FEBRUARY - MARCH 2021

1. The Empowered Senior Patient: Healthcare Literacy for Seniors - Stewart Cameron
Day: Monday
Dates: Feb 1 - Mar 15
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 am

Course Description
At one time or another, most of us have felt frustrated after an encounter with the healthcare system. We may not have fully understood the information presented to us, or we forgot it by the time we got back home. Patients have often expressed the feeling that their concerns and wishes were not heard by the physician. This series of seminars will show participants how to make better use of the healthcare system. It will emphasize how to be a more informed healthcare consumer through understanding how doctors think, how to communicate with health care providers, and how to better assess health information. Questions are welcomed and debate is encouraged. Statistics and scientific concepts will be simplified and minimized but will necessarily form part of the course.
 
Instructor Biography
​Before retirement in 2017, Dr. Cameron practiced family medicine for 37 years in British Columbia, New Zealand and at the Dalhousie Department of Family Medicine. He earned a Masters Degree in Medical Education in 2008 and became an IMEX Scholar in 2015. He has published and presented locally, nationally and internationally on Health Information Technology, Medical Cannabinoids and Faculty Development. He has also published dozens of articles on medical language, medical history and humour. In 2017 he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Family Medicine Research by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Lea Steeves Award from Dalhousie Medical School for Excellence in Medical Education.
2. Six Questions/Controversies - Norman Pereira
Day: Tuesday
Dates: Feb 2 - Mar 9
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 am
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Course Description
  1. Is the US political system in crisis and if so, what is its impact on Canada?
  2. What is the relationship between Hate Speech, Censorship, and the Media?
  3. Is Islam a religion of peace? How does it compare with Judaism and Christianity?
  4. Are Canadian Universities failing to provide students with a liberal education?
  5. To what extent is the demonization of Putin and Russia justified?
  6. Is the Chinese system of government superior to Western democracy?

​Instructor Biography
Norman Pereira is Emeritus Professor of History and Russian Studies at Dalhousie University, where he taught for 36 years. He is the author of three monographs and dozens of articles, as well as numerous reviews and opinion pieces. His research publications have included 19th and 20th century Russian and Soviet History, historiography, and comparative politics. Since retirement from full time university teaching he has been studying the comparative histories of the Abrahamic religions, with particular emphasis on Islam.
3. Forecasting Weather and Climate - Jim Abraham
Day: Wednesday
Dates: Feb 3 - Mar 10
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Course Description
Provide participants with an understanding of the following weather and climate topics:
  • structure and atmospheric processes
  • cloud and precipitation types
  • citizen science (backyard weather stations and precipitation measurement)
  • satellite and radar interpretation
  • stormy weather including hurricanes
  • climate and climate change/crisis

Instructor Biography
Jim Abraham has spent about 40 years studying weather, water and climate.  In his present role as Vice President of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.  He is a prt-time CBC meteorologist, and President of ClimAction Services Inc., Jim is well known nationally and internationally. He is frequently invited as an expert by a variety of organizations; including the insurance industry, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the media.

As a senior executive within Environment Canada, Jim has managed a wide variety operational and research weather and environmental programs. He managed the weather, water, and climate observing program for Canada. Prior to that, Jim managed the weather research program. In the 1990’s, Jim started the Canadian Hurricane forecast and research program, which included being lead investigator for several reconnaissance flights into tropical cyclones threatening Canada
4. Understanding Human Evolution - Barnett Richling
Day: Thursday
Dates: Feb 4 - Mar 11
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
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Course Description           
Ever since the first remains of “Neanderthal Man” came to light nearly 200 years ago, the steady accumulation of fossils, artefacts, and other types of evidence from Africa, Asia, and Europe has yielded a great wealth of knowledge of the human family tree, and with it, a good many surprises and unanswered questions. In six lectures this course offers a primer on the evolution of our species, Homo sapiens, over a span of many millions of years. Starting with basic concepts of biological evolution and our place among the primates, lectures move on to examine some key discoveries, past and present, and what these discoveries reveal about our common ancestry, and about what it is to be human. 
 
Instructor Biography
​Barnett Richling is an anthropologist with longstanding interests in the history of Indigenous peoples of Canada’s arctic and subarctic regions, and in the ever-changing story of human evolution.  Now retired, he is a senior scholar in the Department of Anthropology, University of Winnipeg, and Adjunct Professor at Mount St. Vincent University.
5. SpySchool 301: Psychology of Intelligence Analysis - Ian MacVicar
Day: Friday
Dates: Feb 5 - Mar 12
​Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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Course Description
“The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis,” examines the psychological aspects of intelligence analysis, agent recruitment, deception, fake news/propaganda, military and political failures, and security planning.  Biases, distorted thinking patterns, and mitigation strategies, such as Structured Analytic Techniques are explained in historical context. Practical thinking exercises are used to illustrate the course content.

Instructor Biography
​LCol (Retd) Dr. Ian MacVicar is the Director/Principal Analyst of Ian MacVicar Universal Security Intelligence Cognitive Solutions (I-MUSICS) Consulting, Inc., which hosts 17 networked consultants from military, police, business, legal, and healthcare backgrounds. He is currently under contract to Calian Group, Ltd. as the principal writer of the Canadian Army’s principal tactical manual, the Combat Team Commander’s Handbook. Dr. MacVicar has presented his research on cognitive traps (i.e. distortions in thinking) in security planning at conferences in the United Kingdom and Canada.  His SCANS SpySchool 101 and 201 lectures specialize in the history of intelligence, espionage, and associated legal oversight regimes. He has published articles on leadership, human security, and the Responsibility to Protect doctrine.  His most recent article, “What About the Camp Followers” is published in the Spring 2020 edition of JD-Journal for Deradicalization. Ian has also presented on how to develop psychological resilience in leaders to government and business audiences. LCol MacVicar served for over 40 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, frequently serving in intelligence-related posts.  He is a 2017 graduate of the Veteran Trainers to Eradicate Child Soldiers (VTECS) program, and his current research includes developing intelligence protocols for addressing the phenomenon of child soldiers.  He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society; and continues to serve as a Director in the Army Cadet League of Nova Scotia, and the Canadian Military Intelligence Association Halifax Chapter, where he acts as Director Academic Outreach. He is Director Atlantic Region of the International Association For Intelligence Education (IAFIE) – Canada. Dr. MacVicar is a Royal United Services Institute Nova Scotia Research Fellow, specializing in intelligence and security policy issues, and in veteran’s issues.  In his spare time Ian is a Certified Yoga Teacher, specializing in Trauma Informed Yoga Teaching and Therapy.

Highlights Video