Samantha Brennan
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samanthabrennan.bsky.social
Samantha Brennan
@samanthabrennan.bsky.social

Philosopher, feminist, ethicist, cyclist.
Dean of Arts, University of Guelph.
My Erdős number is 3.
My pronouns are she/her.🌈

http://linktr.ee/sjbrennan

Samantha Jane Brennan is a British-born philosopher and scholar of women's studies who is currently dean of the College of Arts and faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. She was previously a professor in the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research at Western University, Canada. Brennan was Department Chair of Philosophy at Western from 2002 to 2007, and 2008–2011. She is a past president of the Canadian Philosophical Association (2017–18). .. more

Political science 53%
Sociology 13%
Pinned
For new followers: My main bluesky themes are the College of Arts at Guelph where I'm Dean, philosophy (my home academic discipline), feminism and fitness (connected to my book and blog), and all things bike-related.

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

The great unchurching of America comes as identity and reality are increasingly shaped by non-institutional spiritual sources — YouTube mystics, TikTok tarot, digital skeptics, folk saints and AI-generated prayer bots.
The great unchurching of America
A seismic shift in religion is upon U.S.
www.axios.com

Love the GO train service between Guelph and Toronto. Heading into the big city on Boxing Day on a train. Perfect. Let's do more of this, Guelph!
I don't want to linger on this but it is important... while the sex trafficking and abuse allegations against Epstein are by far the most serious elements of the (metaphorical) indictment, it's also necessary to remember that he was a thief and a fraud. canadiandimension.com/articles/vie...
Chomsky, Epstein, and the responsibility of intellectuals
Burning down houses and raping their female inhabitants is the kind of imperialist standard operating procedure that Chomsky spent his life condemning in East Timor, in Iraq, in El Salvador. But when ...
canadiandimension.com

President Donald Trump gifted the world with nearly 200 Truth Social posts (and counting) on Christmas Day, where he amplified conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and called for a member of Congress to be deported.
Trump Posts Nearly 200 Times in Unhinged Christmas Day Spree
The president amplified conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and called for a member of Congress to be deported.
trib.al

How young adult literature and philosophy can help provide better role models for masculinity share.google/lh0hl3wHS2Hj...
How young adult literature and philosophy can help provide better role models for masculinity
A should book features three concepts for rethinking masculinity: relationality, vulnerability, and inclination.
share.google

His stories behind the stories,’ Robert Munsch’s life’s work finds a permanent home in Guelph library
From handwritten drafts to fan mail, the archive offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind some of Canada’s most-loved children’s books

nowtoronto.com/culture/robe...
‘His stories behind the stories,’ Robert Munsch’s life’s work finds a permanent home in Guelph library - NOW Toronto
Canadian author Robert Munsch has gifted his personal archives to his hometown of Guelph's brand new library.
nowtoronto.com

Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.

Canadian universities offer free courses and you can take these classes online

You don't need to be a student at these school to enroll in courses!

www.narcity.com/free-online-...
Canadian universities offer free courses and you can take these classes online
You don't need to be a student at these school to enroll in courses!
www.narcity.com

Europe pushes back at Trump's 'authoritarian' sanctions on anti-disinformation figures
The State Department's travel bans on five prominent officials and activists have been met with howls of derision across the continent.

www.nbcnews.com/world/europe...
Europe pushes back at Trump's 'authoritarian' sanctions on anti-disinformation figures
The State Department's travel bans on five prominent officials and activists have been met with howls of derision across the continent.
www.nbcnews.com

More dialogue, less debate: At an ‘Ethics Bowl,’ students learn to handle tough conversations

theconversation.com/more-dialogu...
More dialogue, less debate: At an ‘Ethics Bowl,’ students learn to handle tough conversations
Ethics Bowl Canada hosts competitions where students, including science graduate students, explore complex ethical issues, like vaccines, through respectful dialogue in teams.
theconversation.com

Experimental evidence that students are more likely to contest grades when they are delivered by an evaluator with a female-sounding name.

"These findings suggest that women in evaluative positions face disproportionate resistance when delivering negative assessments."
Texas A&M University will not reinstate a lecturer who was fired after a video of her teaching about gender identity in a children’s literature class went viral, despite a faculty appeals panel unanimously concluding that her dismissal was not justified.
Texas A&M won’t reinstate fired lecturer despite findings
A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”
www.texastribune.org
Trump: I am fine. You sound beautiful and cute. How old are you?

Caller: I am eight
The Justice Department said it found over a million more pages of Jeffrey Epstein documents, extending the time it will take for a full release. A law passed by Congress gave the department a deadline of last Friday to release the files. nyti.ms/49rG0QL
A Million More Epstein Documents Have Been Found, Justice Dept. Says
Democratic lawmakers, who had criticized the Justice Department’s release of the material, accused the Trump administration of violating the law mandating the release of the files.
nyti.ms

White House rebuffs Catholic bishops' appeal for a Christmas pause in immigration enforcement
The appeal was issued by the Miami archbishop and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.

search.app/EBrYM
White House rebuffs Catholic bishops' appeal for a Christmas pause in immigration enforcement
The appeal was issued by the Miami archbishop and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.
search.app

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

“Black Doves”/“Love Actually”/“The Holiday”

open.substack.com/pub/susanbor...
“Black Doves”/“Love Actually”/“The Holiday”
Last year’s thoughts on cinematic Xmas love offered again.
open.substack.com

#UofG | Dr. Elaine Chang discusses fan expectations for the #StrangerThings finale with
@GlobeAndMail
.

“You want them to feel satisfied, but it’s a balancing act between what they might expect and what they would never have expected.”

www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/9a87e78...
Will the Stranger Things finale deliver – or be the ultimate let down?
The speculative fiction genre is filled with series endings that have left fans unsatisfied
www.theglobeandmail.com

LETTER: Guelph active transportation group thanks city leaders for winter maintenance funding
'Thank you to all the councillors who listened to the community’s feedback and ultimately supported re-introducing the funding,' writes a reader

www.guelphtoday.com/letters-to-t...
LETTER: Guelph active transportation group thanks city leaders for winter maintenance funding
'Thank you to all the councillors who listened to the community’s feedback and ultimately supported re-introducing the funding,' writes a reader
www.guelphtoday.com
The Atlantic suggesting, without evidence, that Canada's Global TV broadcasting the '60 Minutes' segment on CECOT that CBS distributed to it may have been an act of "treachery."

🔗: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

I've booked a weekend away x-country skiing, snowshoeing, and skating. I'm also in Ottawa for a Dean's fundraising conference and a Higher Education Strategy Associates conference, Re: University. January is looking busy!

But first, some rest.

reuniversity.higheredstrategy.com/event/reuniv...
PheedLoop
PheedLoop: Hybrid, In-Person & Virtual Event Software
reuniversity.higheredstrategy.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

It is a genuine goddamn mystery how the Ontario government can be this stupid. It would be the easiest thing in the world to reallocate PALs from institutions that can't use them effectively to those that can. But Ontario doesn't do it. Becasue cranial capacity or something. What a waste.
Revealed: How international student spots are being distributed — unevenly — across Ontario
Newly obtained data on provincial attestation letters, needed by international students, offers a window into enrolment at postsecondary institutions.
www.thestar.com