At Yorkville University, we’re proud of the accomplishments of all our faculty and students, both inside and outside of the classroom – be it publishing books or papers, winning prestigious awards, or presenting their research at conferences around the world.
Here are some of the good news stories about Yorkville University’s talented community that we’d like to showcase this month:
Dr. Çağdaş Dedeoğlu Presents at Prestigious SRI Congress
General Education professor Dr. Çağdaş Dedeoğlu recently presented at the 2022 Sustainability Research + Innovation Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Dedeoğlu was one of the participants in a session on ‘Climate Change, Migration and the Need to Enable Sustainable Development’, during which he presented the findings of his current project on Posthumanism for Sustainability (PH4S) with respect to climate and mobility justice in the context of the theme of the session.
The PH4S project, supported by Yorkville University’s Support for Scholarly Activities Fund (SSAF), aimed to map post-humanist approaches to sustainability and curate a digital repository to support future research efforts in relevant fields. PH4S was undertaken by a team of three researchers, led by Dr. Dedeoğlu, who came from different ontological and epistemological backgrounds and scholarly traditions. Anna Gurina, a graduate of Yorkville’s Bachelor of Interior Design program, also contributed to the project as part of her volunteer hours required by the BID degree.
“It was a great experience for me to present the findings of the PH4S project at SRI2022, which brings transdisciplinary approaches together, alongside esteemed colleagues and scholars,” Dedeoğlu said of his presentation at the 2022 Sustainability Research + Innovation Congress.
“More importantly, I had the opportunity to discuss the project findings in the context of climate change and migration and make a case for a post-humanist account of climate and mobility justice.”
For more information about Dr. Dedeoğlu’s work, go to https://www.cagdasdedeoglu.com/ or www.posthumanlab.org
Dr. Adnan ul Haque Publishes New Book
Dr. Adnan ul Haque, a professor in Yorkville’s Bachelor of Business Administration program, recently published his new book, Handbook of Research on the Complexities and Strategies of Occupational Stress.
The 611-page text provides an in-depth understanding of the magnitude and the reasons behind varying impacts of stressors. Covering topics such as health capital, turnover intentions, and work-family conflict, Dr. Ul-Haque’s handbook is an excellent resource for business leaders and managers, human resource managers, libraries, students and educators of higher education, government organizations, occupational therapists, researchers, and academicians.
“The impact, intensity, and the degree of stress vary from person to person, business to business, and industry to industry,” ul Haque writes in the book.
“The physical and mental well-being of personnel across different organizational settings is vital for smooth, effective, and efficient progress in the business world.”
Handbook of Research on the Complexities and Strategies of Occupational Stress is now available in the Yorkville library here.
BCA Students’ Newest Short, Silence, Selected to Screen at International Film Fest of South Asia (IFFSA)
Bachelor of Creative Arts students Reeth Mazumder-Roberts and Felipe Domingo Guzman had their newest short film, Silence selected to screen at the BMO IFFSA (International Film Fest of South Asia) Toronto.
“Getting nominated at one of the largest South Asian festivals in North America does feel very good,” said Mazumder-Roberts, who directed the film.
Silence follows the story of Anna and Sam, who are shattered to discover that their son Aaron suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome – until a doctor explains to them that Aaron is different, not abnormal.
“There was a time when parents were devastated when they realised that their child was born autistic. Research has shown that a proper diagnostic assessment of autism is the first step towards effective help,” Mazumder-Roberts said.
“Cognitive behavioural therapy can help children learn new and important skills. Autistic children are also gifted with special skills. Silence is about one such child.”
Silence will premiere at IFFSA Toronto on Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Cineplex Cinemas Courtney Park, 110 Courtneypark Dr. E. in Mississauga.
Click HERE for tickets.
Dr. Harry Nejad Contributes Chapters to Two New Books
Dr. Harry Nejad, a professor in Yorkville’s Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program, co-wrote a chapter of the Handbook of Research on the Complexities and Strategies of Occupational Stress with Dr. Fara Nejad.
The third chapter, entitled Individualism-Collectivism as Cultural Chasm: Workplace Stress and Cultural Syndrome, provides a deeper understanding of the cross-cultural differences between Chinese and Western values and workplace practices caused by dissimilarities concerning cultural nonpareils known as individualist versus collectivist views. Appropriately, this chapter utilizes concepts from various disciplines to investigate the role of these cultural polars and workplace stressors that might be rooted in holding such a worldview in the work environment. Selected themes, such as self-expression, personal success versus group success, and models of workplace stress, are presented to substantiate such a claim concerning the cultural chasm.
Nejad also recently co-wrote Chapter 15 of the book Spirituality and Management: From Models to Applications. Entitled Spirituality and Quality-of-Life: a Conceptual Approach to Adaptability and Workplace Subjective Wellbeing, the chapter considers the effects of spirituality as well as meaning and purpose on the quality-of-life and more specifically in the workplace subjective well-being, under the umbrella of the adaptability construct.
Dr. Jack Olszewski Writes Chapter in New Handbook
Dr. Jack Olszewski, full-time faculty and course lead with Yorkville’s Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, also wrote a chapter of the Handbook of Research on the Complexities and Strategies of Occupational Stress.
Chapter 4: Stress in Relation to Work Ethic tackles the issue of occupational stress as one of the most important issues in modern science, focusing on the sources of occupational stress and their impact on work efficiency and the quality of organizational decisions. Olszewski explores the relationship between stress, work ethic, and the stress coping strategies employed by working people.
“Work ethic covers a wide range of beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. These attitudes and beliefs lead to an emotional and evaluative component that is strongly marked by ethical work,” he said.
“A person with a high degree of work ethic values work and judges it as an important and beneficial part of their life. They are proud of their efforts, which in turn allows them to deal with stress more effectively. Accordingly, an individual’s work is considered a central value in their life, constituting a welcome and positive contribution to themselves and their community.”
Olszewski is currently also working on the book, Ethics for Mental Health Service Providers, in which he intends to integrate theoretical knowledge and practical skills in addressing complex dilemmas in the counselling profession.
