Event registration is now closed, but you can email cih@ucalgary.ca to request last-minute access and we'll do our best to accommodate you. 

You can also register for our May 13 Salon here: https://www.showpass.com/digitalsalon2/

Please join us for the digital iteration of our salon series, Layla Lavan. 

Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, in Collaboration with The Calgary Institute for the Humanities at the University of Calgary, has curated a weekly forty-five minute long conversation with philosophers, scholars and scientists addressing applied ethics questions arising from the pandemic.

The Salon will broadcast live every Wednesday at 7:00 PM (MT), starting May 6th. The event is free. You will be able to log on 15 minutes earlier at 6:45 PM. We will send you detailed instructions about how to access the live-stream on Zoom after you've RSVP'd. Each salon will require its own registration. 

A few tips for a smooth experience:

Download zoom before the meeting. https://zoom.us/download.

Leave your comments in the Chat section during the salon. We will be reading through your questions and the host will ask as many as possible during the event.  

You can also send questions to our guest speaker prior to the event to michal@sidealkcitizenbakery.com.

Layla Lavan - Ethics and Morality Salon - In Times of Pandemic

As the pandemic has been sweeping across the world and changes life in ways that mirror dystopian novels, people are obliged to adapt to a new way of living that is unraveling how we understand and engage in human interaction. Recommendations turn into rules. We are left disoriented and confused.

It has become urgent to acknowledge and discuss the moral implications that are arising. Covid-19 unleashed a Pandora’s box of ethical dilemmas that force us to make tough and consequential decisions.What is the value of protecting older people's lives versus the enormous toll on the economy? What are the moral ramifications of people dying alone without the contact of family or friends? What are the ethical obligations of medical staff to provide care while safeguarding themselves so that they can carry on with work and also reduce risk to their families? Who makes the decisions about prioritizing lives? How do we make decisions for an unknowable future? How can we protect our humanity from eroding in times of fear and uncertainty?

Even more than inspiration and comfort, we need a moral guideline, a compass to help us navigate these extraordinary times. In a series of talks, award-winning journalist Christina Frangou will talk with bioethicists, neuro ethicists and moral philosophers in an attempt to find moral guidelines to navigate these extraordinary times.

Salon # 1 - Sacred versus Secular Decisions
with Dr. Azim Shariff 

Azim Shariff is an Associate Professor and Canada 150 Research Chair of Moral Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Falling under the broad umbrella of morality, his research covers topics from religion to free will to emerging technologies and social trends. This work has appeared in academic journals such as Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He has written about this work for The New York Times and Scientific American, and has spoken at the Aspen Ideas Festival and World Science Festival. He teaches a free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on The Science of Religion for the public through edX.

Christina Frangou - Moderator 

Christina Frangou is a writer and journalist in Calgary, Alberta, who specializes in writing about health, medicine and social issues. Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, Maclean’s, Alberta Views, Reader's Digest and Chatelaine. She writes about topics like refugees, grief, loneliness and public health.

You’ll find more of her work at www.christinafrangou.com

The series is curated by: 

Michal Lavi 

Michal Lavi and Aviv Fried opened Sidewalk Citizen Bakery in 2010. In 2016 Michal started Tzavta dinner Salon and in 2020 started Layla Lavan, Ethics and Morality salon series. 

Michal is an award winning filmmaker. To date, she has written and directed six short films and is currently working on a feature length script.

Dr. Justin Weinhardt

Dr. Justin Weinhardt, PhD: Justin is a Psychologist and Associate Professor in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. His research examines motivation, decision making, and mental health at work. He has published numerous academic journal articles on these topics and has also published articles in the Globe and Mail and Harvard Business Review.

Dr. Jim Ellis

Dr. Jim Ellis is Professor of English and Director of the Calgary Institute for the Humanities at the University of Calgary.  He has written widely on literature, art and film.