2013-2014 Donald Lecture Series

Made possible by the generous support of Bishop’s alumnus John Donald ’60, DCL ’12, the Donald Lecture Series brings speakers of national and international renown to the Bishop’s campus to provide insight, provoke thought, and stimulate debate on the most compelling issues and events in the world today. All lectures are free of charge and open to the public.

2013-2014 Season

Robert Sutton

Wednesday, October 23, 2013
7:00pm, Centennial Theatre

Best known as the author of best-selling books “Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best… and Learn from the Worst” and “The No Asshole Rule”, Bob Sutton is a Professor of Management (Organizational Behaviour, Management Science and Engineering) at Stanford University. His message is that “turning sound ideas into action is the key to improving performance”.

Dr. David Goldbloom

Friday January 31, 2014
7:30pm, Centennial Theatre

Dr. Goldbloom is the Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and Senior Medical Advisor for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.  His lecture will be a part of Bishop’s 2nd annual Mental Health Week, and is also the kick off for Bishop’s 2nd annual Up For Debate Weekend.

Stigma and Mental Illness: Myth, Reality and Hope
Despite the ubiquity of mental illness across countries, cultures, and time, prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviours toward people with mental illness endure. Why? What is the nature of this problem, how does it manifest, and what can be done about it? College and university campuses are finally grappling with the reality of mental illness as it affects students and staff alike. Canada now has a national mental health strategy, but as the expression goes, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. It’s time to change the culture.

Dr. Daniel Levitin

Thursday, February 6, 2014
7:00pm, Centennial Theatre

Dr. Levitin is a Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience at McGill University.  In addition to running McGill’s Laboratory for Music Cognition, Perception and Expertise, he is also the author of two international bestsellers, “This is Your Brain on Music” and “The World in Six Songs”.

This is Your Brain on Music
Dr. Levitin will discuss three broad questions from the cognitive neuroscience of  music: Why we like the music we like, how people become musical experts, and what areas of the brain are activated by music. The talk will feature musical examples.

Note: We regret that the live stream will not be available for this lecture.

Chuck Klosterman

Tuesday, March 25, 2014
7:00pm, Centennial Theatre

Mr. Klosterman is an ethicist for the NYT Magazine, author of several best-selling books and novels, and a contributing columnist to several magazines, including Esquire and Grantland.

Life Through the Prism of Pop Culture
In his talks, Chuck Klosterman discusses how pop culture shapes a person’s identity. Why do so many of us define ourselves by the media we consume—the music we love, the movies we obsessively reference, the television we can’t stop watching? With inspired leaps of logic and a sense for relatable minutiae, Klosterman shows us how pop culture becomes inextricably linked with our memories, how it helps us understand the world, and what this says about us, as individuals and as a society. Bright with provocation, hilarious non-sequiturs and good-natured debate, an evening with Klosterman will help you see our accelerating world, and the little connections that make it fascinating, in a newly appreciative light.

Note: We regret that the live stream will not be available for this lecture.

For all questions regarding the Donald Lecture Series, please contact Denise Lauzière, Chief of Staff, Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor at denise.lauziere@ubishops.ca, or 819-822-9600, ext. 2201.