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Estimated Read Time:
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EDIA

Learning in community

UM’s Public Classroom Initiative provides short, accessible learning opportunities.

The Office of Equity Transformation’s Public Classroom Initiative helps the UM community move beyond polarization by fostering informed dialogue and deeper understanding of contemporary issues. Drawing on the expertise of UM faculty, researchers, and staff, the initiative offers accessible opportunities to engage with timely and complex topics in a constructive and respectful environment.

Open to all members of the university community, the series features short, accessible lunchtime sessions held in the Fireside Lounge (first floor, UMSU University Centre). Each session includes a 20-minute presentation by a UM expert, followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer period.

“When we learn together, explore new areas of knowledge, welcome complexity, and expand our understanding of issues shaping our current moment, we create the conditions for informed and engaged conversation,” says Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity). “By placing learning in public spaces and in short presentations, the Public Classroom Initiative removes barriers to accessing teaching and research expertise at UM. We hope to see staff, students, and faculty from a range of units, lived identities, and positions attending and joining broader dialogues at UM.”
 

group of people sitting, listening to a speaker

Explore the 2026 Fall Term schedule

Topics are organized around three themes: Black Studies at UM, Anti-Racism, and Learning for Democratic Futures

Making bail accessible: How understanding bail in Canadian Criminal Law is key to informed public discourse

  • Presenter: Brandon Trask, Faculty of Law
  • Date: Monday, September 21 at 12 p.m.

Race is not a scientific category: The economic and social inheritance of Black Americans

  • Presenter: Robert Chernomas, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts
  • Date: Thursday, October 1 at 12:30 p.m.

Early modern portraits of an African prince

  • Presenter: Braden Scott, School of Art
  • Date: Tuesday, October 20 at 12:30 p.m.

Jews and Romanies in each other's stories

  • Presenter: Justin Jaron Lewis, Department of Religion and Culture, Faculty of Arts
  • Date: Monday, November 2 at 12:30 p.m.

Race-based data collection

  • Presenter: Tandeep Sidhu, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Faculty of Arts
  • Date: Monday, November 30 at 12:30 p.m.

Public Classroom Initiative

Boilerplate: Community

Creating space for everyone to thrive is more than a goal—it’s who we are. Fostering a vibrant community is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.