
Senior Research Seminar Abstracts
In your fourth year of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) program, you will be required to take a PACS 401 - Senior Research Seminar. Working with the guidance of a PACS instructor, you will explore the relationship between theory and practice with regard to peace building and sustainable community transformation. Each student conducts an individual research project that relates to their own personal and/or professional development and interests within the PACS field.
We are pleased to announce that in 2020, 12 students were selected to participate in the Conference at Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania, USA)!
View abstracts from previous years below to help you think about your research project.
Fall 2023
Important Considerations in the Implementation of Restorative School Practices to Nurture the Development and Well-Being of Youth Who Have Experienced Trauma
Imogen Sloss
Students spend over 15,000 hours (about 1 year, 8 and a half months) at school over their education period. This highlights the influence schools might have on a child鈥檚 well-being and development. Unfortunately, traditional school disciplinary practices have not always prioritized the needs of students, leading to negative outcomes. More recently, restorative practices have risen in popularity as an alternative approach to preventing and responding to harm. At times, schools have been enthusiastic about introducing these practices and frequently assume that they are automatically more equitable, inclusive, and better able to meet students' needs. However, there have been cases in which restorative practices have reinforced the exclusion, oppression, and harm they seek to overcome. Youth who have experienced trauma are particularly vulnerable to these negative outcomes since they already experience greater challenges and barriers. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate what factors schools must consider when implementing restorative practices to ensure that they support, rather than further harm, youth who have experienced trauma. When schools center students, foster a restorative culture, increase awareness of trauma and equity, diversity, and inclusion, and prioritize accountability, restorative practices can create school environments in which youth who have experienced trauma can grow and thrive at school and in their relationships, despite their past adversity.
Whiteness as Gatekeepers of Ontario's K-12 Education System: Dismantling Required for Anti-Racism
Yasmin Wallace
Despite the onset of equity action plans implemented by the Ontario Government and Ministry of Education, K-12 schools remain spaces permeated by anti-Black racism. Furthermore, there is a misalignment between these action plans and the experiences of Black youth within schools. This paper addresses a critical gap in the existing literature, which tends to focus on proving the existence of racism in schools. Instead, this paper interrogates how racism functions in Ontario K-12 schools by asserting that whiteness functions as a gatekeeper in Ontario's secondary school system. As a structure, whiteness dictates access to education and shapes how issues related to access are addressed. Current governmental action plans intended to address racial and equity disparities in schools have failed to dismantle whiteness as the gatekeeper, thereby hindering the ability for tangible anti-racist change to be achieved. Through a comprehensive analysis of governmental action plans and existing literature depicting the lived experiences of Black students, this paper illuminates how whiteness as a gatekeeper to education remains unchallenged, hence, maintaining the status quo.
Child-Centered Community Reconstruction after Violence: Prioritizing the Needs of Children
Katrina Janzen
Situations of mass violence leave communities with the challenging task of rebuilding and moving forward. Oftentimes, communities that have experienced violence overlook the experiences of children and instead assume that their early age and resiliency will protect them from the long-term consequences of the violence. Due to this harmful assumption, community reconstruction often does not recognize the needs of children and their experiences with trauma. As future leaders of their communities, children鈥檚 needs should be central to community building after violence and children should have a voice in reconstruction. In this paper, I discuss how sustainable and holistic community reconstruction might prioritize children's needs and provide psychological, educational, and social support during development. I provide practical suggestions for how these areas of support can be emphasized in communities to create long-lasting and impactful programming. I also unpack the strengths and weaknesses of three case examples that illustrate how certain contexts have attempted to place children鈥檚 needs at the center of their reconstruction.
Boiling Peace: How Water Scarcities Exaggerated by the Climate Crisis Contribute to Host Community Tensions in Jordan
Isabella McCloskey
Water scarcity in Jordan, historically attributed to arid geography, governmental mismanagement, and transboundary dependence, is increasingly exacerbated by the Climate Crisis. This paper challenges the dominant narrative in revealing the profound impact of rising temperatures, decreasing precipitation, declining river flows, evaporation, and polluted water sources on Jordan鈥檚 scarce water resources. Analyzing the Climate Crisis as the central force explores the interconnected factors of water scarcities in relationship with violent and non-violent host community tensions. This conflict has revealed itself while Jordan, the largest host nation for migrants in the Mediterranean, grapples with escalating water scarcities and the onset of a population influx following the Syrian refugee crisis. The Climate Crisis intensifies existing water scarcities, creating a precarious water landscape. The Syrian refugee crisis contributed 1.3 million in a water-dependent population, straining limited resources, and triggering tensions between Jordanian host communities and refugees over water allocation. Anti-refugee sentiments further complicate resource distribution. Shifting the dominant narrative to recognize the Climate Crisis as the primary driver of water scarcity offers a pathway to address the root causes and forge sustainable solutions.
Fall 2022
ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES鈥 APPLICATION OF THE SURVIVOR-CENTRED RESPONSE TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Erika Rose Shea
Many Ontario universities claim to have sexual violence policies, responses, and resources that are survivor-centered. On university campuses, the application of the survivor-centered model of responding to sexual violence should prioritize survivors鈥 needs and rights, rather than those of perpetrators and institutions according to sexual violence response scholars. Although Ontario universities claim to prioritize survivors of sexual violence, the literature reveals a lack of student trust in institutions, institutional inaction, pervasive campus rape culture, and poor perpetrator accountability. These trends point to poor application of the survivor-centered model. This paper will examine whether Ontario universities are truly survivor-centered in their approach to managing sexual violence.听
鈥楧ANGEROUS CRIMINALS鈥: PRISON DISCOURSE IN POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT
Elizabeth Robertson
Despite the failure of the prison system to engage in justice in a morally or pragmatically successful manner, the concept of carceral justice is everywhere in entertainment media. Placing people in a cage is not only ineffective at societal protection, but also an inhumane way to deal with harm. The more that the public is bombarded with images of prisons and crime, the more they will accept these practices as normal rather than contestable. This poses a challenge for prison abolitionists as they recognize how deeply these ideas are ingrained in the stories we witness. This paper examines how the prison industrial system has become a societal norm to be found in any genre of entertainment.听
HOW IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION AND THE DIVERSITY OF WORLDVIEWS IMPACT APPROACHES TO CONFLICT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
Olivia Miller
Modern rural Ontario communities are lacking cultural acceptance and tolerance of diverse persons in their environments. The result of this deficiency is greater incidents of racial discrimination and community conflicts. This research explores identity in relation to the social environment, and how a threat to one鈥檚 identity causes entrenched and polarized community conflicts. This research proposes two critical aspects to the identity of rural community members. Their desire for community cohesion that formerly existed in traditional rural space according to some researchers and their constructed idea (manufactured by the nation of Canada) that their citizenship makes them pro-multicultural and diversity, as a matter of course. When these two identity values are threatened, rural community members behave in ways that escalate and complicate the community conflict experienced according to some scholars on this issue. This research is illustrated using delegate statements from an intractable community conflict in Baden, Ontario, exhibiting how identity values generate various community members鈥 positions in the dispute.听
ROHINGYA REFUGEE CRISIS 鈥 CHANGING STANCE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH
Murtoza Manzur
With an estimated 919,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar residing in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazaar refugee camps, the Rohingya refugee crisis is one of the world's fastest-growing refugee crises. Bangladesh accepted Rohingya refugees in 2017 with open arms despite not being a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees due to humanitarian concerns and a shared religious identity. However, the Government of Bangladesh has changed its stance after failed repatriation efforts. It has imposed discriminatory policies toward the Rohingya, portraying them as a security risk and a burden to the economy. It has increasingly enacted measures violating national and international laws to safeguard refugees to force them to seek shelter elsewhere, mimicking past repatriation efforts of 1978 and 1992. This paper explores how Bangladesh's shifted its policy towards the Rohingya and the reasons behind such shift.听
WOMEN MAKING THEMSELVES SEEN AND HEARD: EXPLORING THE TRANSFORMATION OF GENDERED OBJECTIFICATION INTO CORPOREAL AGENCY THROUGH A CASE STUDY OF IRAN
Zoe Beilby
Within modern political feminism, women's bodies are observed as areas of social control and moral engineering according to some critical feminism scholars. They assert that women鈥檚 bodies are turned into 鈥political commodities鈥 and 鈥corporeal forms.鈥 Protesting by taking up physical space turns this objectification into a corporeal agency that allows women to take up space and be seen on their own terms rather than that of a higher political or social power according to some scholars. This helps women to find meaning and identity in these political actions. This paper explores the women鈥檚 processes of transforming gendered objectification into corporeal agency through critical engagement with Iran as a case study. The concept of 鈥corporeal agency鈥 will be explored by engaging closely the current and ongoing protests in Iran due to mandatory veiling, the unjust killing of Mahsa Amini, and the political context behind it.听
CONCEPTUALIZING DESIGN IN PEACEBUILDING CONTEXTS
Abbey Tiernan
This paper aims to define a framework for peacebuilding design by comparing applications of social design to peace theory, as well as analyzing the efficacy of design elements used in various conflict interventions. The paper will begin by defining design as a concept, then will explore design鈥檚 capacity to achieve social change by analyzing examples of social innovation design. The paper will draw connections between applications of social innovation design and peace theory to conceptualize a prototypical framework for peacebuilding design based on the limited existing literature on the design of peace. This framework for peacebuilding design will then engage with the limited existing peacebuilding design literature and will apply the prototypical framework principles to peacebuilding design examples. The paper will conclude by summarizing the beginnings of a defined concept of peacebuilding design that, if backed by further research, could pave the way toward more sustainable conflict interventions.听
RESTORATIVE EDUCATION: MANAGING CONFLICT WHILE PROMOTING PEACE WITHIN CANADIAN POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
Rebecca Lane Mitton
This paper will explore the need to implement restorative education practices across Canadian post-secondary educational institutions. By recognizing the harms of the punitive framework that is found deeply ingrained in Canadian school systems, the need for restorative change and its many benefits toward student development becomes clear. Utilizing restorative practices among a variety of student demographics proves to promote peacebuilding, relationship building, self-development, and higher likelihoods of success for student participants. As highlighted by a variety of case studies across Canada, in collaboration with scholarly research on the topic, there is potential for a modernized system of conflict management that is based on creating safe and effective communities for learning and growth. This paper aims to answer the question, 鈥榳hy are restorative educational approaches more beneficial to students when managing conflict than punitive policy-based approaches in Canadian post-secondary institutions?鈥听
FOOD INSECURITY AND THE PROBLEMATIC PREVENTION OF EFFECTIVE RESPONSES
Meagan Vander Hoek
Food insecurity impacts various individuals and households across Canada resulting in food bank and community food center access. This paper will discuss how food banks and community food centers prevent a long-term solution to end food insecurity. Throughout this paper, research from various sources will be utilized to assess the relationship between food banks, food centers, and food insecurity. The findings compiled throughout demonstrate food banks support those who need immediate food aid but fail to address the other implications of food insecurity and its contributing factors. The research study will also assess the effectiveness of community food centers in response to food insecurity, highlighting their value as they address the physical and mental health impacts of food, but still fail to address several contributing factors of food insecurity. A critical look at this evidence may help to understand the need for long-term solutions in Canada which address all components of food insecurity, and furthermore, examine the cycle that has created barriers to sustainable solutions. Additionally, some effective alternative solutions will be looked at, specifically, two income-related policy changes will be analyzed and evaluated for their effectiveness in tackling the long-term, contributing factors of food insecurity.听
Fall 2021
Pre-Conflict Gender Dynamics and Conflict Related Sexual Violence: A Comparative Case Study of the Yugoslav and Congo Wars
Nicole Herdman
Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is significant in its scope and brutality and, as听men are common perpetrators and women are common targets, is innately gendered in its existence. Sexual violence is utilized as a weapon of war to intimidate, humiliate, and听dispossess common citizens and is frequently targeted at women, with 89% of victims of听Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) identifying as women in 2019 (United Nations Security听Council 2020, 13; Benshoof 2014, 14). Given this reality, this paper explores the relationship between CRSV and pre-conflict gender dynamics to determine how, if at all, pre-conflict gender dynamics relate to the existence of sexual violence in war. This is done through the comparison of the Yugoslav Wars from 1992 to 1995 and the First and Second Congo Wars ranging from 1996 to 1998 and 1998 to 2003 respectively. It is recognized that CRSV in the Yugoslav Wars was undertaken at a massive rate and scale and was committed by non-Muslim Serbian men onto Muslim women through the establishment of 鈥榬ape camps.鈥 Pre-conflict societies are found to highly value social constructs of masculinity and femininity and are patriarchal in nature. Additionally, sexual violence was common in pre-conflict Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia and took many cultural forms such as rape play. Moreover, CRSV in the Congo Wars was also committed in a systemic fashion and was particularly brutal in its wide involvement of sexual mutilation tactics. Pre-conflict Congolese communities have definitive constructs of masculinity and femininity and have patriarchal foundations, though women have a unique intrinsic value to their village. Sexual violence was common in pre-conflict societies and was committed for an abundance of reasons, including social power. However, it is determined that a relationship may exist, and additional research is encouraged to determine if there is a correlation or causation between the pre-conflict gender dynamics of a region and the region鈥檚 experience of CRSV.
Gender-bias in the diagnosis of autism: Missed-diagnosis and the development of females on the spectrum
Riley Wallace
This paper will discuss the observed differences between autistic females and autistic males as found through the research studies centering on this topic. In responding to the research question posed of how and in what ways gender bias has led to women and girls being misdiagnosed for autism in North America, and what effect has this had on affected women, it can be observed that a combination of limited criteria and overall understanding of autism is a key factor. Additionally, the responsibility of trusted adults; parents, teachers, and doctors, is highlighted for the pertinent role they play in the timely diagnosis and treatment for autistic females.
Does Phasmophobia Help Develop Social Skills such as Teamwork, Problem-solving, and Communication?
Sara Carlisle
This paper will be answering the question 鈥淒oes Phasmophobia help develop social skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication?鈥 In order to answer this question, studies in relation to video game use will be applied to primary sources related to Phasmophobia to show if these skills are accurately represented in this game. General discourse on video games will be provided to show the areas of research previously investigated听as well as some history on the development of video games.
United States Media Coverage of Lebanon
Nour Saad
This paper discusses the difference in media coverage between the Western world, specifically the United States, and the Middle Eastern World, specifically Lebanon. The coverage of the tragedy of Lebanon鈥檚 2006 war and Lebanon鈥檚 economic and political situation today, after the Beirut Port explosion, are the two events analyzed specifically. Through the use qualitative research of past and current criticisms of the United States media and the analysis of specific news articles, different observations are identified to highlight the gap in information that the United States fails to share with the rest of the world in relation to Lebanon鈥檚 need for help. With Lebanon being on the verge of becoming a third world country, the media鈥檚 attention is critical to raise awareness to the public and force people in power to act upon bringing Lebanon back to life.
Nationalist Rhetoric and the Legitimization of Military Force from the Bush to Obama Administrations
Serena Laverty
With the recent reinstallation of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the failures of the United听States' "war on terror" campaigns are salient. How did American officials justify a听counterterrorism response that was legally and morally dubious, and ultimately, ineffective?听This paper examines how nationalist rhetoric was employed by the Bush and Obama administrations to legitimize a military response to terrorism following 9/11. By conducting discourse analysis on key presidential speeches, this paper identifies three patterns of nationalist rhetoric in the broader counterterrorism narrative: a construction of us versus them, the myth of American exceptionalism, and a national narrative of victimhood through the memorialization of 9/11. A comparison between Bush and Obama illuminates how presidential rhetoric effectively discouraged dissent due to pre-existing nationalist narratives and cultural beliefs in American society. The persuasive power of nationalism in times of war and a need to critically examine the policies hidden behind political rhetoric are discussed.
听Full abstract title:听America鈥檚 Justification for the War on Terror: Nationalist Rhetoric and the Legitimization of听Military Force from the Bush to Obama Administrations听
Indigenous-Settler Relations: Archaeology鈥檚 Transition to Supporting Indigenous Communities in Canada
Morgan M Berg
This paper uses a horizontal framework to discuss the changing dynamics between Indigenous communities and Eurocentric archaeologists at the turn of the twenty-first century. It looks to address pre-collaborative Canadian archaeology, and how this period held tense relationships between these two groups and why. It goes on to note a shift in these dynamics, discussing the transition in archaeology to a more collaborative, Indigenous-centered process, and how new developments in the field such as Indigenous archaeology aim to decolonize the field of archaeology as a whole. It converses on how these changing relations hold significance for the field of peace and conflict studies, and how they can contribute to peacebuilding and reconciliatory practices going forward. Finally, it notes some suggestions for future directions the field of archaeology can take in the future on this topic.
How News Coverage of Racism in Policing Has Change Between 2019 and 2021
Cass Schmidt
This paper recognizes the shift in reporting on racism in policing between 2019 and 2021.听Analyzing how Canadian news platforms play a huge role in aiding victims in receiving justice, while also keeping some instances concealed by simply neglecting to report on them. The news media, in which it portrays certain individuals and/or certain situations, can be manipulated to appeal to a specific audience, as it has a way of impacting the viewer's beliefs, emotions, and behaviors towards certain individuals. This study analyzes past cases, and how they have made an impact on the way people view police and their acts of racism. The paper analyzes CBC News and its reports on this topic between 2019 and 2021. It shows that in 2021, news media platforms have taken a novel approach in reporting on racism in policing, as they focus on the听victim and place, the police under a microscope, analyzing their actions and whether they were appropriate for the situation at hand. The paper offers a conclusion, that since 2019, news media platforms have changed exceptionally regarding reporting on racism in听policing, and providing victims and their families with the recognition and justice they have听longed for.
Balancing Indigenous Needs in Canadian Justice & Exploring the Strengths & Limits of Gladue for Indigenous Offenders
Alice Sandiford
It is of no debate at this point that systems, particularly the legal one, act as a trammel to the听rights and flourishing of many Indigenous people in Canada. This paper explores how the听Canadian justice system is using Gladue to account for the issue; at that, to what degree it is听effective and limited. To explore this problem holistically, this paper begins with unpacking the robust causal nexus that it has become. Research regarding the background of the issue, the role of historical and current trauma and systemic injustice, intergenerational trauma, and policy will be analyzed to contextualize the issue. Next, a series of sentencing judgements from听the Ontario Court of Justice from 2018-2021 will be illustrated as they relate to Gladue. Within听this research area, it has been established by scholars, the government, and proponents of the听justice system alike, that these interrelations between trauma and historical treatment and the听justice system exists. This paper seeks to analyze the strength and limitations of one policy听response to that system.
Full abstract title:听The Scales of Justice: An analysis of the Attempt at Balancing Indigenous Needs Under the Canadian Justice and Exploring the Strengths and Limits of Gladue for Indigenous Offenders in the Ontario Court of Justice from 2018-2021.
Fall 2020
An Analysis of Basic Income Pilot Projects
Gemma Ricker
Research has found that Ontario families are struggling to make ends meet under the current welfare system, and government funds are being used inefficiently. Basic income is a concept wherein every member of a society is given stipends to guarantee a minimum yearly income. This paper evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of three different basic income pilot projects. These projects were set in Ontario, Manitoba, and Finland. By analysing the results of each pilot through Karl Widerquist鈥檚 cost-benefit framework, I recommend how Ontario should structure a basic income program. The basic income projects improved recipients鈥 mental and physical health, increased their social capital, and incentivised employment. In order to optimize government spending, basic income in Ontario should be implemented permanently, with more funds available than are currently provided, with 50 cents deduced on each dollar of income from employment. The biggest limitation was that many of the findings were based on self-reports from the recipients.
The Functions of Ontario鈥檚 Elementary Schools: From Invisible to Critical
Rachel Stymiest
This paper explores the functions of elementary schools in Ontario and the impact they have on children and their communities when they close. The research for this paper is analyzed from the perspective of the intersection of holistic education and the learning crisis. Four functions were identified using a thematic analysis: delivery of curriculum, equity advocacy, promotion of social and emotional competencies, and the provision of critical health and safety resources. These are all components of holistic education and seek to promote equity for all children. The study finds that elementary schools in Ontario serve as a lifeline for many children.
The Genesis of Agonist Peace
Kayne Rivers
Peace theory and Peacebuilding has come to the forefront in recent years. However, theoretically speaking there has been one main mode of thought in the peace study community. This paper was born out of the desire to learn and expose to light different peace theories specifically Agonism. By the end of this paper the goal is that firstly, the reader will be able to poke holes in the current peace theoretical regime thus creating new and vibrant theories. Secondly, coming to an understanding of what Agonist thought means and how it is making a difference in the world of Peace theory.
Factors that Contribute to Higher Mortality Rates and Lower Life Expectancies of Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia
Julia McCabe
Research shows that the life expectancy of Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia has historically been and continues to be considerably shorter than the general population in British Columbia (Office of the Provincial Health Officer 2018). In addition to this, mortality rates for Indigenous Peoples are significantly higher than the general population in British Columbia (Office of the Provincial Health Officer 2018). While these rates are known, the factors that contribute to these rates have not been explored to provide understanding of what contributes to these disproportionate rates of mortality and life expectancy. In this article, it will be argued that suicide rates, drug abuse, homicide and quality of life issues all contribute to these disproportionate statistics. All of which are interconnected to intergenerational trauma.
An analysis of the role of communal living space in reconciliation processes in post-conflict Northern Ireland
Elaina Mohr
This paper explores the role of intentional communal living space in reconciliation processes in post-conflict societies. Northern Ireland is used as the context for a post-conflict society, and Corrymeela, a faith and reconciliation centre in Northern Ireland, is used as a case study. A theoretical framework including three theories from separate fields of research that connect intentional communal living space was created to analyze Corrymeela鈥檚 reconciliation processes. The findings show that intentional communal living space creates a strong foundation for reconciliation processes and allows for sustainability of reconciled relationships. The paper concludes that peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict societies should consider physical space to have an important role in reconciliation process and suggests that organizations should include communal living in their reconciliation processes between polarized groups.
Full abstract title:听Living in spaces of reconciliation: An analysis of the role of communal living space in reconciliation processes in post-conflict Northern Ireland
Police Interventions for People with Mental Illnesses: An Analysis of Crisis Intervention Teams
Eve Astolfi
Current police practices suggest a large gap in police education on proper responses to people with mental illnesses (PMI). It is well established that Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs), multidisciplinary units compromised of police officers, health care providers and other community members, are more highly qualified than police alone, to address situations involving PMI. This research aims to provide an analysis of CIT programs, initially through examination of the history and laws surrounding the program; followed by the exploration of the perceptions of non-CIT police in their ability to engage those who have mental illnesses. Critiques of CITs will be presented in comparison to other efforts, such as police-only responses. Ultimately, this work arrives at a suggestion for further implementation of CIT programs, in conjunction with updated training processes for non-CIT police, as the best option for cases involving people with mental illnesses.
Prison-Based Restorative Justice and Incarcerated Women: Gender-Based Considerations for Criminal Justice Implementations
Megan Gallagher
Ongoing discussion of prison, and the issues within such institutions, demonstrate significant areas of need surrounding criminal justice and its role in society. Issues regarding how incarcerated individuals are treated and reformed are of particular interest in this Peace and Conflict Studies capstone project. This paper will argue that prison-based restorative justice programs offer solutions to some of the current shortcomings of incarceration, however, also serve to highlight additional areas of need in criminal justice responses. Within this work, a particular focus is taken upon incarcerated women, as this work seeks to develop and promote greater awareness of gender-based discrepancies in how people experience prison, and most notably, the restorative justice programming made available to them. Through an examination of general prison-based restorative justice literature, as well as the Stride, Alternatives to Violence, and Partners in Healing programs, the gendered needs of offenders will be assessed and employed in offering suggestions for future criminal justice action.
Fall 2019
Conduct Unbecoming: Responses to Sexual Violence in the Canadian Armed Forces
Gabrielle McInnis
Conducted in 2015 by former Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps, an external review concluded that there was a sexualized culture in the Canadian Armed Forces and that听sexual violence was a prominent and ongoing issue within the organization. In response, Operation Honour was created the following year by Chief of Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance. This program sought to educate CAF members on sexual violence and reinforce a zero tolerance policy within the military. This research will engage with recent data from the field to highlight key arguments and engage with new sensitivity training materials as a means of exploring the perpetuation of sexual harassment, assault, and sexualization of CAF members. Furthermore, this thesis will critique the limitations of such material, discuss its effectiveness听and conclude on a hopeful note by acknowledging the ever-changing dynamics of military life.
Environmental Activism in Vulnerable Communities: The Impacts of Grassroots Movements on Influencing Change
Margaret McCloskey
In conjunction with pre-existing patterns of inequality, it is those that are most vulnerable in the global community that are experiencing the most substantial consequences of climate change and environmental deterioration. Whether it be marginalization from geographic vulnerability, economic inequity, social detachment, or a combination of factors, environmental concerns in these communities have not been adequately addressed by the global system. As a result, many communities susceptible to environmental threat have pursued change through the pathway of grassroots activism. In order to explore the intersection between grassroots activism in vulnerable communities and positive environmental change, this paper assesses current environmental discourse, establishes an understanding of grassroots advocacy, identifies indicators of change in civil society, and analyzes a case study of Indigenous resistance to pipelines in Canada. It is concluded that while measuring the extent to which grassroots movements impact environmental change is difficult, this practice of advocacy still holds significant value in its contribution to the larger community of activism.
A Plate Only Half Full: Challenges of Integrating Animal Products and Staple Crops
Theo Wiederkehr
This paper explores why community supported agriculture (CSA) currently offers only a partial alternative to industrial agriculture.听 With a focus on Ontario, it questions why CSA has not diversified the foods it offers to include staple crops and animal products, and identifies problems which must be addressed for this to happen.听 The current level of inclusion of these foods in Ontario CSAs is also evaluated.听 I conclude that for CSA to offer complete diets for members, there is a need for greater member commitment and support for farmers, particularly when introducing foods which are more complex in terms of agricultural practices, processing, and ethics.
Reintegration of Prisioners in Canada: An In-Depth Look at the Prominent Issues and Possible Solutions
Sage Streight
The purpose of this paper is to present the current state of reintegration issues and efforts in Canada. The paper does this by presenting some of the prominent issues releasees are facing when trying to reintegrate into their communities. The reintegration issues are divided into three categories: personal and interpersonal factors, systemic factors, and perspective factors. These issues are presented to show that reintegration efforts need to span across many different factors in releasees lives, thus illustrating that reintegration is unique to each releasee. Due to this, the paper presents a variety of creative and practical solutions for resolving reintegration issues. Solutions such as temporary absences, discharge planning, and attitude changes. Additionally, other concrete strategies are presented such as co-operatives and criminal record pardons, as well as a case analysis of an already established program in Toronto, The Crossroads Day Reporting Centre. These solutions and program are presented to show that reintegration has many cost and safety benefits to Canadian society. In fact, reintegration is already being worked towards by many organizations and programs, and is a sustainable and holistic solution.
听听听听听听 This essay presents that reintegration efforts get at root needs of releasees and provides diverse services to meet all of these needs. An ability to address needs means that issues for releasees are being targeted and holistically resolved. This means that reintegration has the potential to successfully change releasees lives by aiding, teaching, and providing tools to live their best lives in Canadian society. The result of this is that reintegration is cost effective for the Canadian government, reduces recidivism, and makes society safer and function more effectively as less people are draining social services because releasees are equipped through reintegration efforts to contribute to Canada鈥檚 work force and economy.
Demand for Human Trafficking Victims For Sexual Exploitation Within a Legalized Prostitution Market
Sarah Cowan
There is no one answer to the question of why sex trafficking occurs in a legalized European prostitution market. After conducting research, five potential intersecting reasons, have been identified which provide an answer as to why demand for illegal services are present in the market when legal services are available. These 5 reasons are as follows: bigger market which increases the overall demand for sex services; the normalization of sex work as a result of legalization; 鈥渘iche鈥 demands that cannot be legally obtained; competitive prices and willing victims; and low risk 鈥 high reward business venture for traffickers. Underlying all five explanations is the role of the buyer to determine the products put forth on the market. So long as there remains gaps in the market, traffickers will continue to supply the services of trafficked victims to meet the needs of the consumer.听
The Intersection of Adult Third Culture Kid Identity and Canadian Identity: What Does it Mean for Canada?听
Devina Lookman听
This paper explores the ways in which the notion of identity maintenance for the Adult Third听Culture Kid is supported by the programs offered within the Canadian context. This study will focus on how these support programs validate, support, and integrate the Adult Third Culture Kid into Canadian society in a meaningful way through a screening framework. The findings of this research categorizes the data into three roles of support: civil society, state, and private sectors. The researchable data presents different offerings of support that vary in the form of its programming, stretching across 5 provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Not only do the research findings address existing needs for the Adult Third Culture Kid currently facing repatriation challenges in Canada, but it also suggests the direction of future research to better inform the accessibility and content of programming, and overall shaping of the Canadian national identity.
Gun Violence in America: Exposing Systemic Gaps in Enforcement of Firearm Laws in America
Stefan Hogg
This paper will examine how shortcomings in enforcement of both state and federal legislation governing the sale of firearms plays a significant contributing role in the high rate of gun violence in the United States of America. I will do this by examining the existing literature documenting the rates at which illicit transactions are taking place at federally licensed firearms retailers. Contemporary studies have found that 57% of all crime guns in the U.S. can be traced to only 1% of the 55,000+ federally licensed firearms dealers, highlighting an enormous channel through which firearms are being trafficked to criminals. Furthermore, insufficient law enforcement response to illegal firearms transactions (within licensed stores and within the private domain) is a major enabling factor in the continual trafficking of these dangerous weapons. Through this process, this paper will document how firearms make their way from legitimate sources into the 鈥渨rong hands鈥, i.e. people legally prohibited from buying or owning firearms. I will end by suggesting prospective solutions that are rooted in robust statistical evidence supporting their potential for reducing firearm-related violent crime and homicide.听
听The Challenging Path for Agroecology in Guatemala
Charity Nonkes
Guatemala faces some of the highest rates of malnutrition, inequality, and poverty in the world 鈥 especially in rural populations. These populations are exploited by industrial agriculture using structural and direct violence. This has created a great need amongst small-scale farmers and their communities for food sovereignty and sustainable farming systems. Agroecology was implemented in Guatemala as a response to these issues. This critical analysis of how agroecology was implemented and its main challenges determined that agroecology was an alternative to industrial agriculture and was a tool for food sovereignty, but certain challenges made it difficult to implement: conditions that industrial agriculture and the armed conflict created; issues in the market and with state-support; access to land; aid organizations; and generational changes. There are numerous changes that need to occur on political, cultural, social, legal, environmental, and global levels in order for there to be widespread food sovereignty and agroecology in Guatemala. Viewing agroecology as a tool for food sovereignty is important because it can set realistic expectations for organizations and farmers, so they able to work towards food sovereignty. Agroecology is not just a tool for food sovereignty in Guatemala, but it is also an example of how communities throughout the world can transition to more environmentally and socially just agriculture methods.
Fall 2017
Strengths and Gaps in Supports for Syrian Refugee Families Living in Lebanon
Dena Badawi
Lebanon is host to over 1 million Syrian refugees (UNHCR 2017a).听 Geographically and resource limited, Lebanon has experienced challenges with addressing the needs of Syrian refugees (Government of Lebanon & United Nations 2017).听 Due to the recency of this issue and the rapid nature in which refugee support responses change, there has been little scholarly work published on the refugee support system in Lebanon.听 This research works to fill this gap.听 Collaborative interviews were conducted with six Syrian refugee families. Additionally, three semi-structured interviews with community support workers and two focus groups were conducted as part of a larger research project, a subset of which was analyzed for this capstone paper.听 Interviews were read and coded line-by-line to develop themes.听 Research findings identified strengths and gaps in the refugee support system in Lebanon.听 Understanding the experiences of Syrian families is important in informing the development and improvement of support services.
Moving Towards Peace Through the Lens of the Sun Dance
Samantha Damaren
This research paper explores collective understandings of the Sun Dance and their implications for the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous across Canada.听 Through the study of the Sun Dance it is shown that understanding Indigenous Ritual is key when addressing conflict transformation between these two communities. Memoirs, previous case studies in which communities were able to use dance to reconcile, and Indigenous knowledge are examined in the paper to identify a way to bridge the gap from previous policy to future intentions.听 The first step that is proposed is to understand cultural ceremonies within Indigenous communities, focusing specifically on the Sun Dance.
Fostering Resiliency: an analysis of at-risk youth organizations in Toronto
Anna Giesbrecht
This paper looks into why resiliency is important and how it can be fostered. Using a social ecology framework, it examines concepts of risk and protective factors in relation to youth. The framework of analysis was applied to youth-focused programs in Toronto, Canada. The research explored what type of risk youth encounter, and examined a set of organizations and programs that are available to help youth develop positive character despite these risks in the greater Toronto area. The research found a variety of approaches to working with youth, and while some only primarily addressed individual development, the majority also addressed areas of family, community, and culture, which was found to be in-line with the social ecology approach. Increasingly literature shows that a holistic approach is more effective, and many organizations are applying this perspective.
Punchlines, Pity Parties, or Just People? How Fat Characters are Represented in Animated Disney Films
Erin Huston
The purpose of this research paper is to examine how characters that are deemed to be 鈥榝at鈥 are represented in animated Disney films released between 2012 and 2017 based on three case studies.听 The films used as case studies consist of Frozen (2013), Inside Out (2015) and Zootopia (2016).听 Using qualitative analyses of one character in each film, the research explores whether the current representations of fat characters are potentially harmful to viewers, with the danger being the possibility of internalizing negative stereotypes of overweight populations that could result in stigmatization and discrimination of those populations.听 The research concludes that based on the three case studies, improvements are being made towards dismantling tropes that stigmatize all fat characters, when compared with earlier research findings. However, it is concluded that more can be done to effectively limit the stigmatizing nature of media depictions of overweight characters.
Women in Peacebuilding: An analysis of West African Women鈥檚 Peace Movements in the context of Liberia and Sierra Leone
Amanda Obeng-Nsiah
Grassroots organizations that advocate for change during civil wars have seen a shift, with women assuming leadership positions at the forefront of the movement. Women are now seen as key for peace efforts. However, there are also challenges to women鈥檚-led social movements becoming sustained parts of peace efforts.听 This project analyzed the Women in Peacebuilding Network branch of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding of Liberia, and the Women鈥檚 Forum in Sierra Leone, which birthed Sierra Leone Women鈥檚 Movement for Peace. It identifies what women鈥檚 peace movements in West Africa did in order to be successful and their efforts validated for the advancement of peace. It also explores what contributed to the non-success of other movements. It concludes by noting the importance of recommendations for long-term success to strengthen short-term efforts.
Peace and Photography: Rhetoric of Colonialism through Photojournalism in Canada
Michelle Poon
In Canadian history, photojournalism has been used as visual documentary, representing the relationships between Indigenous Peoples and settlers.听 This conversation is of significance to Peace and Conflict Studies because it contributes to larger social justice issues relating to the hegemonic discourse of colonization within Canadian archives.听 This paper questions the accuracy of photography as a form of documentation and critiques the impact that images have on the public sphere.听 The paper uses a three-step image analysis framework from the book Visual Methodologies by Gillian Rose, to evaluate the history of photojournalism.听 It examines two specific photographs of the current Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, using the three-step image analysis framework to illustrate contemporary interactions related to the impact, content and production process of photographs. The paper identifies positive and negative implications of using photojournalism as a form of peacebuilding.
#WelcometoCanada: The Canadian Response to Refugees from Syria and South Sudan
Kayleigh Swanson
The world is now witnessing the highest levels of global displacement on record (UNHCR 2017).听 As the global refugee population has risen, the Canadian response to refugees has varied 鈥 some groups have been received generously while others have been treated harshly or refused.听 In some cases, where the Canadian government has had to respond simultaneously to different refugee groups, its response to each group has varied.听 Syria and South Sudan are currently experiencing ongoing, violent civil conflict that has resulted in significant displacement in both countries, but the Canadian government and civil society have responded differently to each crisis.听 Canada鈥檚 response to refugees from Syria and South Sudan can be explained by several economic, political, and social factors, which reveal that despite a narrative of inclusivity and racial non-bias, there are in fact determining factors of refugee receptivity among Canadians that lead to inconsistencies in our response to various groups of refugees.
Fall 2016
Racial Discourses in the Media: Coverage of Toronto Police officers鈥 killings of Blacks versus Caucasians
Zahra Ahmed
It is apparent that racism within Canada exists, and that it affects many minority groups鈥 daily lives. According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission when looking through the Ontario Rights Code under the grounds of discrimination 鈥淩ace鈥 is prohibited.听 That being said, there is no clear definition of racial discrimination, which makes it much easier to occur and go unnoticed because it is not understood.听 This paper explores the issue of negative stereotypes and racial discrimination related to the media coverage of deaths of individuals shot by police officers.听 Research was completed on six Torontonian men killed by police officers within the last ten years and the media鈥檚 coverage of the incidents.听 This research paper asks the questions: does the media portray Black and White victims killed by the police officers in the Greater Toronto Area in similar ways?
Fighting From Shackles: The Effectiveness of Nonviolent Resistance in Prisons
Reid Kennel
Prisoners exist in a unique environment of extremely limited rights and freedoms, and conditions within prisons are often oppressive in ways those outside its wall cannot understand.听 This leaves the prisoner as the one with the best understanding of what should be changed. This research project looks at nonviolent resistance as a method for those within the prison system to fight for change. By examining a series of hunger strikes that took place in California in 2013 and a nation-wide prison labour strike in 2016 and applying an advocacy effectiveness measurement tool, the following study suggests that nonviolent resistance offers the possibility of enacting large-scale policy change within the prison system. In light of the two aforementioned case studies, this thesis concludes that these efforts require creative methods of communication to be successful, and significant media engagement to influence public discourse.
Restorative Justice and Sexual Assault
Ashley Lamoureux
This paper examines the webpages of two restorative justice programs that work with survivor victims and people who have offended sexually: Revive in Kitchener, Ontario and Project Restore in Aukland, New Zealand. Restorative justice programs typically do not address cases of sexual assault due to the sensitive and particular nature of sexual misdemeanor and felony crimes.听 The programs that do exist, such as Revive and Project Restore must therefore address certain needs and concerns that survivor victims, people who have offended sexually, and the general public may have.听 With the Internet being a frequently utilized source of information in the present day, this paper examines the webpages of Revive and Project Restore to see how those webpages address the particular needs and concerns that arise in cases of sexual assault.
The News Media鈥檚 Portrayal of School Shootings in America: How the Media Would Have You Remember a Killer
Katherine MacGregor
This research paper looks at the video news coverage of the Columbine High School Massacre (1999), the Virginia Tech. Massacre (2007), and the Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting (2012). The archives used were of five well-known American news media sources (ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, and CNN). The goal of this report is to show that what news media corporations decide to show to their audience effects how people will remember and perceive the event and the assailants involved. Through dissecting various news broadcasts, this research highlights how easy it is for misinformation to be remembered.
Race and Inequality: Social Justice
Frederica Otchere
The objective of this paper is to analyze the depictions of African Canadians residing in Toronto in print media and, to a lesser extent, explore the effects of those depictions.听 Themes that are examined include the link between poverty, crime and media representation. Articles from The Toronto Star and The Sun newspapers are analyzed focusing on the depiction of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2016. 听The research assessed the tone of the writing, the issues addressed, and the columnists鈥 profiles.
The Fall of The Twin Towers and the Rise of Discrimination
Irosha Perera
Canada has had a reputation for being secure. Canadians were admirable for their great quality of life without having to feel any trepidation or fear due to political instability or terror. The terrorist attacks on the twin towers in New York City on September 11th, however, changed this feeling of security.听 This paper explores Islamophobia and the effects of 9/11 primarily on Toronto, but also draws on additional research from Ontario.听 It includes issues such as representation in municipal government, education, unemployment, acts of discrimination, airport security and perceptions.听 The paper concludes with a discussion of the importance of eliminating stigma.
Comparing Sexism in SNCC and SCLC: A Search for Black Female Identity in the Civil Rights Movement
Anneke Pries-Klassen
This paper investigates women鈥檚 experiences of sexism in the civil rights movement through a comparison of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee. A mix of primary and secondary sources were used, and modern concepts were applied to these organizations and the broader civil rights movement to determine the extent to which the organizations鈥 founders and institutional structures affected women鈥檚 experiences and roles. Women鈥檚 involvement in the movement has often been overlooked but this paper highlights the critical influence these women played on the formation of second wave feminism and intersectionality post-civil rights movement.