Elevate your lunch hour by taking in short talks by NU faculty members, fresh from sabbatical, on their latest research. You bring your lunch; we'll bring the coffee and treats!
Read more about this year's scheduled events below.
FALL 2025
Date & Time: Friday, Nov 14, 1-2 p.m.
Location: F210
Precarious Professionalization: Reality TV Casting, Conglomerates, and the Cost of On-Camera Labour (Dr. Wendy Peters)
Reading across 56 American reality series released in 2024, Wendy discusses how 3 distinct casting models impact both production and talent, focusing largely on the financial benefits to conglomerates and the effects on pay and working conditions for talent. Together, these casting approaches provide a diverse, flexible, non-unionized, and self-replenishing talent ecosystem that minimizes risk and cost for the companies that create these series, but not for the talent who labour within them.
Comic Books and the Vietnam War, 1954-1973 (Dr. Stephen Connor)
This talk will zero in on Stephen’s most recent publication, which explores how American comics represented the Vietnam War from 1954 to 1973. Stephen will discuss how comics both reinforced and subverted dominant narratives about the war.
WINTER 2026
Date & Time: Tuesday, Apr 14, 12-1 p.m.
Location: TBD
Check back later for descriptions of the talks!