Department of History, Latin, & Political Science HLPS Lecture Series
HLPS engages with the local community through organising and participating in public lecture series. Recent series have been held at the Dunbar Community Centre and Brock House, and faculty members have also given various lectures at other venues in the community. We also periodically invite external speakers to give lectures at Langara.
For more details, or if you are interested in partnering with us in future years, please contact current lecture series organiser, Niall Christie: nchristie [at] langara.ca (nchristie[at]langara[dot]ca) | 604.323.5832
Current Lecture Series
Finding Hope
Watching the news media today, it is easy to see that we live in a world afflicted with political and social turmoil, wars, and environmental disasters. In the face of this it can be difficult to maintain a positive outlook, but in both the past and the present we can find examples that give us reasons to still be hopeful. Join us as instructors from various departments at Langara College explore some of these cases, showing us that hope can be found even in the gloomiest of times, sometimes in unexpected places.
This lecture series will be running at Brock House and Old Hastings Mill Store Museum in Fall 2025, and at the Vancouver Public Library in Spring 2026.
Schedule
Brock House3875 Point Grey Rd, Vancouver, BC, V6R 1B3, on the specified dates (Friday afternoons), 2:00-3:00 p.m. Entry is free for Langara students. | |
|---|---|
| October 3 | Craig Keating (History) Finding Hope: Visions of Utopia in the Global Sixties |
| October 10 | Niall Christie (History) Hoping for Peace: Lessons from the Crusades |
| October 17 | Terri Evans (Political Science) Examining Discourses of Safety from the Perspective of Homeless Encampment Residents |
| October 24 | Erin Robb (English) How Fairy Tales Can Fix the World |
| October 31 | Kina Cavicchioli (English) “Cry out our loud grief, and learn all we may!”: Aeschylus’ Persians and the Healing Technologies of Tragedy |
| November 7 | Stefan Haag (English) Finding Hope in/through Catastrophe: The Cases of Grimmelshausen and Grass |
| November 14 | Dale Montgomery (History) The Eagle and the Bear: Peace across the Cold War Divide, 1981-1989 |
| November 28 | Randip Bakshi (Art History) Finding Hope in the Classroom: Teaching an Art History of Exclusion |
Old Hastings Mill Store Museum1575 Alma St, Vancouver, BC V6R 3P3, on the specified dates (Friday evenings), at 7:00 p.m. Entry is open to all and by donation. | |
|---|---|
| September 12 | Niall Christie (History) Hoping for Peace: Lessons from the Crusades |
| October 10 | Randip Bakshi (Art History) Finding Hope in the Classroom: Teaching an Art History of Exclusion |
| November 14 | Erin Robb (English) How Fairy Tales Can Fix the World |
Vancouver Public Library (Central Branch)350 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6B 6B1, on the specified dates (Thursday evenings), at 6:00 p.m. Entry is free and open to all. | |
|---|---|
| February 5 | Niall Christie (History) Hoping for Peace: Lessons from the Crusades |
| March 5 | Kina Cavicchioli (English) “Cry out our loud grief, and learn all we may!”: Aeschylus’ Persians and the Healing Technologies of Tragedy |
| April 16 | Craig Keating (History) Finding Hope: Visions of Utopia in the Global Sixties |
Sample Lecture Series
External Lecture Series: Mad Men
There is a fine line between insanity and greatness. Come walk the line with us.
Thursdays at 7pm, starting Jan 11 2018
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Held at the Dunbar Community Centre, 4747 Dunbar St.
$5/lecture or $40/series. Students with valid ID: $2.50/lecture or $20/series
Registration begins online/in-person Dec 5
Register by phone (604 222 6060) starting Dec 6
Students must register in person or by phone
Refreshments served; wine available for purchase
Lecture schedule
All speakers are Langara Faculty
| Jan 11 | Nero: Unhinged and Unapologetic Jennifer Knapp |
| Jan 18 | Merlin: Court Magician or Visionary Madman? Jessica Hemming |
| Jan 25 | Ariosto's Orlando: The Knight Mad with Love Kina Cavicchioli |
| Feb 1 | Henry VIII: Mad, Bad, or Just Dangerous to Marry? Niall Christie |
| Feb 8 | Maximilian Robespierre: Madman or Modern? Craig Keating |
| Feb 15 | Sir Sam Hughes: Canada’s Mad Minister of Militia David Borys |
| Feb 22 | Winston Churchill: Bad Moments in a Mad Time Marjorie Lang |
| Mar 1 | The Uncanny Valley: Where Madness Waits Erin Robb |
| Mar 8 | Trump's Trolls: The Rise of the Empowered Alt-Right Lealle Ruhl |
A Langara partnership with
Invited Speaker Series: Women in History
Although frequently overlooked, criticized, or even condemned, women have been just as much a part of history as men. In this lecture series, three exceptional professors from UVic, SFU, and UBC will speak to us about the lives and accomplishments of three exceptional women.
Refreshments provided (chai and cookies).
All lectures 3:30 to 5pm (includes lecture and reception
Location: Langara Library, Room 224
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Um Kulthum: Music and Politics in the Arab World
Amal Ghazal, Associate Professor, Simon Fraser University
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
The Remarkable Life and Archaeological Achievements of Gertrude Bell, "Queen of the Desert."
Lisa Cooper, Professor, University of British Columbia
