New interdisciplinary research club hosts inaugural event
The Humanities and Social Sciences Research Initiative invited students and faculty to drop in for breakfast and open discussion.
On September 15, the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Initiative (HSSRI) hosted its inaugural event, Rise and Research, a drop-in event for students and faculty to socialize over a complementary breakfast.
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., event goers mingled on the Maanjiwe nendamowinan building’s fifth-floor south terrace. Perched high above the bustle of people moving past North Field, the sunny venue accommodated de-stressers and easygoing conversations.
About 30 people attended Rise and Research in total, most being first-years excited to make connections. The event also attracted six professors, some of whom trickled in from the adjacent Department of English & Drama.
Professor Chester Scoville, for example, fielded questions about his multivarious course offerings, which range from first-year courses about writing to upper-year courses about fantasy literature, medieval drama, and comics. Meanwhile, Professor Maykal Bailey chatted with students about his journey to becoming a sociology instructor.
In addition to an array of drinks and baked goods from campus catering, the event featured board and card games to encourage engagement. Many attendees also enjoyed colouring sheets featuring HSSRI’s mascot, Doc Croc, “the somewhat famished crocodile.”
As the terrace started to empty, HSSRI Executive Chair Darrion Singh and Vice-Chair of Social Sciences Mehar Fatima sat down for an interview with The Medium to discuss the event and their club.
We’re all in this together
The founding executives explained that they want HSSRI to act as a bridge between humanities and social sciences students on campus and to facilitate interdisciplinary research and dialogue.
“The overall mission of our initiative is to offer a centralized space for all humanities and social sciences students to meet and connect,” said Singh, a third-year history specialist at the University of Toronto Mississauga. “One thing that we’ve noticed is that these disciplines don’t really have a centralized space.”
“[The social sciences and humanities] overlap a lot and they’re often lumped together,” added Fatima, another third-year student specializing in criminology and minoring in ethics. “But at the same time, there’s [nothing] really promoting that interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Singh also explained that HSSRI wants to bring together ideas and perspectives from different disciplines in academic discussions. “How does a historian see criminal aspects versus a sociologist, or how does a political scientist versus an anthropologist view gender relations? Looking at different topics and themes from multiple angles from any level of study is what we intend to do.”
Singh and Fatima expressed that they hope HSSRI will reach new undergraduates, especially. Reflecting on their experience as LAUNCH leaders for the Centre for Student Engagement, they noted that first- and second-year students are generally interested in pursuing research and joining academic clubs, but many are hesitant to do so or don’t know where to start.
Rise and Research was HSSRI’s first step towards helping those students. “Going to office hours can be intimidating, or if you want to talk in class, there’s always a long line waiting to talk to the professor after the class ends,” Fatima recognized. “At Rise and Research, people talk to each other, they talk to professors, and it’s all very calm.”
Moving forward, Fatima said that HSSRI wants to make Rise and Research a recurring event so the club continues to provide spaces for humanities and social sciences students to connect.
HSSRI is currently recruiting executive associates and general members via Google Form, which can be found on their Instagram page @utm.hssri. They also plan to launch a journal for humanities and social sciences articles by the end of this year.
