Mexico. As her questions deepened, she realized that to truly understand behaviour, she needed to understand the brain. That search brought her to Canada, where she completed her master’s and PhD in neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and later trained in cognitive neuroscience at Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Today, Gonzalez is a professor and Board of Governors Research Chair and former Canada Research Chair at ULethbridge. In her Brain in Action Laboratory, she combines psychology, neuroscience and kinesiology to study how the brain links perception and action, and how basic behaviours like reaching and grasping shape cognitive functions such as language, spatial ability and executive function.

The 2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series is made possible thanks to: The 2025 PUBlic Professor Series has been generously supported by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate, Knud Petersen, Dr. Dennis Connolly (LLD ’17), Dave and Kathy Greenwood, Dr. Michelle Helstein, Dr. Digvir and Manju Jayas, Deborah Lucas, and Dr. Dena McMartin.

2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series (remaining schedule)

From Action to Cognition: How the Body Shapes the Mind — Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 — The Owl Acoustic Lounge

Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds – Want Some? — Dr. Don McIntyre, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers — Dr. Robert Williams — Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Faculty of Education’s Marynowski says AI can support teachers, not replace them

trevor.kenney — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:44:04 +0000

Technological advances have long impacted classroom learning — remember the onset of the internet and cell phones? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an entirely new animal and with the increase in the prevalence of AI tools to complete tasks that humans used to do; some people are worried that AI will take over their jobs — teachers among them.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Dr. Richelle Marynowski (BEd ’94) will examine the exponential growth of AI’s influence in the classroom and how it can be utilized to enhance, rather than replace, the work of teachers. Her PUBlic Professor Series talk, Has AI Made Teachers Obsolete?, takes place Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lodge. Her talk is supported by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association and an anonymous donor.

Dr. Richelle Marynowski's PUBlic Professor Series talk is the third of six talks in the series and the last one of the fall semester.

Marynowski asks what many people are thinking, “Why do we need teachers when a chatbot can give me the answers to my questions?”

“Many of us fear new things,” says Marynowski, a professor in the Faculty of Education. “I was very skeptical of AI at first, very, very skeptical, until I was shown the capabilities of AI. It still needs to be controlled or managed by the human, so I don’t see AI as taking over human jobs or human thought. What I see is AI being integrated into the workflow and being leveraged to do jobs more quickly and thoroughly.”

Marynowski says that one of the biggest challenges in education is curtailing burnout for teachers that sees new teachers leaving the profession within the first five years.

“What I hope to see is how teachers can use the power of AI to do some of the heavy lifting in their work, so they’re not abdicating their knowledge to the technology, rather they’re enhancing their knowledge through the technology,” she says. “I’m excited to use the tools that AI can offer to help teachers better their practice as well as the student experience.”

Now a professor who guides the development of new teachers, Marynowski has experience in all aspects of the profession. She began her teaching career in a small rural community in Alberta and then moved to Edmonton. Her K–12 teaching career spanned 17 years and six different schools. She completed a Master of Education in 2001 and a PhD in 2014. She began her career at ULethbridge in 2011 as a lecturer in the Faculty of Education.

Marynowski’s research has focused on mathematics teaching and learning and assessment practices through a lens of teacher professional development. Caring for teachers and their craft has been a focus of all her work. More recently, she co-founded an AI company designed to support the professional practice of teachers while reducing teacher burnout.

2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series (remaining schedule)

Has AI Made Teachers Obsolete? — Dr. Richelle Marynowski — Thursday, November 27, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

From Action to Cognition: How the Body Shapes the Mind — Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 — The Owl Acoustic Lounge

Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds – Want Some? — Dr. Don McIntyre, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers — Dr. Robert Williams — Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

PUBlic Professor Series talk to focus on the challenges facing modern agri-food business

trevor.kenney — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 19:30:10 +0000

*Dr. Le Roy's talk will be rescheduled for next season. Thursday's talk will now feature Dr. Sidney Shapiro of the Dhillon School of Business presenting AI and Us: Building a Human Future in a Machine World *

The business of farming and ranching has never been so complex. Financial pressures, environmental concerns, technological change, shifting consumer preferences, infrastructure limitations and government interventionism are just some of the challenges inherent in today’s agri-food business.

Dr. Danny Le Roy will delve into the role economic science plays in the agri-food business.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Dr. Danny Le Roy will delve into the role economic science plays in helping navigate these complexities during his PUBlic Professor Series talk, Cockwombles, Cornucopias and the Curious Task of Economics, on Thursday, Oct. 30, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre.

“My talk involves the economics of government interference in agriculture and agri-food markets,” says Le Roy, an associate professor of economics. “The first part involves understanding what economic science is really about and the second part involves applying economic principles to better understand government interference in agriculture and agri-food markets — things like tariffs, regulations and other impediments to the creation of wealth in agriculture and agri-food.”

Le Roy says that agri-entrepreneurs and producers operate at an intersection of scarcity, uncertainty, natural resource stewardship and business efficiency — a balance that seems increasingly difficult to maintain or even achieve. By utilizing economic science, a clearer picture can emerge.

“Economic science enables us to better grasp the source, the nature and the consequences of these issues,” he says. “It helps guide decision making and informs what the implications of those choices are, both intended and unintended. Economics is not about money, being able to predict the future, or what the level of something should be. It is about people; it is who we are and the omnipresent trade-offs we each face.”

In addition to his role at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Le Roy is a Senior Fellow with the Fraser Institute. He teaches courses in agricultural systems modeling, commodity marketing, agricultural policy and microeconomics, and has served as the coordinator of the ULethbridge Agricultural Studies Program since 2010. He has received the Agricultural Students’ Association Distinguished Teaching Award on two occasions and was the Prairie Baseball Academy’s Professor of the Year in 2018. He received his BA (Honours) in Economics from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and his MSc and PhD in Agricultural Economics and Business from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph.

Le Roy’s research focuses on production, marketing and trade of agricultural commodities. He is particularly interested in the effects of government interventionism.

The 2025-2026 PUBlic Professor Series has been generously supported by Knud Petersen, Dr. Dennis Connolly (LLD ’17), Dave and Kathy Greenwood, Dr. Michelle Helstein, Dr. Digvir and Manju Jayas, Deborah Lucas, and Dr. Dena McMartin.

2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series (remaining schedule)

Cockwombles, Cornucopias and the Curious Task of Economics — Dr. Danny Le Roy, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 — Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre

Has AI Made Teachers Obsolete? — Dr. Richelle Marynowski — Thursday, November 27, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Playing Telephone with Eyewitness Evidence — Dr. Jamal Mansour, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 — The Owl Acoustic Lounge

Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds – Want Some? — Dr. Don McIntyre, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers — Dr. Robert Williams — Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Discover how governments have used art as a means of diplomacy at opening PUBlic Professor series talk

trevor.kenney — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:32:43 +0000

Visiting an art gallery or museum can be awe-inspiring and educational, but did you ever expect it could also be political?

Dr. Anne Dymond, art historian and Chair of the Department of Art at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, will explore the mobilization of Canada’s art and museums for political purposes during the first PUBlic Professor Series lecture of the 2025-26 season on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Galt Museum & Archives. A presentation for Calgary audiences has also been scheduled Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, at the Esker Foundation.

Art historian Dr. Anne Dymond will present talks in both Lethbridge and Calgary.

Dymond’s talk, From a Communist Doctor to Madonna’s Cone Bra: Museums and Cultural Diplomacy in Troubled Times, will examine how governments have used art as a means of diplomacy, acting as a bridge that connects nations across challenging divides.

“Of course, museums are for displaying and preserving our cultural heritage, but they’ve also always been political tools for the governments that fund them,” says Dymond. “In this talk I’m going to look at Canada’s use of art and art exhibitions to forge an international identity, particularly in the 1970s when the country was taking a new place on the world stage.”

Dymond notes that Canada was one of the world’s first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1970, and art exhibitions between the two nations played a big role in bridging cultural and political divides.

“From Inuit prints to the creation of new museums, Canada was very active in using cultural diplomacy as a form of soft power,” she says. “More recently the federal government has pulled back from supporting this type of cultural diplomacy, but certain provincial governments have stepped up and, in particular, Quebec has been promoting a Francophone identity abroad by using art and art exhibitions.”

Dymond is a dedicated teacher who has been a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors Teaching Chair and has served on the Board of Governors. Her ongoing work supporting refugees garnered her both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Senate Volunteer Award and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award. Her book, Diversity Counts: Gender, Race, and Representation in Canadian Art Galleries, is the first large-scale quantitative assessment of gender and ethnicity in Canadian art galleries and was described as “a path-breaking study and an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the contemporary art scene in Canada.”

2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series

From a Communist Doctor to Madonna’s Cone Bra: Museums and Cultural Diplomacy in Troubled Times — Dr. Anne Dymond, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 — Galt Museum & Archives

Cockwombles, Cornucopias and the Curious Task of Economics — Dr. Danny Le Roy, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 — Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre

Has AI Made Teachers Obsolete? — Dr. Richelle Marynowski — Thursday, November 27, 2025 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Playing Telephone with Eyewitness Evidence — Dr. Jamal Mansour, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 — The Owl Acoustic Lounge

Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds – Want Some? — Dr. Don McIntyre, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers — Dr. Robert Williams — Thursday, March 26, 2026 — Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge

Faculty expertise showcased in lineup of 2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series speakers

trevor.kenney — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 20:29:34 +0000

From legalized gambling to AI in the classroom, testing confidence in eye-witness testimony and more, the 2025-26 lineup of PUBlic Professor Series lecture topics have been finalized, with six intriguing and engaging talks planned for the season.

Initiated in 2014 by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Arts & Science, the PUBlic Professor Series lectures have grown to include the breadth of research expertise on campus, including representation from all its Faculties and Schools.

“The PUBlic Professor Series is one of our key opportunities to showcase the excellent work being done by our faculty members to the external community. It’s really an important example of the research activities taking place throughout campus and how impactful that work is on everyone’s daily lives,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge’s vice-president (research).

The 2025-26 season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, when Faculty of Fine Arts professor Dr. Anne Dymond presents, From a Communist Doctor to Madonna’s Cone Bra: Museums and Cultural Diplomacy in Troubled Times. Her presentation will take place in a community location to be finalized as the PUBlic Professor Series continues to visit new venues to connect with more community members.

“We started moving the talks around this past year, using venues that opened the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ up to new audiences, and found it to be very successful,” adds McMartin. “PUBlic Professor is for the public, we want to meet them where they frequent, especially when topics lend themselves to specific locations.”

Ensuing talks will take place in October and November, and then January, February and March 2026 and include speakers from the Faculty of Arts & Science, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health Sciences and Dhillon School of Business. As has always been the case, all PUBlic Professor Series events are free and open to the public and available for viewing on the ULethbridge YouTube channel the following week.

Working with local venues and bringing research activities into the community also creates partnership opportunities. Corporate sponsors and community partners seeking to support creating connections and promoting activities that benefit and inform society are encouraged to connect with External Relations at external.relations@uleth.ca to learn more.

This season’s PUBlic Professor Series talks conclude with Dr. Robin Bright’s presentation, Does Reading even Matter Anymore?, 7 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lodge.

The PUBlic Professor Series is an example of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Strategic Plan in action under the strategic direction to Challenge Boundaries and Inspire Curiosity. We value courageous conversation, learning from each other’s knowledge and experiences, and actively promote the safe, respectful, open and accessible exchange of ideas.

The series lineup is as follows:

2025-26 PUBlic Professor Series

From a Communist Doctor to Madonna’s Cone Bra: Museums and Cultural Diplomacy in Troubled Times — Dr. Anne Dymond, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025

Cockwombles, Cornucopias and the Curious Task of Economics — Dr. Danny Le Roy — Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025

Has AI Made Teachers Obsolete? — Dr. Richelle Marynowski (BEd ’94) — Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025

Playing Telephone with Eyewitness Evidence — Dr. Jamal Mansour — Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026

Indigenous Childhood Stories Transform Worlds – Want Some? — Dr. Don McIntyre — Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026

Legalized Gambling in Canada: Winners and Losers — Dr. Rob Williams — Thursday, March 26, 2026

Final PUBlic Professor Series talk of season examines whether reading even matters in today’s world

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:53:11 +0000

Dr. Robin Bright (BA '79, BEd '82, MEd '88) has a provocative question — one that belies her standing as an educator and researcher in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education — Does Reading Even Matter?

The query is, in fact, the title of this month’s PUBlic Professor Series talk, which Bright will deliver on Thursday, March 27, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge (free event, cash bar, light appetizers, open to everyone).

Dr. Robin Bright says the benefits of reading include enhanced brain health and easing stress and anxiety.

“In today’s increasingly fast-paced environment, we tend to consume and create information and entertainment online,” says Bright. “We use Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and many others to read. And when we read on those platforms we tend to skim read, look for headlines, stumble upon content, but we seldom read deeply or critically.”

She explains how she has learned through her research that the act of reading a book is not only much more satisfying than the online experience, but also incredibly beneficial with respect to brain health and development.

“In this talk, I will share my research and statistics about reading, how it develops, how it’s taught and all the benefits that reading brings,” she says. “This includes benefits in areas like achievement in school and beyond, brain health, addressing mental health issues like stress and anxiety, and helping to develop empathy.”

Bright’s passion for how children develop as readers and writers began when she was a modern languages undergraduate student and as a student teacher in the Faculty of Education. These experiences led her to a 10-year teaching career, mostly at the grade-one level, and then to choose a life as a researcher, writer and teacher educator working with preservice teachers, practicing teachers, parents, children and colleagues. She is the author of several books on language and literacy development including, most recently, Sometimes Reading is Hard: Using Decoding, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Strategies to Inspire Fluent, Passionate, Lifelong Readers (2021).

This is the last of the six-talk PUBlic Professor Series lectures which feature thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day, bringing together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across the ULethbridge campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge, but registration is required. For those who cannot attend, the talk will be available on the ULethbridge YouTube channel following the presentation.

See more at ulethbridge.ca/research/public-professor.

Exploring our attachment to sentimental songs the focus of upcoming PUBlic Professor Series presentation

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 20:24:28 +0000

**This event is at capacity**

We all have them, those emotional connections to pop songs from the soundtrack of our past. They invoke real feelings when you catch them on the radio or are featured in TV and movie productions. You might even feel a little guilty admitting they still tug at your emotions — why?

Dr. Emily Gale, an assistant professor of musicology/ethnomusicology in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Department of Music, will examine these sentimental songs and why we should take our sounded feelings seriously in her PUBlic Professor Series talk, Sentimental Songs for Sentimental People, Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m., at The Owl Acoustic Lounge (free event, cash bar, everyone welcome).

Dr. Emily Gale's PUBlic Professor talk will take place at the Owl Acoustic Lounge.

“Feeling remains critical to how and why most listeners engage with popular song,” says Gale. “However, these same songs might be ones you are embarrassed to admit liking or connecting with, a guilty pleasure if you will. Why do we have these ideas and where do these judgments come from?”

Gale’s talk will look at the history of English language sentimental songs over the last 250 years, then focus on two examples of songs from the 1850s and 1960s and their unexpected political histories.

“What are the consequences of relegating sentimental songs to a denigrated status,” she asks. “I’ll then discuss why we should take these sounded feelings seriously.”

Gale’s book in progress, Sentimental Songs for Sentimental People: An Unheard History of US Popular Music, analyzes the politics of affect and sentimentality within US popular music from the late 18th century to the present. Chapters on love, youth, death, tears, home and feels tune in to the counter public reverberations of a repertory long-considered trite, and even embarrassing, revealing unlikely entanglements. She has been broadcasting radio shows about this research since 2019 (on SUB_ʇXƎʇ and on UCC98.3FM) and her voice appears as a pop commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered and in the Los Angeles Times.

This is the fifth of six talks in the annual PUBlic Professor Series lectures which feature thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day, bringing together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across the ULethbridge campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge, but registration is required. For those who cannot attend, the talk will be available on the ULethbridge YouTube channel following the presentation.

See more at ulethbridge.ca/research/public-professor.

PUBlic Professor Series talk to examine the complexities of public policy and why it does and does not change

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 17:54:26 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge political scientist Dr. Lars Hallstrom is never lacking for material when studying the Alberta political landscape. Facing policy challenges that are increasingly recognized as complex and difficult to manage, many governments, at all levels, struggle with the demands such challenges may place upon them as institutions — and Alberta is no different.

Dr. Lars Hallstrom

On Thursday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge, Hallstrom will discuss why Alberta politics and policy are the way they are and why things change or why they stay the same in his PUBlic Professor Series talk — Political and Policy Innovation in Alberta: The More Things Change . . .?

Hallstrom says that long-standing patterns of single-party governments, tensions with other governments and perceptions of both who Albertans “are”, and what they “want” are not always aligned with more empirical realities. His talk examines that reality, and the implications for political and policy-based change in the province.

“I’ll be looking at these questions specifically in the context of Alberta and Albertan politics,” says Hallstrom. “We will discuss a combination of factors like culture, leadership, history and the role of Alberta in Canadian Confederation to try and understand why public policies in Alberta change and sometimes why they don’t.”

Hallstrom has held faculty positions at St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, and since 2021, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. He is currently the director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, and teaches courses on public policy, Albertan politics and research methods. He has a 25-plus year history of externally funded research and currently holds grants for projects that look at rural and Albertan populism, the political economy of rural development, rural refugees and immigration, and rural entrepreneurialism.

Hallstrom says policy innovation can be difficult for governments to implement.

“I’ll examine how and why Alberta struggles to create truly innovative policy, why “anti-politics” is a common refrain within the province, and how many “big” issues frustrate both policy-makers and the public.”

This is the fourth of six talks in the annual PUBlic Professor Series lectures which feature thought-provoking discussions on the most relevant topics of the day, bringing together a diverse group of experts and researchers from across the ULethbridge campus and into the community. Every talk is free of charge but registration is required. For those who cannot attend, the talk will be available on the ULethbridge YouTube channel following the presentation.

See more at ulethbridge.ca/research/public-professor.

UNews - PUBlic Professor Series

PUBlic Professor Series talk to examine the winners and losers of legalized gambling

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Settle in for a tale as Dr. Don G. McIntyre shares Indigenous storytelling at PUBlic Professor Series

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Faculty of Education’s Marynowski says AI can support teachers, not replace them

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Discover how governments have used art as a means of diplomacy at opening PUBlic Professor series talk

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