Wednesdays, October 12 through November 16, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | REGISTER NOW

Enhanced health & safety protocols in place for all in-person Curious Minds courses, including mandatory masking (except while eating or drinking) and physically distanced seating. Registration is limited!

Increasingly, research links exposure to nature with improved wellbeing. In particular, a recent study from Germany revealed a direct link between seeing birds and experiencing happiness. Why do birds, and the diverse and colourful landscapes they inhabit around the world, make us so much happier? This new series from Curious Minds favourite Julia Zarankin will explore the magic of nature and how appreciating its winged inhabitants—their strange behaviors, odd names, extravagant plumages and hairdos—invariably leads to a greater sense of wonder. Adapted from Julia’s memoir, Field Notes From An Unintentional Birder, a Globe and Mail best-seller, and spanning the realms of art, philosophy and natural history, this fun and uplifting course is perfect for nature lovers and newbies alike: a spirited celebration of what our feathered friends can teach us about the world and about ourselves.

This series is led by Dr. Julia Zarankin, a writer, lecturer and passionate birder who holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Princeton University. She enjoys teaching in venues across the GTA and has taught popular Curious Minds courses on topics like Catherine the Great and the Hermitage Museum and Literary Cities: New York, Paris, St. Petersburg and the Birth of the Modern Age.

Course registration: $69 (Hot Docs Members: $60, $48, Free)