MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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The Rise of the 4B Movement: Reimagining Futures Through Radical Resistance
No full textFollowing the 2024 U.S presidential election, the 4B movement—a South Korean feminist movement which is characterized by women’s refusal to participate in dating, marriage, childbirth, and sex with men—has experienced increased popularity in the West. Naturally, this inspires questions about the 4B movement, its origins, and its objectives. Asking these questions is necessary to avoid an oversimplification and/or Western co-optation of the movement. Through examining the historical contexts of Korean feminism, alongside modern socioeconomic conditions and online activism, this paper argues that the 4B movement can be conceptualized as a distinct radical feminist movement that responds to multiple intersecting power structures. By analyzing how the state, capitalism, and patriarchy work in concert to control women’s bodies and futures, the 4B movement’s counter-participation presents itself as political resistance aimed at reclaiming women’s autonomy and envisioning new feminist futures outside of patriarchal constraints
The Earth speaks: cultural trauma and climate change narratives in media
No full textThis honours project argues that climate change represents a form of cultural trauma for human societies and our relationship with the Earth as an active agent. While ecological crises are often framed through scientific or political lenses, this research emphasizes their profound social and cultural dimensions. Drawing from cultural trauma theory, disaster sociology, and environmental thought on the Anthropocene, the project examines how narratives construct meaning around environmental harm, responsibility, and the evolving relationship between humans and the Earth.
Central to this work is recognizing the Earth not as a passive backdrop to human action, but as a sentient, responsive force that both absorbs and reacts to human-driven harm. The project maps how the Earth is cast as victim, villain, antagonist, or protagonist within climate stories through narrative analysis of literature, activism, and media.
Focusing on narratives from the Global North, it interrogates how dominant discourses reflect and shape collective meaning-making around the environmental crisis. Ultimately, the project offers a new way of interpreting the climate crisis: as a prolonged cultural trauma that demands social reckoning and a reimagining of humanity’s place within a living, remembering world.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Stepnisk
An investigation into the correlation between social media usage and a low self-esteem score
No full textThe average time spent daily on social media is roughly 2 ½ hours; such an amount of exposure can cause detriment to an individual’s self-esteem (Chaffey, 2022). A correlation study is conducted to determine if there is an association between social media usage and low self-esteem scores. Participants anonymously self-reported both variables through a Google form that was distributed via convenience sampling. Self-esteem was measured through the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and time spent on networking sites was measured by daily and weekly usage. Microsoft Excel was used to construct a linear regression model and other statistical tests (ie, computing Pearson R-value). An insignificant association was found between the two variables; daily usage of Instagram and TikTok revealed a positive correlation strength of 0.205, while weekly use had a negative correlation strength of 0.172. It must be advised that there are several limitations in this study, thus the findings are in no way conclusive.
Faculty Mentor: John Fedoru
Altering Olive: A Look at HBO’s Adaptation of Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge
No full textThis paper discusses the HBO adaptation of Elizabeth Strout\u27s Olive Kitteridge, with a focus on revealing the level of depth and nuance that gets lost in the translation from short story cycle to mini-series. By analyzing the cycle form, this paper considers the risks involved in neglecting the form of a source text during adaptation. While the author ultimately refrains from commenting on the quality of the mini-series as its own entity, she does conclude that as an adaptation, the mini-series is disappointing in its replication of the source text\u27s complexity
Creation of Controls for the Identification of the Nuclear Localization Sequence of Flowering Locus C in Arabidopsis Thaliana
No full textThis project aims to create two controls for use in later honours projects identifying the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) of the MADS transcription factor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in Arabidopsis thaliana. First, I aimed to create a line of Arabidopsis expressing GFP using Agrobacterium GV3101 via the floral dip method. This will be used to show GFP fluorescence that is not specifically localized to the nucleus. Second, I worked on the removal of an internal BsaI site from FLC using site-directed mutagenesis to create an FLC:GFP fusion plasmid. This plasmid will be used to show that FLC localizes to the nucleus. Active nuclear import is required for large proteins, like MADS transcription factors, to translocate, which is needed for these proteins to perform their function in the correct location. Import is facilitated by the interaction of an importin and NLS, a specific amino acid sequence, of the cargo protein. Previously, research has characterized NLSs in other proteins as well as other domains of FLC. However, the NLS of FLC has not yet been identified. By contributing to the characterization of FLC’s NLS, I have contributed to the understanding of nuclear localization mechanisms. In extension, the continuation of this work will contribute to the knowledge of protein dimerization, transcriptional regulation, and plant development.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Hill
Teaching Students How to Succeed in Group Assignments
No full textThe ability of university students to function effectively as team members in group assignments is essential for their success as they transition to the workforce. For this reason, many universities have teamwork as a required learning outcome for their graduates. Researchers have identified both the problems university students encounter with group assignments and the solutions to these problems. However, one main issue remains—university faculty do little in the way of teaching their students how to work as a team on group assignments. This descriptive practice-based paper reviews the problems associated with university group assignments and provides solutions to these problems and curriculum guidance with specific suggestions on how faculty can teach students to work in group projects. These suggestions can apply to any university group assignment
La ville de l’avenir
No full textIn her comic series, Hiver Nucléaire, Cab presents a warning of what dangers and hardships will come if humanity fails to protect the environment and each other. Using this warning I sought to imagine a vision of a future where community and ecological stewardship are at the forefront of society. This idea forms the basis of my creative writing project La Ville de L’Avenir.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marla Ep
The intersection of religious control and gender inequality
No full textThe study connects two powerful systems–religion and the prison system through the lens of gender inequality to explain how these systems reflect and reproduce social inequalities, particularly for women and marginalized communities. Religion means different things to different people, and it plays a powerful role in shaping beliefs, values, social norms, and even political systems. While it can foster identity and unity, it has also been used to control, govern, and divide.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Diane Symbaluk
 
An examination of implicit theories of worry
No full textGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a relatively common mental disorder defined by chronic, excessive, and difficult to control worry. Moreover, individuals who worry excessively may think about their worry differently based on the implicit theories they hold, which in turn may influence their willingness to seek treatment. Implicit theories are heuristics held about personal attributes. Specifically, we will be focusing on growth mindsets (i.e., believing that a personal attribute is malleable) and fixed mindsets (i.e., believing that an attribute is unchangeable). Limited research has explored implicit theories in mental health, and no published studies have examined implicit theories of worry. We hypothesize that students who report more severe worry are more likely to hold a fixed mindset regarding their worry (i.e., more likely to report their worry is unchangeable). We also plan to examine if implicit theories are related to interest in various forms of treatment. Separately, we are going to test if reading the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) “Psychology Works” Fact Sheet about GAD will increase growth mindset, and therefore interest in treatment. In the study participants will complete a series of online self-report questionnaires before being randomly assigned to read either the CPA GAD Fact Sheet or CPA Insomnia Fact Sheet. Our goal is to recruit 300 participants. To date, 279 participants have participated. Our findings could provide a greater understanding of the role of implicit theories in worry and GAD, and may also have implications for the treatment of worry.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Alexander Penney & Dr. Michele Moscick
Enhancing Career Services engagement: understanding accessibility and awareness among third year students & above
No full textDespite the comprehensive range of services offered by MacEwan University\u27s Career Services, there is a notable gap in student awareness and utilization of these resources. This report aimed to develop and implement marketing strategies that will boost visibility and use among students, ensuring they are well-informed about the available services that can aid in their career development. The research also aimed to understand students’ needs from Career Services regarding flexibility, accessibility, and specific career support. The objective was to identify which services are beneficial to MacEwan students and determine the best ways to deliver them. The research design employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The quantitative component utilized a Google Form survey distributed through campus-wide emails and posters, resulting in 396 valid responses. Stratified sampling was used to ensure equal representation across five faculties, with 125 students selected using Excel’s RAND() function. The qualitative component involved guided interviews to gain deeper emotional and behavioral understanding. Major findings showed career planning and resume reviews were the most used services, while LinkedIn help and interview prep were under-utilized. Posters and the MacEwan Website were the most effective communication channels. Most students had 1–2 hours of free time in the afternoon. Recommendations include faculty partnerships, expanded on-campus advertising, faculty-specific targeting, increasing MacEwan website visibility, portal restructuring, aligning service hours with student availability, and correcting misconceptions.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fernando Angulo-Rui