HxCanada Fall Conference - Back (and) to the Future!

This two-day conference will encourage attendees to reflect on what HxA Canada community has and has not accomplished since its inception, particularly in terms of its goal of promoting viewpoint diversity and civil discourse in Canadian academe. Sessions will discuss challenges that have emerged over the past few years and/or that will likely emerge in the coming years, and strategies that HxA members may adopt to pursue their goals. The conference will include talks, panel discussions and activities. Session topics include changes in public confidence in academe, attitudes of postsecondary administrators towards issues of viewpoint diversity, and perceptions of other academic and non-academic stakeholders (e.g., students, families, politicians, journalists, employers).  

Conference programming will take place in-person only at the University of Toronto in Toronto on Saturday, October 24 (9:00am - 6:00pm) and Sunday, October 25 (9:00am - 12:30pm).

Conference registration includes access to all scheduled conference sessions, meals, and refreshments on October 24-25. Registration is $50 CAD ($35 USD) for students and $100 CAD ($70 USD) for non-students.

Confirmed Session Highlights

• Keynote Address by Erec Smith, York College of Pennsylvania
• Moral Foundations of the University: Beyond Classical Liberalism - HxA’s mission is presented through the lens of the secular, classical liberalism of the Enlightenment. But as Mill and Locke lose ground to Friere and Kendi, can classical liberalism alone reorient universities towards truth-seeking? Our panelists argue that the Abrahamic faiths can lead us back to sanity.
• Dangerous Ideas - The “Dangerous Ideas” course introduced at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan has been a smashing success. Brad Epperly and Renaud-Philippe Garner, the UBCO professors who developed this course, will describe how they persuaded administrators to support it, their experience teaching it, and whether it might be replicable at other universities.
• Views from Beyond the Ivory Tower -  A panel of students, parents, journalists, business leaders and politicians discuss how they see the role of universities in the past as compared with today, and whether universities are meeting their expectations.
• Decolonization: What Future is Envisioned for Past Harms -  A real discussion into what decolonization looks like under the bright lights of scrutiny and whether one can oppose it without vilification. What does it imply for academia and will indigenization of the university solve any of the problems facing on-reserve First Nations?
• Voice from the Top: A Panel of University Presidents and Provosts -  Looking back at the recent past and toward the future in terms of free speech, a welcoming campus climate, and civil discourse: issues, mistakes and possible solutions. HxA Campus Communities often find themselves at odds with university administration. While many administrators are sympathetic to HxA values like open inquiry, they may feel pressure to promote new—and sometimes incompatible—values like belonging and inclusion. Here we hope to provide an administrative perspective on HxA values—where we align, where we differ, and how to move forward productively.
• Has Heterodox Become an Anti-Woke Orthodoxy? -  Is HxA too anti-woke and, if so, is that bad? Michael Young (Wokal Distance) will make a presentation outlining the reasons that woke represents an existential threat to the university as a truth-seeking institution.

Visiting from out of town?

Discounted lodging is available for conference attendees at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto located at 33 Gerrard St W, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z4, Canada. The block rate is $269/night. Reservations can be booked by phone at 416-595-1975. Please provide the code HET102326 to take advantage of this special rate.

Questions? Reach out to events@heterodoxacademy.org.