Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [195-] – 2015 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
0.46m of textual records
Context area
Name of creator
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Series consists of material specifically related to Davis’ work at the University of Toronto. Material covers seminars, events, and presentations organized or given by Davis, in particular his popular Operator Theory Seminars, for which he invited mathematicians to the university. While Davis’ teaching is primarily documented through correspondence with students (see Sub-series 2.2), some of the files included reflect his in-class pedagogical approach. Included is a lecture he gave in the philosophers, Ian Hacking and Joe Berkovitz’s course, as well as course material for Davis’ “Mathematics as Recreation” and “Advanced Math Theory”. Elements of file content throughout the series generally reflect Davis’ perception of math education, creativity in mathematics, and the philosophical questions underlying the discipline.
Also included in this series is documentation of Davis’ on-campus activism and his involvement in political and social initiatives of faculty at the University of Toronto. These range from a presentation for the University League of Social Reform to demonstrations, petitions, and teach-ins. A portion of the material documents the activities of a faculty-led committee supporting Dr. Kin-Yip Chun, a geophysics professor, denied a permanent role in the Physics Department and later dismissed by the UofT. The Ontario Human Rights Commission ultimately upheld Dr. Chun’s complaint which asserted that racial discrimination was a key factor in his dismissal.
Material in this series includes correspondence, presentations, draft text, open letters and petitions, flyers, and other event promotional material.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Files are arranged in chronological order.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
All files are open with the exception of the following files. These are restricted based on the third-party private information that they contain. Please contact the University Archivist for additional information.
- B2023-0018/050(13)
- B2023-0018/051(01)- (05)
- B2023-0018/052(17)
- B2023-0018/053(03) – (04), (06)