Current Projects

UTSG 01 | Claire Battershill | “Playing with Prompts: The History and Future of Creative Exercises” 

This SiR project will focus on the history of the creative “prompt” from its earliest examples in Latin rhetorical exercises, through 20th-century cross-disciplinary artistic experiments, to the (very different!) use of the ‘prompt’ in the context of AI-mediated creativity. Students will be invited to use special collections and archives to research the history of artistic prompts and games and will also be encouraged to use the time as an intensive month-long creative residency. Students from all disciplines are welcome and applicants should have an existing practice in any art form (creative writing, music, visual art, performance, etc.—links to portfolios and samples of creative work are encouraged in the application letter). Student RAs will be trained in archival and historical research including book handling, special collections processes and digital research. 

 

UTSG 02 | Laura Colantoni & Ana Perez-Leroux | “What Our Eyes and Ears Tell Us About Grammatical Categories” 

Our project explores the acquisition of grammatical gender in Spanish-English bilingual children and adults, by simultaneously testing gender comprehension (using eye-tracking) and vowel perception and production, since Spanish gender is mainly encoded by word-final unstressed vowels. The students who join the team will (i) learn to conduct speech perception, production and eye-tracking experiments and to analyze the data collected; (ii) learn to write literature reviews; (iii) be invited to participate in publications and presentations, if interested and committed. At least one or two student RAs should have experience in data visualization. Knowledge of Spanish and Linguistics is a plus. 

 

UTSG 03 | Emile Dirks & Ron Deibert | "Uncovering the Rights Impacts of Biometric and Digital ID Programs" 
 
Around the world, governments, international organizations, NGOs and companies are developing new biometric and digital identification programs. These programs can create or reinforce socio-political systems of inclusion and exclusion. To explore the rights impacts of these ID programs, student RAs and Citizen Lab researchers will identify, collect and analyze relevant open source data. This research will inform future Citizen Lab outputs, including research reports, submissions to government and UN offices and annotated bibliographies. The intended audience for these outputs include experts, journalists, public servants and members of impacted communities. Students interested in technology and human rights are encouraged to apply. 

 

UTSG 04 | Michael Donnelly & Julie Moreau | LGBTQ+ Backlash: Rhetoric, Proposals, and Policies 

This project will attempt to collect a comprehensive database and detailed summary of calls for anti-LGBTQ+ policies by elected officials in Canada in the last five years. This will require student RAs to research a wide variety of sources, including newspapers and other news sites, political campaign web sites, provincial and federal parliamentary records, and the minutes of city and town council meetings. Student RAs will categorize these events into analytically interesting groups. Knowledge of French is desirable but not necessary. 

  

UTSG 05 | Naisargi N. Dave | Murder: The Social Life of Violent Death in 21^st Century India 

This project is an ethnographic and archival study of the social life of murder in contemporary India. Centered on five murder events involving queer and trans communities, violent crimes against Dalits and women, the extrajudicial killing of journalists and laypeople who interfere with the workings of power, and the nexus of sexuality, migrancy and the family, this project asks how such murders—and how we talk about them, that is, their social lives—reveal the shifting contours of politics, personhood and society. Student RAs will analyze ethnographic material and media reports; conduct digital ethnography in India-based true crime forums; and analyze films, literature and other murder media, especially as they intersect with sexuality, caste, gender and the state. While most of the material is in English, having one RA fluent in Hindi would be a bonus. 

  

UTSG 06 | Paolo Frasca | Queer Italian-Canadian Writers: Language, Creativity, Belonging 

This project studies the intersection of queer and migrant experiences, with a focus on the written expression of LGBTQ+ Italian-Canadians. The project is connected to a number of community initiatives (anthologies, documentaries and public events). Student RAs' two main tasks are: 1) analysis of recorded interviews with queer Italian-Canadian writers; and 2) expansion of digital humanities platform (www.qic-artists.com). Opportunities may arise to conduct additional interviews. Full training is provided. Some experience in any of these preferred: LGBTQ+ or gender studies, Italian or modern languages, linguistic analysis, qualitative research or social justice research. Some knowledge of an Italian language preferred but not necessary. 

  

UTSG 07 | Edward Jones-Imhotep | The Black Androids—A Graphic Novel: History and the Technological Underground 

This project supports the creation of a graphic novel exploring Black technological history in New York City through the complex histories of the “black androids”—a series of racialized mechanical humans, created between the mid-18th century and the late 20th-century. Scholars-in-Residence will conduct research on historical context, construct and refine storylines, and help create a companion website for the project. Skills in historical research, creative writing, illustration and ArcGIS mapping are desirable but not necessary. Research assistants will develop: advanced research skills; experience in project management; abilities in multi-media storytelling; and first-hand knowledge of the graphic novel publication process. 

 

UTSG 08 | Siobhan O’Flynn | Red Teaming GenAI Chatbots 

This project examines the unregulated industry of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots with a specific focus on what a recent lawsuit has termed “high risk anthropomorphic design.” Student RAs participating in this project will use the adversarial testing method known as “red teaming” to probe LLMs (large language models) for potential harmful content. We will conduct open-ended testing with commercial online chatbots within designed parameters to identify the existence or not of guardrails, biases, and problematic content in specific scenarios. Key to this project will be documentation of the GenAI output and research activities that will build on our findings. Current regulatory frameworks in Canada, the EU and the US will provide context to vet the ethics and risks of AI products. No prior experience or research background is required. Familiarity with fan fiction will be most welcome. 

 

UTSG 09 | Joanna Papayiannis | Curses in Clay, Letters in Lead: Ritual Cursing and Ostracism in Ancient Athens 

The transgressive practice of inscribing malignant curses on lead tablets—which were bound, pierced and buried—was aimed at silencing and immobilizing intended victims. The etched curses reveal a growing familiarity with writing and public procedures, such as ostracism, a mechanism for exiling a citizen via secret ballot. This project will investigate the material and procedural intersections between illicit, ritual curses and licit, political votes. Students will work with ancient artifacts (ROM), engage in experimental archaeology, explore excavation archives and develop a physical exhibition. Those with interest and/or experience in Classics, archaeology, religion or visual studies are encouraged to apply. 

 

UTSG 10 | Kai Recollet | Rock Relations as Reparative Kinstilliths 

This project involves archival research on Nehiyew (Cree) kinstilliths (sacred rocks) to understand their cultural and historical contexts, focusing on Buffalo Child Stone and the Flying Rock. Researchers will explore various archives, including geological surveys and Indigenous Affairs records, and collaborate with the Indigenous curator at the ROM. Student RAs will learn from traditional knowledge holders and receive training in archival research, anti-colonial methods and community engagement. They will create digital tool-kits incorporating arts-based methods and community input, benefiting from mentorship in research, writing and creative knowledge mobilization. 

  

UTSG 11 | Shaun Ross | Charting Virgil’s Renaissance Reception 
 
Virgil’s Aeneid, though written in antiquity, was the single most influential poem in Medieval and Renaissance literary history. Poets such as Dante, Ariosto, Ercilla, Camões, Spenser and Milton all used Virgil’s poem as a model, to imitate and to challenge, as they wrote their own vernacular epics. Participants will study this reception history by contributing to the creation of a digital edition of the Aeneid that charts how Dante and subsequent Renaissance-era poets responded to and reinterpreted Virgil’s Latin poem. Knowledge of any of the following languages will be highly beneficial: Latin, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian. 

  

UTSG 12 | Padraic Scanlan | Histories of Agriculture, Industrialization and the Global Nitrogen Cycle in the Nineteenth Century 

Nineteenth-century imperialism, industrialization and globalization increased pressure on arable land. The global search for enormous quantities of fertilizer—from manure, potash, guano, bones, blood and industrially-produced synthetic phosphates—is an important, but overlooked part of the environmental history of the industrial era. Student RAs working on this project will learn how to use the physical and digital collections held by U of T to reconstruct the history of a dramatic—and ongoing—form of human interference in the global nitrogen cycle, and its relationship to both industrial labour and European imperialism.   

 

UTSG 13 | Sebastian Sobecki | Hidden Library: Mapping Private Books in Medieval London, 1377-1547 

Who owned books in late medieval London? What kinds of books were kept in households and personal collections? This project will scour published sources and overlooked repositories to identify the books that were owned by private individuals in London between the reigns of Richard II and Henry VIII (1377-1547). Student RAs will work with several databases, repositories and published scholarship to locate and identify both books and book owners. We will work with the History of Parliament Online, law databases (Hein Online), the UK’s National Archives, collections of wills, catalogues of literary manuscripts, statute books and registers of writs. Latin and/or French can be helpful but is not required. 

 

UTSG 14 | Nicholas Stang | Revitalizing Kantian Metaphysics  

Kant's critique of the very possibility of metaphysics, and the metaphysical position he develops to answer his own critique (transcendental idealism), are among the most influential ideas in the history of modern philosophy. Yet they are almost wholly absent from the contemporary philosophical scene. The aim of this research project is to revitalize the Kantian tradition in metaphysics. This involves both exegetical work (e.g., understanding what, exactly, Kantian transcendental idealism is), as well as more systematic work (e.g., articulating and defending transcendental idealism as a position in contemporary metaphysics.) Student RAs will pick their own topic within this wide domain and do independent philosophical research on that topic, in regular contact with the other members of the group and with the group leader (Prof. Stang). Significant previous exposure to Kant in philosophy courses is a prerequisite. 

UTM 01 | Jordana Garbati | Emoji Use in Brand Communication: A Case Study of Luxury Companies 

Have you noticed that many brands use emojis in their digital communication? This research explores emoji use in brand communication in the luxury good sector. We will analyze the alignment—or lack thereof—between the pattern of emojis used by luxury brands and those used by followers on digital platforms (e.g. X, Instagram). Student RAs will (a) review literature, (b) collect, code, and analyze large data sets, and (c) discuss findings. RAs will work individually and as a team. This project will appeal to students interested in marketing, rhetoric, writing and/or digital communication. Knowledge of Excel and Apify is an asset. 

  

UTM 02 | Praneeta Mudaliar | Toward Just Urban Transitions: An Intersectional Approach to Urban Climate Planning 

Local governments worldwide are developing diverse strategies to address climate change in response to gender-based and racially motivated violence, socio-economic inequality, care crises, and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate action plans are adopting intersectional frameworks that guide the co-design and co-production of plans. Student researchers will collect climate action plans (CAPs) for Ontario and New York, U.S. Student RAs will then be trained to deductively code the CAPs with an intersectional framework. Students with skills in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and data visualization are especially encouraged to apply. Programming skills will be an asset but not necessary. 

 

UTM 03 | Amanda Sheely | Processing Families: The Historical Treatment of Families by the Juvenile Court 

Juvenile courts were started in the early 20th century to promote the welfare of children, families and society with the goal of reducing abuse, neglect and delinquency. Drawing on Los Angeles Juvenile Court records from the 1920s and 1930s, this project examines the justification used by the courts for intervention; how intervention varied between abuse, delinquency and neglect cases; and how intervention was shaped by the characteristics of families. Student RAs will gain research training and experience in reviewing and synthesizing scholarship, collection and analysis of data, as well as the presentation of data. No prior research experience is required. 

 

UTM 04 | Lingzi Zhuang | Language Studies: Embodying Humanities for a Multicultured Generation? 

Google Translate, GenAI, English everywhere, the humanities (supposedly) in decline—why do we, why do YOU, dear U of T student, study language after all? This project seeks to understand the complex and fast-evolving motivations and experiences for today’s university students to take up study of language, and, more reflectively, how the humanities might find renewed resonance among today’s multicultural, and multicultured, generation. The research team will develop & conduct interview protocols to document testimonial evidence from students and faculty across U of T’s language and linguistics disciplines, while collectively reading and synthesizing findings with existing scholarship on the humanities in the modern university. An interdisciplinary team is desired: students with interests in linguistics, language teaching and learning and multilingual/international education, as well as students interested in the socio-politics/philosophy of education, are especially encouraged to apply. Knowledge of Chinese will be useful for conducting some interviews but is not required. 

 

UTM 05 | Naomi Adiv | Paying for Parks: Public Space in the Urban Landscape

Privatization of public space across North America is harmful for everyday democracy, civil society and well-being. The cause seems to be widening inequality, as some places get a lot of private money while the remainder share shrinking amounts of public money; however, there is little long-term data to support this. In this project, we will compare municipal budget data across North American cities since 1980 to find trends in funding. RAs will get in on the ground floor of research design, and pilot quantitative data collection; we will also analyze how governments and private organizations communicate with everyday citizens about these complex issues. Students interested in research design and urban politics should apply. RAs will receive training on working with budgets in Excel.

UTSC 01 | Blair Armstrong | Towards Optimal Phonics Instruction: An Empirical Approach to Literacy Improvement 

A key avenue for improving reading proficiency is to optimize current methods for learning to read. We will target a subset of the following directions, to be flexibly determined based on the interests and backgrounds of the student RAs we recruit. Student RAs may: 1) systematically study phonics programs used in Ontario; 2) conduct advanced quantitative/computational analyses to identify ways in which existing phonics programs could be optimized; 3) extend our work to the French language; and 4) produce proof of concept instructional materials for our optimized phonics materials. Students will work in teams of 2-3. Individual students will take the lead on specific aspects of the project. 

  

UTSC 02 | Anup Grewal | Mapping the Leftist-Feminist YWCA in China, 1927 to the 1950s 

The Shanghai Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Industrial Department was an important institution of leftwing feminist and labour organizing from the late 1920s into the early years of the socialist People’s Republic of China. Student RAs will curate archival material from World YWCA, the journal Green Year and related print media. Researchers will develop an analysis of the activities of the Industrial Department, the changing discourses around women’s and labour rights, and interactions with the broader leftist, nationalist and anti-imperialist movements of this period. Fluency in Chinese will be a strong asset. 

  

UTSC 03 | Morris Lum & Erica Allen-Kim | Stories from Chinatown to the Ethnoburb 

Through the documentation, collection and visualization of stories, a sense of place for diverse Chinese communities is revealed in the suburban regions of the Greater Toronto Area: Scarborough, Markham and Richmond Hill. Student RAs will learn how to conduct field interviews and develop research skills in documenting and analyzing cultural landscapes. Students will learn the technical aspects of interviewing and researching, including how to use audio/video material and developing best practices for drawing and rendering community spaces. Student RAs will also learn to use archival maps, photographs, historical media and site-based drawing to document changes and place making in suburban spaces. Translation skills (written/spoken) in Cantonese and/or Mandarin are preferred but not required. 

 

UTSC 04 | Alison Mountz | Designing a Toolkit to Inform Asylum Seekers and Advocates about the Canada-US Border 

This project brings together Haven: The Asylum Lab (UTSC) and research on recent policy changes and associated crossings by people in search of political asylum along the Canada-US border. The team will build on a data drop created by SIR in 2024. Student RAs will join a global network of researchers associated with Haven and working across the border to bring empirical data, an accessible toolkit, policy updates, and infographics to conversations about human migration, with an emphasis on LGBTQIA2S+ people seeking asylum in Canada. RAs will engage NGOs and clinics across North America to join the network and receive the public-facing toolkit.  

 

UTSC 05 | Aparna Nair | Poxes and Passports: Building an Exhibit on Vaccination Histories

Today, vaccination is debatably one of the most transformative public health policies in human history, having benefited billions across the centuries and space, resulting in the eradication, or reduction of previously lethal, disabling and debilitating diseases ranging from smallpox to influenza to rubella to HPV. Yet, even as vaccination offered protections against more disease, it remains deeply contested, and has historically provoked hesitation, resistance and mis/disinformation. History has the power and capacity to help us understand the moment we are in, appreciate the immense transformative powers of vaccination and still be critical about vaccines and vaccination.

This project focuses precisely on these histories of vaccination—and takes the form of researching and creating a public exhibit on vaccine histories. Acknowledging the importance of such histories for this moment, this project both draws on methods and approaches from the public humanities and historical research in physical and digital archives of the University of Toronto. This exhibit is based partly on my personal collection of over 300 vaccination-related ephemera, documents and objects from the early nineteenth century onwards. Students must have some foundation in previous coursework in how vaccinations work, and work well. Training in the humanities is preferred but not a prerequisite. This is not a STEM-based project, however, so students should bring with them a commitment to the humanities, and an interest in learning/using historical methods and public history (exhibits) in particular. Students interested in working with material culture (vaccination ephemera, certificates, tags, vaccination kits, etc.) will find this project especially interesting.