Dr. Sharlene Mollett, Chair of the Department of Global Development Studies shares a welcome statement for all students for the 2021-2022 school year.
To the Department of Global Development Studies
Welcome to the 2021-2022 Academic year! While 2020-2021 was extraordinary in the way it asked a lot of us, we hope that as COVID and its impacts recede, that you will join us on our new journey as a Department. That’s right, the Centre for Critical Development Studies is no more!! We are the Department of Global Development Studies, GDS. While much will stay the same and your favourite professors are all still here, we do have two new faculty members. I want to welcome Dr Zubairu Wai and Dr. Caroline Hossein to our new department. As a new department, we also have a new program to add to our existing offerings, namely the African Studies Program. This programs is perfect for those of you interested in not just development topics relevant to the continent of Africa, but the African Diaspora as well!! We hope that in time, the AFS will become an integral aspect of our global approach to International Development. Furthermore, we have a number of events and programming that will emerge over the next year as we sediment ourselves as a department and think through our collective vision. Please be on the look out for a couple of initiatives, some new and some not so new.
A few initiatives to note:
First, please join us on November 3rd at 4pm for the Al Berry Lecture (see ad). This year’s speaker is Dr. Kevin Edmonds from the Caribbean Studies Program at the University of Toronto, St. George. He will be offering us his insights on Humanitarianism in the context of Haiti. Second, please be on the look out for the call for the Research Mentorship Program (RMP). Many of you know the RMP offers one-on-one experiential learning experiences for students working as research assistants (for course credit) with faculty from our department. This is a great opportunity to obtain research mentoring and skills development while taking courses and earning credit. Third, this year Global Development Studies in partnership with the department of Human Geography will launch The Feminist Collective, FC. The FC will be a place for writing, conversation, mentoring and events for those interested in gender and development and all kinds of intersectional, anticolonial, anti-racist feminist research! Please stay tuned! Many other events are forthcoming!!
Lastly, my colleagues and I in GDS will be delighted to see you in the halls of Highland Hall (with a Mask!) when UTSC officially opens in January 2022. In the meantime, do not hesitate to make an appointment to discuss your journey in GDS, I am always happy to learn about your experiences, so please email me to make a time to meet, sharlene.mollett@utoronto.ca. Whether you are new this year or returning, we are so happy to welcome you to the Department of Global Development Studies. We look forward to our journey together!
Sincerely,
Dr. Mollett