Winter 2023 Program Moderated by John Simke
Note: all courses are on Fridays and online due to continued Covid and flu risk. Enrolment is now open.
Long Covid – Not Just the Medical Kind
January 27 to February 17 (4 weeks), 2-4 PM
We are starting to get an appreciation of what Covid will mean to the world, not now or in the next year, but forever or at least a generation. In this course we’ll look at:
People – Enough Already?
March 3 and 10 (2 weeks), 2-4 PM
Worrying about over-population has been going on for centuries. Finite resources have been trotted out as the reason that we can’t have an unlimited number of people. Yet, it’s proven to be a misplaced concern - so far. Now climate change has added a new dimension to the issue. In this course we’ll explore the population issue from various perspectives.
The State vs. Big Tech - A Crucial Contest
March 17 to 31 (3 weeks), 2-4 PM
Some people think “Big Tech” is a threat to democracy. They may well be right. Big Tech operates across borders with little concern for national interests, and their platforms are used to shape opinion often towards anti-democratic outcomes. They are also a haven for haters. On top of that, they pay little tax anywhere.
Long Covid – Not Just the Medical Kind
January 27 to February 17 (4 weeks), 2-4 PM
We are starting to get an appreciation of what Covid will mean to the world, not now or in the next year, but forever or at least a generation. In this course we’ll look at:
- what Covid has done
- what it is likely to do over the medium to long term
- the medical, economic, social, political and geopolitical consequences
People – Enough Already?
March 3 and 10 (2 weeks), 2-4 PM
Worrying about over-population has been going on for centuries. Finite resources have been trotted out as the reason that we can’t have an unlimited number of people. Yet, it’s proven to be a misplaced concern - so far. Now climate change has added a new dimension to the issue. In this course we’ll explore the population issue from various perspectives.
- What size of population is sustainable?
- If we do have to worry about population what, if anything can we do about it?
The State vs. Big Tech - A Crucial Contest
March 17 to 31 (3 weeks), 2-4 PM
Some people think “Big Tech” is a threat to democracy. They may well be right. Big Tech operates across borders with little concern for national interests, and their platforms are used to shape opinion often towards anti-democratic outcomes. They are also a haven for haters. On top of that, they pay little tax anywhere.
- In this course we’ll explore what effect Big Tech is having on society.
- Is it as serious as some claim or is it overblown?
- We’ll look at actions governments are taking to rein them in and what they could be doing.