The Acting Dean of Social Science Joan Finegan, invites you to grab a coffee, sit down and join our faculty for Saturday Morning Conversations. This session will feature faculty experts discussing social science issues in the news.The one hour session will be comprised of two 20 minute talks followed by 10 minute Q & A sessions.

"The 2020 U.S. Elections"
Professor Matthew Lebo, Chair, Department of Political Science, Western University

The U.S. elections are just weeks away and will be the most tumultuous of our lifetimes. Between a pandemic, social unrest, and a Supreme Court vacancy the stakes in the election are incredibly high. Despite Joe Biden holding a consistent lead in the national polls, the election remains close in key states and the Electoral College gives the president a clear advantage. We'll discuss what to expect in this unpredictable election.

“Who Counts? COVID-19 and the push to Datizens”
Professor Howard Ramos, Chair, Department of Sociology, Western University

Immigrants make up over 20% of the Canadian population. Racial minorities account for more than 20% of the population. Both groups make up significantly greater shares of the population in the country’s largest cities. The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on how these Canadians are missed in the data ecosystem. Failure to collect sociodemographic data, information on geography, and linking data across sources across government jurisdictions all contributed to significant data gaps. We’ll discuss the importance of who counts and who is counted and the role of data in citizenship..

For a full list of virtual Homecoming 2020 activities, please visit the Events section of our website. All event times are in Eastern Time. (Are you located in a different time zone? Find out when to watch in your local time here.)