Category: Toronto

Free dissertation release

Official versions are forthcoming on the University of Toronto’s TSpace thesis hosting platform and on paper from the Asquith Press at the Toronto Reference Library, but I see no reason not to make my PhD dissertation available as a free PDF to anyone who is interested:

Persuasion Strategies: Canadian Campus Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaigns and the Development of Activists, 2012–20

I have been fighting for years to get this out into the world, so it makes no sense to wait for an arbitrary convocation date and then through further administrative delays.

If you are studying the fossil fuel divestment movement at universities or climate change activism generally in Canada, the US, and UK you may find the extended bibliography useful.

Redefining ‘dino’

As an undergraduate, the UBC Debate Society was a major activity for me, less in terms of attending competitive tournaments in other cities and more in terms of befriending that circle and taking part in rounds during the great majority of club meetings.

As part of my U of T wrap-up (and maybe subconsciously as preparation for the PhD defence) I went to my first Hart House Debate Club meeting today, and took part in my first round under British Parliamentary rules.

As an undergrad, I saw older debaters, usually late undergrads or law students, called ‘dinos.’ At the time my mind would not have stretched the category to include 38-year-old year-ten PhD students who won their first tournament (Pacific Cup, with Greg Allen in fall 2001) before most of those present in the room were born. Now I perceive the possibility for a short return to debate between now and either the successful defence or graduation, whichever is pertinent to holding student status.