The Society of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities hosts second annual Kaleidoscope Undergraduate Research Conference
The Society of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (external link) (SASSH) hosted the second annual Kaleidoscope Undergraduate Arts Research Conference (external link) on November 22, 2024. The SASSH is a student-led society that seeks to create resources, events and co-curricular experiences for all Arts students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Kaleidoscope supports undergraduate students from across disciplines for an informative day of research-based presentations.
Student presenter, Lily Woods (top). Panel discussion with Johannah Lewis (bottom left), Suriya Prakash (bottom middle) and Julia Perus (bottom right).
Photo by Shermaan Jesuthasan (top) and Andrii Shumilin (bottom).
Kaleidoscope builds on the legacy of its predecessor, Arteries. Originally part of the Arts and Contemporary Studies portfolio, Arteries ran from 2008 to 2019 before taking a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2023, the SASSH took over the conference and launched Kaleidoscope with its inaugural event in November 2023. Under the SASSH, this conference is a completely student-organized event, showcasing the outstanding research conducted by undergraduate students.
The SASSH and the Faculty of Arts are deeply grateful to the Saleh family for establishing the Jehangir Saleh Fund and supporting this year's Kaleidoscope Undergraduate Arts Research Conference. Jehangir Saleh (1985–2013) was an outstanding student in the Arts and Contemporary Studies program, presenting at the first Arteries Research Conference in 2008 on disorder in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In 2014, his family established the Fund to support projects honouring his legacy by fostering conversation, community, and social change. Jehangir’s mother, father, and sister attended the conference.
In her opening remarks, co-chair Jordan Le Roux shared, “At Kaleidoscope, we look to honour Jehangir’s legacy in full, not only by striving towards academic excellence as he always did, but by fostering a genuine sense of community at TMU and encouraging students to strive towards their ambitions and dreams regardless of the obstacles they may face.”
From left to right: SASSH President Biancka Pragash; Kaleidoscope co-host Hala Sukhon; parents of Jehangir Saleh; Associate Dean of Arts for Undergraduate Studies, Anne-Marie Lee-Loy; Interim Dean of Arts, Amy Peng.
Photo by Andrii Shumilin.
This year, co-hosts Jordan and Hala Sukhon, along with the organizing team, brought together two keynote speakers, eight panels, 24 student presenters, and over 130 registered participants for the event.
“The event was an overall huge success. We had important discussions about topics within the arts, social sciences and humanities, as well as uncovering bridges between our fields and other topics such as LGBTQ+ and women’s studies, biology and natural sciences, AI and technology, media analysis, disability studies and more.”
The first keynote speaker was Dr. Dianne Saxe, Toronto City Counsellor for Ward 11. Saxe spoke about resilience, sharing personal and professional challenges and the drive to overcome them. As an introvert, Saxe admitted that politics was daunting but stressed, “If people like me, and especially women, are not willing to get involved in the dirty world of politics, then the only people who will are the ones who are trying to achieve something different. I can cope with a certain amount of people cursing at me and being rude and uninformed…because sometimes I do get to make a difference. And sometimes people say thank you.”
The student presentations, followed by panels, focused on eight primary topics: cultural analyses through popular media, exploring the interplay of obsession, progress, and existence; the politics of environmental change and sustainable futures; the examination of policy and law concerning crime and business; colonialism through both historical and contemporary global narratives; LGBTQ+ studies; women’s narratives in espionage, linguistic bias, self-verification; psychological research; and the politics of disability and mental health.
During the first panel, Johannah Lewis, a third-year psychology student, explored the public’s fascination with serial killers. Reflecting on her experience, she shared, “Kaleidoscope was an amazing opportunity to share my research and take a step forward in what it looks like to present at a conference. Throughout the process of preparing, I felt supported by my peers and gained new skills that can correlate to other areas of my life. I am grateful for the opportunity as it allowed me to share what I'm most passionate about.” She used examples from popular culture and media, such as podcasts and docu-series that often glorify serial killers for the public’s consumption.
“I had a great time presenting at the Kaleidoscope conference, my fellow panellists were incredibly supportive and bright in their own right. I was pleasantly surprised at people's interest in my topic. The experience makes me even more excited to explore the topic further,” said Fion Li, a presenter from the fourth panel. Fion presented “The Cold War and Racial Equality in the United States” and reflected on the conference itself, “While I'm decently comfortable with presenting, I found that the conference team took the time and effort to prepare everyone for what is expected at a conference, how to format papers into effective presentations, and most importantly how to feel confident speaking to your peers. I would absolutely recommend applying in the future, it's a great opportunity to get experience early in your academic career and an extremely supportive environment.”
Kaleidoscope co-hosts, Hala Sukhon and Jordan Le Roux (top). Student presenters Fion Li (bottom left) and Reda Swidinsky (bottom right).
Photos by Andrii Shumilin (top) and Shermaan Jesuthasan (bottom).
The day wrapped up with a second keynote by Yasmine Simone Gray, a research coordinator at Unity Health Toronto and TMU alumna, who shared her journey into disability studies. Gray now works with school boards to amplify the voices of students with disabilities. She urged the students to persist in overcoming the challenges others place before them which will result in becoming stronger and more resilient.
The success of the conference stemmed from undergraduate students coming together to plan, host, participate in, present, and share interdisciplinary research. Their collaboration and support led to a deeper understanding of diverse issues, creating an environment that nurtured intellectual growth and exploration.
