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The Laurier Lifelong Learning lecture series is open to everyone.
Upcoming offerings are listed below. Be the first to know about new and upcoming offerings by signing up for our email list.
- Location: All lectures are held at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex Community Pavillion.
- Price: Thursday 90-minute lectures are $16 + HST.
This year, Laurier is celebrating 100 years of the Faculty of Arts! Any lectures marked by a "***" are taught by instructors from across the Faculty of Arts at Laurier. Attend these lectures to join the celebration!
Celebrating the Creative Arts at Laurier
Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Join us for a magical afternoon featuring award-winning creative writers and filmmakers from Laurier's Faculty of Arts, accompanied by talented musicians from the Faculty of Music. For more information and to register to attend, please click here:
Celebrating the Creative Arts at Laurier Tickets, Sat, 22 Mar 2025 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite
Winter 2025 Lectures
Register for Winter 2025 courses on our registration website.
Reach out to lifelonglearning@wlu.ca with any hopes, dreams, or topics of interest!
Interested in teaching? Apply to lead a LLL lecture!
Thursday, Jan. 16 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Would you believe that nothing is quite as memorable – or as mundane! – as washing the dishes? Would you believe that washing the dishes can change the world? This presentation will include ethical, chemical, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives on the day-to-day task of washing dirty dishes. Do not assume that the kitchen sink is devoid of mindfulness and politics! Do not forget about the times when you experienced an epiphany or a great conversation amidst the post-supper grime! This presentation will not fully resolve the matter of how to load the dishwasher, but it might inspire you to ask some new questions about what happens in and near the kitchen sink.
Instructor Bio
Matthew Bailey-Dick has worked as an educator in both academic and non-academic settings, as a home renovator, and as a hospice volunteer. Currently he works as a Mennonite pastor. In his graduate studies Matthew looked into the connections between adult education, death education, and hope. In relation to the present topic, he lives in a house where the kitchen sink is of the double-bowl design (good) featuring a 70/30 ratio (not so good).
Thursday, Jan. 23 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Post-war German society has earned a lot of admiration from around the world for its process of "collective atonement." There have been ups and downs, but Germany's general willingness to confront the crimes it committed during the Third Reich through study, acknowledgement, and prosecutions that continue to this day has often been held up as a model for other countries to follow. A cornerstone of this process has been Germany's support of Jewish culture in Germany as well as extensive cultural, economic, and foreign policy ties with Israel. But since October 7th a number of high profile incidents in Germany have seen critics of Israel's actions in Gaza or apologists for the Palestinian cause criticized or censored for their views, causing Germany's philosemitism to come under increasing scrutiny. This presentation will examine how the war in Gaza has divided German society and rattled the country’s understanding of itself.
Instructor Bio
James Skidmore is Professor of German Studies at the University of Waterloo and director of the Waterloo Centre for German Studies, a research institute at the university.Thursday, Jan. 30 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Food insecurity in northern regions of Canada is often highlighted in national news. The high cost of food and the impacts of climate change make food less accessible to northern communities. This talk will highlight some of the issues, but also some of the innovations and work communities are doing to continue to adapt to climate change and build more sustainable food systems across the region.
Instructor Bio
Dr. Andrew Spring is the Canada Research Chair in Northern Sustainable Food Systems, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is also the Director of the Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and Director of Research for the UNESCO Chair in Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies. He has established an extensive research program with Indigenous communities and government partners in the NWT and has been able to build a large and diverse network of communities, local and regional Indigenous governments, territorial and federal government agencies, and academic researchers across the social, health, and natural sciences to address issues of climate change, sustainability, and food security.
Thursday, Feb. 6 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
In 1849, Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète premiered at the Paris Opéra. Its elaborate staging featured decors from renowned scenic artists, hundreds of costumes, a ballet on roller skates, a brass band stage procession including newly patented saxhorns, and a recently invented, battery-powered, electric lamp, used to create the impressive illusion of a rising sun. Brought to the Opéra by renowned scientist Léon Foucault and a set of reputable precision instrument makers at the time, the arc lamp was part of a nineteenth-century trend towards bigger stage productions and special effects. Behind the scenes, it involved the work a growing group of machinists and other skilled workers employed by the Opéra to operate, maintain, and repair the technical and scientific equipment increasingly required to create spectacle not just on stage but throughout the building as innovative lighting, heating, and ventilation systems were gradually installed over the century. In fact, the Opéra building often served as a leader, adopting new technology before the rest of the city. But all of this came at a cost, and with the growth in personnel, equipment, and stage effects came increased concerns about fires, accidents, and safety. In 1852, following devastating fires in several theatres, the state mandated the presence of physicians at all performances. The next few decades brought both medical staff and chemical experts to the Opéra as well as protocols for fire safety, inspections, and rising insurance costs. This talk will explore the role scientists played at the Opéra during the nineteenth century in creating spectacular effects on stage while maintaining the safety of artists on stage, machinists operating the equipment, and the public attending the performances.
Instructor Bio
Sofie Lachapelle is a historian of science and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts here at Laurier. She is the author of Conjuring Science: A History of Scientific Entertainment and Stage Magic in Modern France (2015) as well as several other publications on the history of science and public entertainment. Her more recent work deals with nineteenth-century science, technology, and medicine at the Paris Opera.Thursday, Feb. 13 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
This lecture will explore the landscape history of Waterloo Region. We will look at a long history of rivers, lakes, hills, and the forces that created them. In this lecture you will learn how geology, climate and biology combine to create the geography you see around you.
Instructor Bio
Mary-Louise Byrne, a coastal geomorphologist, explores processes of sediment transport and ecosystem change on Great Lakes beaches and dunes. She is an active member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO) serving on the Discipline Committee. Dr. Byrne has a wide range of university administrative experience and is currently Chair of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. She co-authors the Canadian edition of Geosystems: an introduction to physical geography and regularly teaches the introductory course. She has teaching experience at all levels from first year to graduate teaching focussing on student engagement through in-class, field and lab experience.Thursday, Feb. 20 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Learn some basic breathing practices for health and well-being. You’ll learn some breathing anatomy (don’t worry! It’s fun and interesting!), as well as some techniques to increase breath capacity and calm yourself at the same time. We’ll also experiment with using this newfound super power to support a stronger and more embodied speaking voice.
Instructor Bio
Canadian mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber had a 35 year career on international operatic and concert stages (Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Montreal, Seattle and Toronto were among her stomping grounds) in a diverse and eclectic repertoire. Learn more at https://kimberlybarber.com
Professor of Voice at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2002, Kimberly has coordinated Opera Laurier throughout most of her tenure. Since July 2017, she has been Associate Dean, External Affairs, Partnerships and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Music. She teaches and adjudicates across Canada, the US and in Europe at universities, conservatories and Young Artist Programs, and is frequently called upon to serve on advisory panels for the arts, as well as leading workshops and clinics for both singers and laypeople of all walks of life.
Thursday, Feb. 27 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Scientists have found that the loss of western honeybee diversity is a key factor in the high bee mortality rates beekeepers have faced in the last two decades. In Ukraine’s Transcarpathia Region, efforts to conserve a local honeybee population, Carpathian bees, stretch back to the 1960s when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. In this talk I will explore the entanglement of science and transborder commerce (including exports to Canada) in maintaining this breeding program through the tumultuous period from Ukrainian independence to the full-scale Russian invasion.
Instructor Bio
Tanya Richardson is an environmental anthropologist and Associate Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) in the Anthropology and Global Studies programs. Her research about nature conservation and ecological restoration in Ukraine’s Danube Delta and along its Black Sea Coast has appeared in journals such as Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology, Science as Culture, Canadian Slavonic Papers, Journal of Agrarian Change, Suomen Antropologi, and Development and Change. She is also the author of Kaleidoscopic Odessa: History and Place in Contemporary Ukraine and is currently writing a book about researching, conserving, and trading Carpathian honeybees in Ukraine and beyond.
Thursday, March 6 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Stormwater management ponds are increasingly incorporated into new developments where they provide flood protection, water treatment and recreational/aesthetic value. But how similar are they to natural wetlands? Can they replace wetlands lost through increased human pressures? This talk will explore the role and functioning of stormwater management ponds and examine the conditions present in these ponds over multiple seasons with an emphasis on their potential effects on wetland plants and animals.
Instructor Bio
Dr. Kevin Stevens is a wetland plant ecologist in the Department of Biology at Laurier. He has 20 years of experience working with wetland plants. His research is focused on understanding the effects of anthropogenic stressors on wetland vegetation and the capacity of wetland plants to mediate the often-adverse effects associated with increasing urban development.
Thursday, March 13 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
How has the idea, or in Sherrill Grace’s words, “the mentality” of the North, shaped the narrative of Canadian identity in both French and English literature? Why does it continue to captivate readers and authors alike? Moreover, why is this exploration so often set against the backdrop of a dominant and threatening US presence?
This course will explore how contemporary novels (in English and French) by authors like Margaret Atwood, Alain Beaulieu, Nathan Munn, and Indigenous authors Thomas King and Cherie Dimaline, through the lens of French language and American cultural influences, delve into the unique cultural duality of both Québec and Canada. It will also examine the transnational relationships with the US, often portrayed as a menacing force, responsible for ecological disasters or even invading Québec as in Munn’s novel. This body of work collectively reflects on how the vision of “the true North” has evolved and adapted to current socio-political challenges.
Instructor Bio
Simona Emilia Pruteanu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research areas include migrant writing in France, Quebec, and the former French colonies in Africa, as well as Americanness and Latin Americanness (américanité et amérilatinité) in Quebec literature. She is the author of one monograph titled Migrant Writing in France and Quebec: A Comparative Analysis (L’écriture migrante en France et au Québec: une analyse comparative, 2011) and co-editor of the volume Citizenship and Belonging in France and North America (Palgrave/Macmillan 2020). She was awarded the 2024 Donald F. Morgenson Faculty Awards for Teaching Excellence - Excellence in Internationalization Award.
Wednesday, March 19 (10:30 a.m. - 12 noon)
Course Description
Canadians often remember the mid-20th century as a time of growth and prosperity. In the context of the Cold War nuclear arms race, however, global competition had local consequences for Indigenous peoples and their territories. Dr. Lianne Leddy will share some of her research findings from her book, Serpent River Resurgence: Confronting Colonialism at Elliot Lake, which examines Anishinaabe resistance to colonialism and environmental devastation in her homeland.
Instructor Bio
Lianne C. Leddy is Anishinaabekwe and member of Serpent River First Nation. She is Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Histories and Historical Practice in Canada and an associate professor in History at Wilfrid Laurier University. Leddy’s award-winning monograph, Serpent River Resurgence: Confronting Uranium Mining at Elliot Lake was published in 2022 by University of Toronto Press.
Thursday, March 27 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Some philosophers have suggested that we may be living in a simulation; that is, we might in fact be nothing more than bits of code being run on a computer in another world. The idea sounds outrageous but is remarkably difficult to disprove. We will explore why it is so hard to disprove and also examine some implications for our understanding of our place in the world if the idea is true.
Instructor Bio
Byron is Professor of Philosophy at WLU and is the author of several books on the climate crisis. His current work is on various aspects of the philosophy of digital technology.
Spring 2025 Lectures
Register for Spring 2025 courses on our registration website.
Reach out to lifelonglearning@wlu.ca with any hopes, dreams, or topics of interest!
Interested in teaching? Apply to lead a LLL lecture!
Thursday, Apr 3 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Participants are invited into a conversation about humour in an introductory Indigenous Literature course. Students are often pleasantly surprised and challenged by Indigenous writers' uses of humour given their own expectations and concerns about whether and when they can laugh. This lecture will explore the topic and discuss some of the writers whose works we examine, with a joke or two along the way.
Instructor Bio
Jenny Kerber is a white settler scholar who grew up in Treaty Six territory in rural Saskatchewan. She researches and teaches in areas including literature and environment, Canadian literature, Indigenous literatures, border studies, and sport literature. She has published recent articles in The Journal of Canadian Studies (on the Franklin Expedition and Arctic cruise tourism), SAIL: Studies in American Indian Literature (on ideas of consent in writing by Indigenous women), and has a forthcoming essay on Kate Beaton's Ducks in The British Journal of Canadian Studies.
Thursday, Apr 10 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
In this lecture, Bina Mehta will use life stories to examine questions of exile, settlement, and belonging. The traumatic expulsion of East African Asians in the 1970s gave rise to questions of home, identity, and acceptance. She will take you through her family story of migration from India, to Kenya, to England, and finally Canada. Ultimately, this lecture will try to make sense of how to create home in an age of ‘unbelonging.
Instructor Bio
Bina Mehta is a Lecturer at Wilfrid Laurier University. She has been teaching since 1993, at Trent, Queen’s and Laurier. She is a recipient of the Donald F. Morgenson Award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching. She teaches in the Faculty of Arts in Global Studies and North American Studies. Her teaching interests relate to race, the internationalization of post-secondary education, Indigenizing/decolonizing curriculum, food and culture, and immigrant identities in Canada. Questions of home and what it means to be a Canadian have underpinned her teaching. As a diasporic, Kenyan, Gujarati woman, all of these interests and concerns are derived from personal experience. Teaching and thinking about teaching are central to her practice as a post-secondary educator.Thursday, Apr 17 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Of all of Earth’s most precious ecosystems, arguably none are quite as famous as the Amazon Rainforest. This lecture will consist of a description of the Amazon Rainforest and the crucial role it plays for our climate. I will talk about the history of the Amazon Rainforest, it’s composition and implications that will impinge on its survival. This lecture will focus on the composition of the Amazon Rainforest (also called Amazonia); it’s biodiversity and how deforestation of the Amazon is creating harmful effects. Many factors have contributed to the Amazon’s deforestation. For example, the clearing land to create to pasture for cattle grazing and soy bean production, logging, oil exploration, construction of the Trans-Amazonian highway, forest fires and drought caused by climate change. There will also be discussion of the role of government and climate activists in preventing further deforestation. For example, Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, plans to halt deforestation by 2030.
Instructor Bio
Angela Trimarchi is a Senior Lecturer for Wilfrid Laurier in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics with a profound interest in resources and their conservation. For example, part of her discussion of the Amazon Rainforest will emphasize renewable resources such as oxygen and fresh water that affect the entire world. She has been an online instructor at Wilfrid Laurier for many years for first year principles courses and a second-year money and banking course that she designed. Her genuine interest in teaching has led me to the following beliefs – I think it is of upmost importance to engage and challenge students, to encourage independent learning and to provide relevant and detailed feedback in a timely and efficient manner. She has taught online and in-person at Laurier and has also delivered in person lectures at various other universities.
Thursday, Apr 24 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
In 2022, Canada released its Critical Mineral Strategy aimed at securing a sustainable development and supply of essential minerals critical for the transition to a low-carbon economy, while strengthening the nation's position as a global leader in responsible resource production. The Canadian North holds a vast abundance of these critical minerals, however, the combination of increased mining, vulnerability of polar ecosystems, climate change, and uncertainties about protection by current environmental risk assessment frameworks creates an urgency to develop water quality guidelines for arctic species in arctic environments. The extreme environment in northern Canada has given rise to a unique biodiversity. The Arctic hosts more than 14,000 cold-adapted aquatic organisms, including iconic vertebrate species such as the Arctic char, walrus and narwhal, and a myriad of marine invertebrates, including various species of mussel (uviluq), crab (putjuuti), and sea urchin (miqqulik), which represent a critical component of the Inuit diet. Currently, many critical metals (i.e., nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), and lithium (Li)) as well as rare earth elements (REE) are increasingly extracted from polar regions and in particular Canada’s North. In this talk, we will discuss where we're at in terms of our knowledge in developing guidelines that are protective of Northern species.
Instructor Bio
Dr. Leonard received her PhD in Environmental Toxicology and Physiology from McMaster University in 2013. Prior to joining Laurier, Dr. Leonard was a NSERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph in the Department of Integrative Biology, a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University studying chemosensing mechanisms that underlie cardiorespiratory reflexes in mammals, and a postdoctoral fellow at Environment and Climate Change Canada studying the ecotoxicology of freshwater mussels and turtles. At Laurier, Dr. Leonard's research program addresses how climate change and contaminants are affecting aquatic species, specifically fish.Thursday, May 1 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
When we think of pirates, often we think of the Caribbean Sea and of men lusting after Spanish gold. Who were these men? Why did they turn to such activities? How did they ply their trade? Why did they disappear?
This lecture will delve into the world of the buccaneers, a specific sub-group of those we call pirates. These men combined cruelty, ingenuity, and proto-democracy into a lethal combination in the seventeenth century.
Instructor Bio
Dr. David H. Olivier has taught history at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2002, especially at its Brantford Campus. Although his main research interest is the nineteenth-century Imperial German Navy, his horizons have been expanded to include military and diplomatic history and, yes, pirates.Thursday, May 8 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Our world is becoming increasingly polarized. As we all retreat into our own camps, thoughtful dialogue increasingly becomes a thing of the past. This retreat into our individual camps is undermining our democracy and making it more difficult to address pressing issues in a constructive manner. In this lecture, former politician John Milloy explores some of the reasons behind our current state of polarization and some possible solutions going forward, including a role for religious faith.
Instructor Bio
John Milloy is the Director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University College and the Practitioner-in-Residence in Laurier’s Department of Political Science. John served over a decade in the Ontario Legislature as the MPP for Kitchener Centre, holding a number of Cabinet positions. Prior to joining the provincial scene, John worked on Parliament Hill for a number of senior cabinet ministers and spent five years on the senior staff of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
Thursday, May 15 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
This lecture will explore terms and concepts from both music and the visual arts and explore how they relate to each other. Using musical and visual examples, we will examine the intersecting techniques and principles. The aim is to broaden our appreciation of the Arts in general by demonstrating terms usually associated with music in the context of visual arts and visa versa.
Instructor Bio
Lukas Bouda is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in music and fine arts. He has performed and composed in a wide variety of genres and pursued study on various guitars. His art practice combines realism with a nod to his improvisational/intuitive experiences in music.
Lukas teaches guitar at WLU as well as organizing and facilitating a popular Jazz Jam uptown Waterloo.
Thursday, May 22 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Sociologist Sherry Turkle posits that “We think with the objects we love; we love the objects we think with,” coining the concept of “evocative objects” (1984) to describe how individuals derive meaning and understanding from mundane objects that they interact with daily. This workshop will encourage participants to bring in an object of their own— no matter how ordinary or important to them — so that they can be led through a practice, grounded in Turkle’s theory, of making meaning of their object and how it elicits understandings of themselves, their lives, experiences, and relationships with others. Participants will leave the workshop with a conceptual understanding of “evocative objects” and how to continue to critically consider meaning from what they observe in their daily lives.
Instructor Bio
Claudia Volpe is passionate about lifelong learning and fostering teaching in accessible, safe and engaging ways. She has over ten years of professional and academic experience in post-secondary education, with research interests in the areas of: community-engaged research, deviance and criminality, online communities, lived experiences of disability and mental illness in institutions, and accessibility policy in post-secondary settings. As a current staff member in Enrolment Services at Laurier, she continues to support students during their time as a student, from the point of admission until their graduation. Claudia is dedicated to improving life on campus and fostering moments of teaching and learning both in and out of the classroom.
Thursday, May 29 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
This study looks at current norms of “intensive parenting”, in light of old and new advice to parents. This lecture is based on the messages included in “Parents” magazine from the 1920s to the 2020s. Magazine advice data represent a way to study childrearing norms, practices, and philosophies over time. My analysis traces a variety of topics that have persisted and changed over time. I examine the ways that childhood is socially constructed in parenting magazines, and how expert advice about the best ways to raise children has changed over time. My talk will closely review how I collected and analyzed my data, focusing on what “Parents” magazine advises parents to do. We will examine several phases throughout the last century, focusing on changes in expert advice over time. Notably, in the 1920s and 1930s, parents were advised to instill good habits, while children’s physical and cognitive development were the focus by mid-century. This has given way to a focus on hands-on engagement, “boosting and teaching “ children in the 1990s, which has taken root and flourished since then.
Instructor Bio
Linda Quirke has been a faculty member in Sociology since 2008. Her research focuses on family life: parenting advice and children's leisure time. She has previously examined parenting advice regarding children’s body weight and foodwork, as well as education and research ethics. She teaches courses in research methods and sociology of families.
Thursday, June 5 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Today’s lecture will focus on the numerous applications uses of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), also known as drones, in both the private industry and research. The talk will begin with an overview of the different types of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and their use in creating both 2D and 3D maps. The discussion will also cover Transport Canada’s rules and regulations for remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS). There will be several different types of drones at the lecture for you to see.
Instructor Bio
Alex has been a member of the Geography & Environmental Studies department at Wilfrid Laurier University for over thirty years. He is a full-time department technician and contract academic staff member, teaching a third year course on field surveying methods. He has extensive field experience in the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic, working with various faculty members and students on research projects. Surveying and generating 2D and 3D maps for various research sites across the country is one of his specialities. While he has mapped numerous field sites using total stations and GNSS-based equipment, the relatively recent use of remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), also known as drones, has revolutionized the discipline! Alex has used both fixed-wing and rotary-copter RPAS for mapping since 2014. He holds an advanced RPAS pilot license.
Thursday, June 5 (1:30 - 3 p.m)
Course Description
Awaken your strongest, boldest, and most unstoppable self at any age! In this empowering seminar, you'll discover five transformational steps to break free from old patterns, show up to life with more purpose and passion, and create the extraordinary life you deserve.
Instructor Bio
Leslie Gordon Christie is an engaging speaker and Certified Consultant with the Proctor Gallagher Institute, specializing in mindset and personal development coaching. As the creator of BUFFnation (Beautiful, Unique, Fearless Females), she empowers women 40+ to embrace personal growth, fitness, and nutrition. With over a decade as a journalist for Canada’s largest private broadcaster, CTV, and extensive experience as a health journalist for national print publications, Leslie combines expert storytelling with actionable insights to deliver compelling and impactful presentations.
No stranger to the classroom, Leslie also develops curriculum for Conestoga College and teaches in the school of business. Over the last decade, Leslie has been delivering impactful workshops for organizations such as Wilfrid Laurier University, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, Soroptimist International of Cambridge, and the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board. Drawing from her professional journey and personal experiences, Leslie provides audiences with practical strategies for resilience, stress management, and success, leaving them empowered to create lasting change.