MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Weaving Womanhood: Unraveling the Complexity of Women’s Agency in the Viking Age
No full textGender identity and women’s roles within the Viking Age (8th-11th CE) has long been a subject for inquiry, competing against Victorian gender norms and patriarchal bias, the idea that women had any power was only a subject for sagas and myths. Consequently, they have been interpreted as occupying a private and secluded domestic space. However, women’s agency can be unraveled by exploring mortuary and grave good analysis, along with a focus on textile production and the creation of cloth as currency. Evidence uncovered showcases women’s ability to negotiate their roles, achieving high levels of status, portraying women’s domesticity in a more public light, allowing them agency within a world of men. Historical and Archaeological analysis supports that Norse women were the primary weavers, responsible in the production of cloth. Textile production was an important commodity for trade within the Viking Age and its prevalence in urban centers suggests that women maintained a central position in the earliest economies of Scandinavia’s Viking Age towns. Furthermore, the prevalence of woven cloth may have been a precursor to the reliance of textiles as a currency within the Medieval period of Scandinavia. For example, women’s agency was amplified by the creation of vađmal (home spun cloth) which became the primary form of currency in twelfth century Iceland, escalating women to the helm of the economy.
Department: Anthropology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cynthia Zutte
Visual Commentary on Unseen Characters in Response to How to Pronounce Knife
No full text“Mary believed there were two kinds of people in the world. There were those that were seen and those who were not. Mary considered herself one of the latter.” Many characters in How to Pronounce Knife, by Souvankham Thammavongsa, can be considered ‘unseen.’ Despite their invisibility, each short story gives its characters the chance to be seen by the reader and have their voice heard. It is essential to recognize the importance of their final thoughts and actions in their stories because their impact is more substantial than anything their loud counterparts have done or said. This postcard series highlights the importance of what the ‘unseen’ characters are thinking, shown through found poetry. The imagery being used is highlighting specific moments in each story. These characters from Slingshot, The School Bus Driver and The Gas Station are shown through the use of black and white. They are more withdrawn characters but still interesting, so the postcards rely more heavily on texture and details to depict their situation. By using found poetry, the viewer can better understand the progression and development of each character. It highlights ‘unseen’ characters, blocking the louder characters the same way they are depicted in their stories.
Department: Design
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pache
Pupil: A Web-based Application for Grading Multiple Choice Exams
No full textAn alternative to Scantron exam grading, Pupil is a web-based application that allows for the grading of multiple choice bubble-style exams via the uploading of the scanned exams to a website where the results can then be downloaded directly. Pupil’s bubble-style exam sheets can be printed in the required quantities on regular paper, the exam administered, and thereafter graded all within a day, cutting the need for expensive and time-consuming Scantron infrastructure. Using a computer vision library and web-based technologies, the application is programmed to recognize the answers filled in by students, compare those to the provided answer keys, and to then provide results and reporting back to the Instructor via the same website. By reducing the time and costs associated with grading exams in an institution of MacEwan University’s size, it is estimated that a Scantron replacement could save the institution hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. It would also reduce the number of opportunities for human error as well as the security risk of having student exam information physically transported between multiple locations. The current turnaround time per exam is five to seven business days and, during peak exam periods, Pupil is able to return that same exam by the following day.
Department: Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cameron Macdonel
The Roundness of Tongues
No full textThis creative nonfiction article will not only show how harmful the objectification and aestheticization of reptiles is, but it will also prove that in finding the humanity in reptiles, we can find the humanity within ourselves.
Department: English
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Mark Smith and Dr. Chris Hutchinso
Traumayana: Nachtraglichkeit and Interaction of Traumas Across Time and Scale in Minekura Kazuya\u27s Saiyuki and Saiyuki:Reload
No full textWhile pioneers of trauma studies such as Cathy Caruth and Shosana Felman have focused on cultural trauma’s permutations and representations in literature, psychologists and psychiatrists have broadened the knowledge of the causes, manifestations, and treatments of trauma in the individual. Recent scholarship around trauma has also reached back to Freud’s theory of Nachträglichkeit – generally translated as “afterwardsness” – which loosely means a breakdown of temporality in the face of new information or experience to allow a re-inscription of previous experience or trauma. As such, Nachträglichkeit provides a possible bridge between personal, specific instances of trauma and those created at a larger or cultural level. Japanese author Minekura Kazuya’s Saiyuki manga series is a loose retelling of the ancient Chinese legend of The Journey to the West, in which the protagonists’ personal traumatic histories intersect with a present cultural calamity. This situation simultaneously insists upon and refuses re-inscription of those previous traumas. Moreover, the present situation reaches back to trouble their perceptions of previous traumas, without allowing them to become re-inscribed with new understanding. I will employ the works of trauma theorists to show how the present-continuous nature of the overarching calamity in Saiyuki refuses present ability to assimilate traumatic experience in protagonist Sha Gojyo.
Department: English
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Dave Buchanan and Dr. Svitlana Kry
Process-Deposition Model for Target Surveys of Late-Pleistocene, Early-Holocene Natural Sites
No full textWest-central Alberta is a part of the “Ice-Free Corridor” (IFC), including regions a part of the earliest ice-free sections of land within continental Canada in the latter end of the late- Pleistocene. Recent evidence suggests the IFC may have been biologically viable at least ca. 13,000 years ago, but histories of its earliest human occupation(s) is contentious and dedicated explorations are limited. Stagnant sedimentation through the Holocene and a paucity of organic materials in these deposits further inhibit the establishment of the cultural chronologies of the corridor. For this, a process-depositional model was developed as a tool for the assessment for archaeological potential and surveys. The model recognizes the elevated depositional potential of soils atop topographies with concave geometries along the lower margins of raised, Late- Pleistocene/Early Holocene aged landforms. Field application of this survey approach occurred in the Summer of 2021 tested the relative reporting of soil depths at several locations across west-central Alberta, targeting Early Holocene eolian landforms. Under one hundred shovel tests were preformed, yielding 2 positive results within mapped regions. One test came during a site reinvestigation of known surface scatter: the other a distinct site in an under sampled region. Early results indicate the presence of cultural materials over mapped regions at a similar rate as the regional rate, but more widespread application of this survey method is needed. It is recommended that current survey strategies be adapted to sample a wider variety of landforms and landform elements, where physical location and geometry positively influence soil deposition.
Department: Physical Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robin Woywitk
Sluts and Mini-Skirts: Do Cognitive Load and Processing Mode Influence Stereotypical Thinking About Sexual Consent?
No full textJudgements can be based on effortful deliberation or generated quickly and automatically. Whether we are “thinking slow” or “thinking fast” can influence the outcome of our judgements and decisions. For instance, whether we are thinking more automatically or deliberately when judging others can influence how stereotypical our judgements are (Monteith, Woodcock, & Gulker; 2013). Building a culture of consent requires that people recognize and avoid stereotyped and erroneous beliefs about sex, gender, roles and responsibilities. This research project aims to examine whether stereotypical responding to stories about sexual consent failures occurs more when people’s responses are the product of quick and automatic thinking. Participants will be asked to read vignettes depicting sexual encounters; vignettes will include contextual information to support stereotypical thinking. Presentation of the vignette and single versus dual-task conditions will be varied between participants to encourage more or less reliance on thinking fast compared to thinking slow. We expect to see higher levels of stereotypical thinking for those operating under cognitive load and in conditions that encourage thinking fast. Understanding when stereotypical thinking is more likely in sexual consent scenarios can help reduce or correct potential errors in judgment.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aimee Sky
He Said, She Said, They Said: The Influence of Sex and Gender on Victim Credibility
No full textStudies have demonstrated that gender minorities experience heightened rates of physical and sexual violence victimization relative to cisgendered persons, however little is known regarding how these victims are perceived by prospective jurors. The present study will utilize a between subject multivariate design evaluating measures of victim credibility and perpetrator guilt. Victims in an ambiguous assault trial will be depicted as either cisgender, transgender, or non- binary, which will vary according to their biological sex (i.e., female, male, no biological information), gender identity (woman, man, non-binary), and type of assault involved (sexual or physical). Participant gender identity also will be considered, with the goal of obtaining a broader sample of non-binary persons by including both student and community sampling methods. All participants will read a fictitious trial transcript and complete a case judgment questionnaire (as mock jurors). Measures of participant bias in relation to gender and sexual identity also will be included, such as the Gender Queer Identity Scale and the Attitudes Towards Transgender Men and Women Scale. We anticipate that non-binary and transgender victims of sexual assault will be rated as less credible than their binary, cisgendered peers. With regards to physical assault, we anticipate that the perception of non-binary and transgender individuals will not influence victim credibility. This study informs our understanding of the influence of biased perceptions on the credibility of sexual and physical assault victims.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristine Peac
Communicating Consent: Testing Taxonomy Based Training Methods
No full textPrevious research has found that our practices in relation to sexual consent are heavily influenced by the knowledge and training we have on the topic. While consent training contributes to our understanding of this critical concept, best practices in learning principles and knowledge translation suggest that more can be done to create effective and durable training programs. The use of virtual platforms for training also requires adept considerations as to impactful training modalities. As such, the present study was designed to assess the extent to which varied methods of virtual training produce a better understanding of consent. Using a mixed methods design, participants will be exposed to one of six virtual consent training procedures that vary according to the visual modality of presentation (basic/graphic) and level of learning taxonomy (low/mid/high). Measures of consent attitudes, rape myth acceptance, and consent knowledge will be assessed both before and after training to evaluate changes in both understanding and application. We anticipate that training that is both visually impactful and aligns with high level learning principles will yield the greatest change in consent beliefs and knowledge. This study has implications for how consent training impacts individuals’ perceptions of consent and will be part of a larger study evaluating how durable consent training is over time.
Department: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristine Peac
Research Reflections: Student Experiences of a Systematic Literature Review on Social Care Strategies for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThere is currently no research that synthesizes, analyzes, and evaluates studies that looked into social care strategies in geriatric residential care settings in Canada. Funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), this systematic review aims to examine emerging evidence on social care strategies in residential care since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will identify current research gaps to provide recommendations for social workers and other professionals on future directions for social care for older adults, living in residential care settings. Conducting a systematic review requires time management, teamwork, and effective communication skills. Systematic reviews also follow a distinct and rigorous process. The presentation will focus on our experiences and learning as undergraduate research assistants in conducting a systematic literature review. We will also provide a status report of the research progress since August 2021.
School of Social Work
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Anna Azulai, Dr. Hongmei Tong and Alison Pitche