UBC Faculty of Arts

UBC Centre for Migration Studies event poster titled 'Heated Rivalry: Immigration, Safety, and Queer Belonging in Canada.' Features image from the Heated Rivalry show. Includes portraits of four speakers: Dr. JP Catungal, Dr. Ali Bhagat, Aleks Dughman-Manzur, and Dr. Lisa Brunner (moderator). Event details: March 6, 12:00–1:15 PM, Online.

How is Canada’s global “queer utopia” imagined – and unsettled – by borders and immigration policy? Using the Heated Rivalry show as a lens, this panel explores safety, belonging, and nationhood for refugees and newcomers.

🗓 March 6 | 12:00–1:15 PM | Online

🔗 Register now: shorturl.at/367pw

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From energy policy to pop culture moments like Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, Arts faculty members weighed in on a variety of topics this month. 🔋🏈🎤

📰 Check out the February 2026 roundup of Arts in the Media ⬇️

Join us March 2 for the final CMS Speaker Series event with Dr. Margarita Mondaca (Umeå University): “Addressing Health Inequalities in Racialized and Socioeconomic Disadvantaged Areas in Sweden.”

🕚 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM
📍 IKBLC, Dodson Room (302) / Online

🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

We are deeply shocked and saddened by the shootings at Tumbler Ridge and extend our deepest sympathy to all those impacted. This is a truly horrific event and our hearts are with the people of Tumbler Ridge and all British Columbians.

How UBC Arts Scholars Are Advancing Black Studies - Faculty of Arts UBC Arts faculty Jemima Pierre, Peter James Hudson, and Crystal Sheffield reflect on their research, the history of Black Studies, and its relevance today.

For over half a century, Black Studies has shaped how we understand history, power, and the modern world. ⚖️ 🌍 Three UBC Arts faculty members reflect on the importance of this work and how the field continues to influence their scholarship today. Read more ⬇️

How Heated Rivalry imagines Canada - UBC News UBC expert unpacks Canadian soft power, Shane’s bottomhood and who belongs in cottage country.

Will you come to this Q&A? Don't go elsewhere. Come to UBC News. We'll have so much fun (unpacking Canadian soft power). It's so private. No one will know (except Google Analytics and your joy-filled heart).

UBC prof Dr. JP Catungal unpacks the hit Cancon show #HeatedRivalry

Arts in the Media: January 2026 - Faculty of Arts This January, UBC Arts faculty shared their expertise with the media on topics ranging from why unfinished tasks linger in our minds to Trump’s influence in the Americas, Canada–China trade, nuclear…

From the psychology behind unfinished tasks to geopolitical shifts and developments, Arts faculty members provided expert insights on several stories across major outlets throughout the month. 🧠 🌎️

📰 Check out the January 2026 roundup of Arts in the Media ⬇️ www.arts.ubc.ca/news/arts-in...

The third event in our #SpeakerSeries features Prof. Delphine Nakache. Her talk examines how Canada’s temporary migration system manufactures precarity through failed regularization pathways and rights gaps.

📅 Feb 2, 2026
🕚 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM
📍 Hybrid

🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

How UBC Arts is reshaping teaching and learning in the age of AI - Faculty of Arts In this Q&A, Associate Deans Laurie McNeill and Andrew Owen discuss their TLEF-funded project "We're Only Human" and how it supports instructors with practical approaches to assessment and student…

As #GenAI becomes part of everyday student work, instructors are rethinking how learning is taught, demonstrated, and assessed 🤖📚

Associate Deans Laurie McNeill and Andrew Owen share how the Faculty of Arts is helping instructors navigate uncertainty without one-size-fits-all solutions. Read more ⬇️

🚨 Call for Abstracts | UBC Vancouver migration scholars are invited to submit abstracts for the 2026 CMS Migration & Integration Conference, to be held on April 27, at UBC Vancouver.

🗓️ Submission deadline: January 30, 2026, 11:59 PM PST

🔗 Submission guidelines and full details: shorturl.at/rFvvm

Five UBC Arts community members appointed to the Order of Canada - Faculty of Arts Five members of the UBC Arts community have been appointed to the Order of Canada, joining others with ties to UBC as current and former faculty, alumni, and honorary degree recipients. This year’s…

Five members of the UBC Arts community have been appointed to the Order of Canada 🎖️

With contributions spanning biomedical ethics, reconciliation, independent media, environmental advocacy, and sound research, read more about this year's recipients ⬇️ www.arts.ubc.ca/news/five-ub...

On Friday, January 30, join us for the 2026 Capstone Lecture, where our Professor in Korean History and Civilization, Dr. Don Baker will explore the remarkable lives of the Chŏng brothers, revealing valuable insight into life in late 18th- and early 19th-century Korea.
asia.ubc.ca/events/event...

In a newly funded international project, @lauraknelson.bsky.social is exploring how AI can reason within cultural and historical contexts for humanities research. 🤖📖 @ccss-ubc.bsky.social

Read our Q&A with her on the questions these tools could help answer: www.arts.ubc.ca/news/ubc-soc...

🎨 CMS invites artists to submit for the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱–𝟮𝟲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! Explore how migrants navigate physical, social, political, and identity borders, revealing journeys of exclusion, hope, pain, and resilience.

Prizes: 🥇$1,250 🥈$250

Learn more: migration.ubc.ca/news/interna...

© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.

Instructor Jack York sat down with CBC's The Early Edition to chat more about this new training. Learn more: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

UBC launches new training to help frontline workers respond to mental health and substance use crises - Faculty of Arts The UBC School of Social Work has introduced a new Mental Health and Substance Use Micro-certificate to equip frontline workers with skills to respond safely and compassionately to crises, addressing…

Across B.C., frontline workers are facing intense, life-altering situations, often without formal training to respond safely.

The UBC School of Social Work has launched a Mental Health and Substance Use Micro-certificate to help close this gap amid mental health and toxic drug crises. Read more ⬇️

The role of university education in the age of AI - Faculty of Arts UBC Political Science alumna (MA '25) Saskia Tholen discusses the role of university education in the age of AI.

#AI is raising urgent questions for educators, who are balancing its impacts on literacy and learning in an increasingly competitive academic landscape.

We spoke with UBC alumna Saskia Tholen (MA'25) about this tension, and the broader role of higher education amidst the rise of AI. 🤖🎓 Read more ⬇️

America First-driven unilateralism is reshaping the global order. The 2026 Lind Initiative asks: What happens when the world’s most powerful country stops playing by the rules it helped to write – and who steps in when it does?

Learn more: lindinitiative.ubc.ca

UBC Arts expands non-credit programs to meet evolving learner needs  - Faculty of Arts From mental health and substance use to survey research and storytelling, UBC Arts is expanding non-credit programs that respond to societal needs and creative aspirations.

From AI to the toxic-drug crisis, Arts researchers are helping make sense of the issues shaping our world. With new non-credit programs, the Faculty of Arts is making that knowledge more accessible so learners can apply it in their work and communities 💡

Read more: www.arts.ubc.ca/news/ubc-art...

Arts faculty named 2025 Distinguished University Scholars - Faculty of Arts Dr. Evan Thompson (Philosophy) and Dr. Kiran Soma (Psychology) have been named Distinguished University Scholars, one of UBC’s highest honours for faculty excellence.

🎉 Congratulations to @evanthompson.bsky.social and @kiransoma.bsky.social for being newly named Distinguished University Scholars, one of UBC’s highest honours for faculty excellence. 👏 @ubcphilosophy.bsky.social @psych.ubc.ca

Discover more about their work and contributions ⬇️

"When stories are seen, they have the power to shift conversations and even the future."

UBC Theatre & Film Associate Professor (and new Royal Society of Canada Member) @shannondwalsh.bsky.social shares the impact of her work as a filmmaker 🎥

Read more: www.arts.ubc.ca/news/two-art...

Last week, we were delighted to welcome UBC President & Vice-Chancellor Benoit-Antoine Bacon @ubcprez.bsky.social to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts for a showcase of the diverse and impactful research happening across the Faculty of Arts.

Arts in the Media: November 2025 - Faculty of Arts This November, UBC Arts faculty made headlines across major outlets including Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, Time Magazine, CBC, and The Economist. Their expertise informed stories on climate policy,…

Our Arts faculty members made headlines across several outlets this past month, breaking down climate policy, political leadership, AI & tech impacts, and more 🌎⚡️

📰 Check out the November 2025 roundup of Arts in the Media ⬇️

Nov 28, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, Liu Institute: Mojan Farshchi will examine how the right to a healthy environment, rooted in international human rights and environmental law, can help fill protection gaps for climate and environmental migrants.

🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

How do hormones affect the brain and our behaviours, and what does that mean for Canadians? 🧠

Hear from @kiransoma.bsky.social, who was recently elected as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada. @psych.ubc.ca @src-rsc.bsky.social

Read more: www.arts.ubc.ca/news/two-art...

The rapid spread of AI raises growing climate justice concerns. Join professors @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @mysdick.bsky.social, @profwhw.bsky.social, and @profhvdv.bsky.social for a hybrid panel discussion, moderated by @carolmliao.bsky.social.
Register Now: climatejustice.ubc.ca/events/event...

Dr. Candace Galla appointed UNESCO Co-Chair to advance Indigenous and non-dominant language rights - Faculty of Arts In this Q&A, Dr. Candace Galla discusses her work on Indigenous language revitalization and education—and the importance of protecting linguistic diversity worldwide.

UBC’s Dr. Candace Galla has been appointed @unesco.org Co-Chair for Rights Education among Indigenous and Non-Dominant Language Communities—advancing global efforts in language rights, education, and revitalization. 🌎 💬

Read more about what this appointment means for Dr. Galla ⬇️

📣 CMS, in partnership with AMSSA, is excited to host the 3rd CMS–Sector Research Collaborations Day, themed: 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲.

📆 Nov 12 | 8:30 AM–3:30 PM
📍 Creekside Community Recreation Centre, Vancouver, BC
Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

Arts in the Media: October 2025 - Faculty of Arts This August and September, UBC Arts faculty shared their expertise with the media on issues ranging from the global reach of Korean pop culture and the ethics of museum collections to immigration…

From insights on AI to the politics of global governance, Arts faculty members helped inform stories across several major outlets with their expertise. 🤖🌐

📰 Check out the October 2025 roundup of Arts in the Media ⬇️

@ubcdemocracy.bsky.social @ubcpsych.bsky.social @ubcjournalism.bsky.social

When robots promise love: What people really want from AI and smart tech - Faculty of Arts From robotic pets to wearable health devices, UBC psychologist Dr. Jill Dosso explores how people experience these tools and why user perspectives must guide their design.

From genAI to wearable health tech, are emerging technologies truly meeting people’s needs for better well-being? 🤖💭

@ubcpsych.bsky.social lecturer @jilldosso.bsky.social explores how people experience these tools and why user perspectives must guide their design. Read more ⬇️