Department of Germanic Languages and Literature / en Markus Stock, the 17th principal of University College, to focus on student experience /news/markus-stock-17th-principal-university-college-focus-student-experience <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Markus Stock, the 17th principal of University College, to focus on student experience</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/markus-stock.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mJ5q35XK 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/markus-stock.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=iVWzCaS2 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/markus-stock.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=42r1nCeu 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/markus-stock.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mJ5q35XK" alt="Markus Stock smiles after being installed at Hart House"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-02-07T14:40:28-05:00" title="Friday, February 7, 2020 - 14:40" class="datetime">Fri, 02/07/2020 - 14:40</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Markus Stock, the 17th principal of University College, smiles during his installation ceremony on Wednesday at Hart House (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-mcneely" hreflang="en">Sean McNeely</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-experience" hreflang="en">Student Experience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-germanic-languages-and-literature" hreflang="en">Department of Germanic Languages and Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rose-patten" hreflang="en">Rose Patten</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/centre-medieval-studies" hreflang="en">Centre for Medieval Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cheryl-regehr" hreflang="en">Cheryl Regehr</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/history" hreflang="en">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/religion" hreflang="en">Religion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-college" hreflang="en">University College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The new principal of University College wants to remove the “but” that sometimes appears when students and alumni describe the ؿζSM.</p> <p>“The ؿζSM is a world-renowned academic institution, but it can stressful … U of T has a solid international reputation for research, but it can be a little overwhelming,” said <strong>Markus Stock </strong>in an interview in advance of his installation ceremony&nbsp;on Wednesday as the college’s 17<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;principal.</p> <p>He said he would like to see that “but” replaced with an “and” – in particular, an “and” that highlights the many benefits of U of T’s college system, including a welcoming, friendly and&nbsp;supportive atmosphere to accompany the university’s reputation for world class&nbsp;academics and research.</p> <p>“If we could insert the colleges into the conversation right at that point, people might say, ‘U of T has an immense reputation as a research institution and its colleges provide students with a valuable support system and social connection.’ I think that would be ideal,”&nbsp;said Stock.</p> <p>Stock’s&nbsp;installation ceremony, held in&nbsp;Hart House’s&nbsp;Great Hall,&nbsp;was attended by U of T President&nbsp;<strong>Meric Gertler</strong>, Vice-President and Provost&nbsp;<strong>Cheryl Regehr</strong>, Chancellor&nbsp;<strong>Rose Patten</strong>&nbsp;and Faculty of Arts &amp; Science Dean&nbsp;<strong>Melanie Woodin</strong>, among others.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/2020-02-05-Installation%20of%20Markus%20Stock%20%282%29.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>The procession enters Hart House’s Great Hall. From left to right: President of University College Literary &amp; Athletic Society Danielle Stella, Governing Council Chair Claire Kennedy, University College Principal Markus Stock and U of T President Meric Gertler (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p>An associate professor of German and medieval studies, Stock&nbsp;joined U of T in 2005&nbsp;and was previously chair of the department of Germanic languages and literatures. He took over the role of principal of University College on Jan. 1. for a four-year term. The college,&nbsp;established in 1853, was previously led by Professor <strong>Donald Ainslie</strong> for eight years.</p> <p>Stock said he is keenly focused on enhancing the student experience and&nbsp;intends to be a hands-on principal by driving forward student-centred initiatives and programs founded primarily on student engagement and interaction.</p> <p>“Talking with students, I’m figuring out how we can best support their experience on campus,” said Stock.&nbsp;“For me, figuring that out might be the most fascinating part of the job.</p> <p>“I’m finding out what their aspirations are to see where we can support their academic excellence, but then also emphasize their college is a place where they can live and congregate.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/2020-02-05-Installation%20of%20Markus%20Stock%20%2819%29.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>From left to right: Associate Professor Jennifer Jenkins, Faculty of Arts &amp; Science Dean Melanie Woodin, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr, University College Principal Markus Stock, Chancellor Rose Patten, Professor Walid Saleh (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p>Stock said he is excited about the college’s future and intends to fully embrace and celebrate equity and diversity within the college’s student body. He also plans on stressing the importance of student mental health and well-being.</p> <p>“That’s something I feel very strongly about,” he said. “We have to figure out how to provide services to students who face a mental health crisis&nbsp;–&nbsp;but, to an equal degree, ensure that students who are happy now stay happy during their rigorous academic experience at this university. I think the colleges play a huge role in that.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/2020-02-05-Installation%20of%20Markus%20Stock%20%285%29.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>U of T President Meric Gertler shakes hands with Markus Stock, the 17<sup>th</sup> principal of University College (photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p>Stock also plans to capitalize on&nbsp;the newly renovated student and research spaces as he leads the completion of the University College Revitalization Project.</p> <p>“What are we going to do with these spaces? How can our new spaces help us with this?” he said, noting that he plans to take full advantage of new spaces for students to freely connect, recharge and easily access support services.</p> <p>“If I could look back in five years and we instituted many initiatives that led to our students to continue to have a fulfilled academic life, but also have access to valuable learning beyond academics, I think that would be a big success,” he said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 07 Feb 2020 19:40:28 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 162490 at U of T students mark global day for public use of city streets by taking over Toronto parking spot /news/u-t-students-mark-global-day-public-use-city-streets-taking-over-toronto-parking-spot <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"> U of T students mark global day for public use of city streets by taking over Toronto parking spot </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofTPARKingDay.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mKE3LH00 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofTPARKingDay.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=G2LdUsIN 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofTPARKingDay.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9OQ4_kjw 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofTPARKingDay.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mKE3LH00" alt="2019 parking day installation by U of T sutdents"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-09-23T10:23:18-04:00" title="Monday, September 23, 2019 - 10:23" class="datetime">Mon, 09/23/2019 - 10:23</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">U of T students take over a parking space on Bloor Street West to mark PARKing Day, a global effort to draw attention to the need for public space (photo by Gabriella Shiyuan Zhao)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/nina-haikara" hreflang="en">Nina Haikara</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-germanic-languages-and-literature" hreflang="en">Department of Germanic Languages and Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-cities" hreflang="en">School of Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/geography-and-planning" hreflang="en">Geography and Planning</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innis-college" hreflang="en">Innis College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-college" hreflang="en">University College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/urban-studies" hreflang="en">Urban Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/woodsworth-college" hreflang="en">Woodsworth College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>What started as a course assignment in urban landscapes and planning resulted in a real-life guerrilla installation by ؿζSM students that’s designed to bring attention to the need for public space around the world.</p> <p>PARKing Day has been marked annually since the first PARK in San Francisco in 2005. Taking place the third Friday in September, the event sees urban enthusiasts around the world select a parking space – normally reserved for automobiles – and transform it into a mini-park for public use.</p> <p>The U of T installation in front of 273 Bloor Street on Friday received <a href="https://www.schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/news-events/partnerships-funding">funding to initiate the project from U of T’s School of Cities</a>.</p> <p>“We think of Toronto as being a global city. Yet this is a global initiative that's unrepresented here,” says <strong>Kelly Gregg</strong>, a PhD candidate in the department of geography and planning in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science. She was also the course instructor who assigned the parking day proposal last term.</p> <p>“My hope is that it challenges people to think of the street as a public space, not just for automobiles, but for human use as well.”</p> <h3><a href="/news/where-we-gather-u-t-s-school-cities-partners-toronto-public-library-lecture-series-public-space">Read more about the School of Cities' public space lecture series</a></h3> <p>Gregg, whose planning dissertation traces the arc&nbsp;of pedestrianization in American and Canadian contexts – including how concepts of pedestrian shopping malls have failed, yet are being reintroduced for public space reasons – co-coordinated the installation alongside students who were interested in translating their assignment proposal into a real project. <strong>Stefan Soldovieri</strong>, chair of the department of Germanic languages and literatures, reached out and connected the team with additional students from the department’s sustainability initiative, futurGenerator.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Kelly-Parking-Day.jpg" alt="U of T Students at their 2019 Parking Day installation on Bloor Street"></p> <p><em>U of T geography and planning’s Kelly Gregg and Sneha Mandhan standing next to the team’s PARKing day installation on Bloor Street West (photo by&nbsp;Gabriella Shiyuan Zhao)&nbsp;</em></p> <p><strong>Willow Cabral</strong>, a second-year University College undergraduate studying human geography, geographic information systems (GIS) and urban studies in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, did preliminary research on initiatives for PARKing Day in Toronto, but found the most recent mentions date back to 2012.&nbsp;</p> <p>“My exposure to parking day was through the class, and I thought it was a really cool, fun project,” says Cabral.</p> <p>“A huge part of this project is sparking a dialogue, even if it's just between two people walking on the street, about how we can redesign our cities and rethink cities to be more sustainable and people-oriented.”</p> <p>Occupying a space less than three metres wide in front of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the “park” site was selected for a number of factors: proximity to U of T campus, wide adjoining sidewalk, pedestrian traffic, neighbouring bike lane and access to car parking on each end. Traffic cones and plants marked the edges of the park for safety.</p> <p>“We are not using the space for free. We are paying for it as if we are a vehicle, but we’re just challenging the use of it for a different purpose,” says Gregg.</p> <p>The green sod, beach umbrellas, milk crates and plants making up the park attracted&nbsp;a lot of interest from pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. The team reported smiles, questions and encouragement from passersby, as well as many people asking to take photos.</p> <p><strong>Sneha Mandhan</strong>, a PhD student in planning who looks at how streets function as public spaces in cities, says the team started out with a very ambitious plan, but had to scale back their original design. &nbsp;</p> <p>“We needed it to be fairly mobile because it is a guerrilla intervention – there is a possibility that we might need to do a very quick install and de-install,” says Mandhan, adding that the group explained, if asked, that the parking spot is public space and that they would relocate the park if asked to move.</p> <p>She says sustainability has also been a sub-theme.</p> <p>“We're making sure we're not using any materials that can't be reused.”</p> <p>Mandhan’s doctoral specialization is in South Asian studies and she plans to develop her research proposal around India’s changing streets. Marginalized communities in India have always used streets as public gathering places, but the communities are increasingly pushed aside by widening traffic lanes. She says Toronto, too, is getting denser by the day.</p> <p>“The city needs more public space,” says Mandhan. “At least in downtown there's a lot of scope for reducing the footprint of cars and reclaiming some of that space for people.”</p> <p>“[The] King Street Pilot Project has a similar ethos,” adds Gregg. “[Parking day] is expanding from that, and carrying it forward in a very temporary, tactile way.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 23 Sep 2019 14:23:18 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 158473 at How youth influenced the EU election – and could do the same in Canada: U of T expert /news/how-youth-influenced-eu-election-and-could-do-same-canada-u-t-expert <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">How youth influenced the EU election – and could do the same in Canada: U of T expert</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/climate-protestor-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=hANma-sO 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/climate-protestor-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gOElPBfq 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/climate-protestor-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=hDWurBNt 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/climate-protestor-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=hANma-sO" alt="Photo of climate change protester"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-06-07T15:33:26-04:00" title="Friday, June 7, 2019 - 15:33" class="datetime">Fri, 06/07/2019 - 15:33</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A demonstrator holds a sign outside the Portuguese parliament in Lisbon during a climate strike of school students on Friday, May 24, 2019 (photo by AP Photo/Armando Franca)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tobias-wilczek" hreflang="en">Tobias Wilczek</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-germanic-languages-and-literature" hreflang="en">Department of Germanic Languages and Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/climate-change" hreflang="en">Climate Change</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/europe" hreflang="en">Europe</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/european-union" hreflang="en">European Union</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/politics" hreflang="en">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/conversation" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h1><span></span></h1> <p>With major votes occurring within the span of five months this year, the European Union and Canadian federal elections are critical in deciding our planet’s future.</p> <p>The results of the EU election – in which each European country elects an allotted number of representatives to the EU parliament – have already resulted in big changes, largely due to youth getting involved in politics.</p> <p>Young people around the world are demonstrating a thorough understanding of the larger economic and environmental threats that are endangering not only individual freedom, but the very survival of our own species and more than <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canada-biodiversity-1.5125108">a million others</a>.</p> <p>Around the world, youth protest movements like #FridaysForFuture have been growing steadily. Student protesters recently turned out in <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/05/24/student-protesters-hope-bay-st-march-will-wake-up-government-and-corporations-to-climate-crisis.html">120 countries and 1,700 cities</a> to demand action on climate change just days before the EU elections on May 26. The next global student strike has already been announced for Sept. 20 and is expected to draw even bigger numbers.</p> <p>It’s clear that young voters are bringing critical issues to the fore.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img alt sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276617/original/file-20190527-193544-upar1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w"> <figcaption><span class="caption">Young people protest ahead of the European elections during a climate strike of school students as part of the Fridays for Future movement in front of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany</span>&nbsp;<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(photo b Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)</span></span></figcaption> </figure> <p>As Europeans headed to the polls to elect a new European Parliament, the notion of a European “Green New Deal” was a big campaign issue. The German Green Party made history by coming in second place with <a href="https://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/info/presse/mitteilungen/europawahl-2019/35_19_vorlaeufiges-ergebnis.html">20.5 per cent thanks in part to the increased voter turnout in Germany (61.4 per cent)</a>.</p> <p>The shift was due mostly to many first-time voters casting their ballots for the Greens, who won <a href="https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2019-05/europawahlergebnis-klimapolitik-fridays-for-future-protestwahl-gruene">the highest support in the 18-to-24 cohort — 34 per cent — and 27 per cent in the 25-to-35 age group.</a>.</p> <h4>European Green New Deal</h4> <p>There was a renewed brawl pitting democratic eco-socialists and liberals against conservatives and far-right parties, as Europeans witnessed most strikingly in the <a href="https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/the-maastricht-debate-insight-into-candidates-for-european-commission">first debate</a> of the lead candidates of the pan-European parties.</p> <p>The debate focused on “digital Europe,” “sustainable Europe” and the future of Europe.</p> <p>The prospect of a European Green New Deal — popular among young voters — has been increasingly paired with renewed discussions about democratizing the European Union not just politically, but also economically.</p> <p>Yanis Varoufakis’s transnational party <a href="https://europeanspring.net/">European Spring</a> included a Green New Deal in its platform, with the following pledges: <a href="https://diem25.org/manifesto-long/">“To dismantle the habitual domination of corporate power over the will of citizens; to re-politicize the rules that govern our single market and common currency.”</a></p> <p>The party only marginally missed the threshold for securing seats in Germany and Greece, <a href="https://diem25.org/green-new-deal-gathers-more-than-1-4-million-votes-across-europe/">but more than 1.4 million&nbsp;Europeans</a> voted for a Green New Deal. In Spain, the Socialist Party (PSOE) won <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-green-new-deal-is-going-global-115961">on a Green New Deal platform</a>.</p> <p>As World Economic Forum writer <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/this-is-what-a-green-new-deal-for-europe-could-look-like/">Katie Whiting explained, a European Green New Deal would</a> invest “at least five per cent of Europe’s GDP in emissions-free transportation infrastructure, renewable energies and innovative technologies, while creating jobs and transitioning Europe to zero-emissions – all without raising taxes.”</p> <p>The European Greens, with <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20190523STO52402/elections-2019-highest-turnout-in-20-years">69 projected MEPs</a> in the European Parliament, will certainly need to respond to calls from the Left Bloc (38 seats) and the Socialists and Democrats (153 seats) to work together on making Europe environmentally green and socially just.</p> <p>They’ll have to do so while dealing with MEPs from pan-European parties like Volt Europa who want to <a href="https://www.volteuropa.org/vision">democratize the European Union</a> as far-right parties like <a href="https://theconversation.com/far-right-groe-but-heres-what-they-all-have-in-common-101919">Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)</a>&nbsp;embrace increasingly nationalist and isolationist views.</p> <p>The EU environmental agenda is also being shaped by particular national New Green debates. For example, in Germany, there is talk of reappropriating apartment units and car manufacturers to alleviate inequality and establish a <a href="http://www.taz.de/Debatte-Kevin-Kuehnert-zu-Enteignung/!5590059/">more sustainable Europe.</a></p> <h4>Nationalize BMW?</h4> <p>Soon after discussions about nationalizing real estate properties emerged in the state of Berlin, Kevin Kühnert, the head of the 80,000-member-strong youth movement of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), was recently in the news for <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/02/german-politician-calls-bmw-put-collective-ownership/">public remarks</a> calling for the nationalization of corporations like BMW as well.</p> <p>BMW is in the spotlight due to allegations it “breached EU antitrust rules from 2006 to 2014,” according to the <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-2008_en.htm">European Commission</a>. It’s being investigated for allegedly using illegal defeat devices to cheat regulatory emissions tests.</p> <p>It’s not just young people making the case for abolishing private ownership of some entities. These daring remarks by young people, sometimes considered taboo, have inspired older generations, too. As Germany celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Federal Republic and its German Basic Law, even Baby Boomers are reminding the public about the law’s Article 15 that allows the <a href="https://www.vorwaerts.de/artikel/enteignungen-steht-grundgesetz">nationalization of private property</a>.</p> <p>Demands for action on climate change are growing louder every day. British parliament recently declared a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/01/declare-formal-climate-emergency-before-its-too-late-corbyn-warns">climate emergency</a> due in part to ongoing protests organized by the Extinction Rebellion movement, which has also been supported by #FridaysForFuture student activist <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg">Greta Thunberg</a>.</p> <h4>Growing movement?</h4> <p>The strong representation of Democratic Socialists federally in Germany, including young socialists up to the age of 35, is beginning to take hold across the Atlantic, where the Democratic Socialists of America, whose membership stands at 60,000, have also amassed more than 200,000 followers on <a href="https://twitter.com/DemSocialists?ref_src=twsrc%5Egogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Twitter</a>.</p> <p>While Canada seems to be lagging behind when compared to the European youth activism, voter turnout for those aged 18-24 <a href="https://bdp.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/ResearchPublications/2016104E#a6">increased by 18 percentage points from the 2011 federal election to 57.1 per cent in 2015</a>.</p> <p>And although provincial elections in Alberta and Prince Edward Island resulted in Progressive Conservative governments, the Green Party of P.E.I. are the first Greens in Canada to become the official opposition.</p> <p>The progress is happening as many young Europeans and Canadians look up to young leaders like Germany’s Kühnert and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the United States as they advocate Green New Deals. It’s time for young people in Canada to get more involved politically if they want to have a shot at saving the planet. For now, #FridaysForFuture may be a good way to start.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117579/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" width="1" loading="lazy"><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tobias-wilczek-738934">Tobias Wilczek</a>&nbsp;is a PhD student in department of Germanic languages and literatures at the&nbsp;<a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">ؿζSM</a>.</span></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-youth-influenced-the-eu-election-and-could-do-the-same-in-canada-117579">original article</a>.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 07 Jun 2019 19:33:26 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 156833 at 'It will define the field for years to come': U of T historian wins prize for book on Germany /news/it-will-define-field-years-come-u-t-historian-wins-prize-book-germany <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'It will define the field for years to come': U of T historian wins prize for book on Germany</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20190109_JamesRatallack_%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6ZP4v_rI 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/20190109_JamesRatallack_%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=hLB4ymNW 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/20190109_JamesRatallack_%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KxsbNY8Y 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20190109_JamesRatallack_%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6ZP4v_rI" alt="photo of James Retallack"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-01-28T00:00:00-05:00" title="Monday, January 28, 2019 - 00:00" class="datetime">Mon, 01/28/2019 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Professor James Retallack won the Central European History Society's Hans Rosenberg Book Prize for a 2017 book that explores the connections between political modernization and authoritarianism in Germany (photo by Diana Tyszko)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/alexa-zulak" hreflang="en">Alexa Zulak</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-germanic-languages-and-literature" hreflang="en">Department of Germanic Languages and Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/europe" hreflang="en">Europe</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/history" hreflang="en">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/jackman-humanities-institute" hreflang="en">Jackman Humanities Institute</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>James Retallack</strong>, a professor in the University&nbsp;of Toronto's department of history, has been awarded the Central European History Society’s Hans Rosenberg Book Prize for his 2017 book,&nbsp;<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/red-saxony-9780199668786?cc=ca&amp;lang=en"><em>Red Saxony: Election Battles and the Spectre of Democracy in Germany, 1860-1918</em></a>.</p> <p>Awarded annually, the Hans Rosenberg Book Prize honours the best book on central European history published in English by a permanent resident of North America.</p> <p>“It’s rewarding to have the feedback and acknowledgment of my peers,” said Retallack, whose latest accolade bookends his Hans Rosenberg Article Prize win from last year.</p> <p>“It’s especially rewarding in the sense that two different prize committees, comprised of three people each, both found something interesting in my work.”</p> <p>Retallack, who is also cross-appointed to the department of Germanic languages and literatures, is a renowned expert on German society and politics between 1740 and the rise of Adolf Hitler.</p> <p><em>Red Saxony</em>, published by Oxford University Press,&nbsp;explores the reciprocal relationship between political modernization and authoritarianism in Germany over the span of six decades. It illustrates how Germans grew to fear the idea of democracy, paving the way – after many twists and turns – for Hitler and the Nazis in the 1920s.</p> <p>The Hans Rosenberg Book Prize committee <a href="http://www.centraleuropeanhistory.org/sites/default/files/rosenbergprizeretallacklaudatiofinal.pdf">commended Retallack’s research, analysis and argumentation</a> throughout the 700-page work. "<em>Red Saxony</em> is a powerful contribution that calls into question long- and widely-held assumptions while establishing new ones: it will define the field for years to come,” the committee wrote.</p> <p>Now Retallack is ready to reach a new audience with the forthcoming translation of <em>Red Saxony</em> into German.</p> <p>While he’s quick to acknowledge the challenges in translating the text – like having to track down some original German quotations that had been translated into English – he also notes that it will be satisfying to reach German colleagues and scholars who may not have read the English-language book.</p> <p>“I don’t expect to win any prizes,” said Retallack of the translated work. “But I will be very happy if <em>Red Saxony</em> contributes to advancing German-language scholarship, too, in the field of Imperial German history.”</p> <p>Retallack has received&nbsp;grants, fellowships and research prizes from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Jackman Humanities Institute.</p> <p>His latest project – a biography of the founder and leader of Germany’s social democratic movement and the Social Democratic Party of Germany, August Bebel – won him a Killam Fellowship and a<a href="https://news.artsci.utoronto.ca/all-news/2015-guggenheim-fellowships/"> </a>Guggenheim Fellowship in 2015.</p> <p>Retallack hopes prizes like the Hans Rosenberg Book Prize will lead to new readers.</p> <p>“I’m very lucky that my publisher decided to nominate it,” said Retallack.</p> <p>“In our world of scholarly activity, you almost know everybody in the field. Maybe someone who wouldn’t ordinarily look at it might pick it up.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 28 Jan 2019 05:00:00 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 151951 at