MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Imperialist Consequences and Contemporary Crisis: A Comparative Analysis of Human Trafficking in Ukraine and Canada
No full textHuman trafficking is a highly intersectional problem as the victim pool, perpetration, and assumptions regarding these dynamics are largely intertwined with positions of power, race, gender, and other social factors. This paper will focus on power in the form of imperialism as a critical extenuating factor for trafficking. Imperialism is the aggressive enforcement of one nation onto another, which can include colonialism, systemic oppression of minorities, and increased victimization of those not part of an imperialistic force. This paper compares Canadian and Ukrainian students\u27 perceptions of the hypothesized relationship between imperialism and human trafficking, specifically within these countries. By elucidating how power disparities aid in recruiting, transporting, and transferring individuals for exploitation translates to a better assessment of how to educate and prevent future trafficking cases. Interviews with research participants supplemented the literature, creating a consensus linking colonial/imperialistic forces and the heightened risk Indigenous populations face within Canada. Similarly, research underscored how the current war in Ukraine, a contemporary example of imperialistic invasion, has translated into an increase in human trafficking cases. These findings substantiate the correlation between imperialism and human trafficking. This connection should be further exhausted with a larger sample size to further illuminate human trafficking crime trends and the bias that denies justice to specific populations
Bridging Cultures in Care: A Narrative Review of Strategies for Internationally Educated Nurses to Navigate End-of-Life Practices in Host Countries
No full textInternationally Educated Nurses are an important part of the global nursing workforce, particularly in countries experiencing nursing shortages. Internationally Educated Nurses contribute substantially to delivering end-of-life care, bringing diverse cultural perspectives and experiences that can enhance patient outcomes. Cultural sensitivity is crucial in end-of-life settings to ensure that patients\u27 values, beliefs, and preferences are respected, ultimately improving the quality of care. This narrative review aims to explore how Internationally Educated Nurses can effectively navigate end-of-life care to align with the standard expectations and practices of their host countries. A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Articles (n=100) were uploaded to Zotero. After two rounds of review, five (n=5) articles were included in the final dataset. The narrative review revealed four major themes: 1) Cultural Competence and Integration; 2) Communication Barriers and Strategies; 3) Education and Training; and 4) Ethical Considerations in End-of-Life Care. This review illustrates that Internationally Educated Nurses face various challenges adapting to the cultural, linguistic, and ethical demands of end-of-life care in their host countries. However, cultural competence and communication proficiency can be achieved with education, training, and support to deliver high-quality, culturally sensitive care
Unmasking Chatbots\u27 Multiple Personalities: A Student-Faculty Collaboration
No full textHumans have long anthropomorphized non-human entities, attributing human characteristics to objects like cars, sports equipment, and dolls. This tendency has intensified with connected devices and generative AI tools that simulate human interactions, producing sophisticated, human-like responses. If AI tools were personified based on their interaction and communication styles, what personalities might they embody? How could they be visually represented? What pedagogical opportunities could they reveal? These questions initiated the first phase of a practice-led project exploring AI personifications through a creative, collaborative pedagogical approach involving design students and faculty members. During an undergraduate design course, the faculty-student team used several generative AI tools for a project and reflected on their interactions by identifying various personalities the AI embodied. Each personality was named, described, and visually represented using generative AI illustration tools. The team identified six AI personalities: the assistant, the angel, the erudite, the slacker, the bullshitter, and the stalker. This project aims to contribute to emerging discussions about AI integration in education by offering a creative approach to support students and instructors who are navigating rapidly evolving technological interactions. By anthropomorphizing AI interactions, the team sought to enhance understanding of human-AI dynamics and potentially help develop AI literacy skills. The team also explores and reflects on a pedagogical approach that emphasizes student and faculty collaboration, creating a shared learning environment through a creative knowledge-building activity. This article presents the first phase of the project, offering early findings, exploring potential educational implications, and presenting future research directions
Racial Justice and Contentious Politics: The Impact of Racial Bias in Employment.
No full textContentious politics focuses attention on collective actions and lobbying efforts to remedy injustices, particularly in the workplace, where racial inequalities continue to influence hiring procedures, promotions, and compensation. Despite anti-discrimination legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racial and ethnic prejudice continues to limit economic possibilities and exacerbate systemic disparities. Subtle kinds of bias, such as implicit and aversive racism, worsen the problem, influencing hiring decisions and maintaining socioeconomic disparities. Case studies from the United States, Brazil, and Malaysia show that racial bias in the workplace is a global problem, showing itself in behaviors such as neighborhood-based recruitment, cultural stereotyping, and implicit preference for dominant ethnic groups. Intersectionality exacerbates these processes, as those who face many forms of discrimination, such as race and gender, are marginalized even more. Emerging solutions, such as the use of artificial intelligence for blind hiring, diverse hiring committees, and broad policy changes, have the potential to reduce bias and promote inclusivity. However, establishing actual racial justice necessitates confronting both apparent and unconscious biases, as well as removing structural inequities entrenched in historical and systematic oppression. By promoting fair employment practices, societies may maximize the potential of a diverse workforce and promote equitable economic opportunities for all
Joan of Arc - A Study in Virginal Power and Female Autonomy
No full textThis paper examines the life of Joan of Arc, a visionary and military leader from fifteenth-century France, through contemporary records and later posthumous interpretations by admirers and detractors alike to determine if Joan was able to achieve autonomy in her brief career, and if so, by what methods. Using these resources, it argues that Joan was clearly able to achieve an unprecedented level of political and military autonomy for a common woman in fifteenth-century Europe by using the holy notions of virginity and divine connection that has allowed many mystics and visionaries to ascend beyond their stations throughout history. Furthermore, it considers the gendered notions of clothing that were clearly at play, as many considered Joan to be ‘dressing as a man’ and changing her identity to achieve her goals, an argument that this paper disagrees with based on the evidence
"Being Without Restriction": Contemporary Sociological Theory and the Gender Anti-Binary
No full textCanada and the US have seen recent increases in transphobic attitudes and policies, under the guise of “parental rights” or adherence to tradition. Trans people are often painted as predators attempting to indoctrinate children into "gender ideology," and any deviance from the cisgender, male-female binary are seen as inherently dangerous or inappropriate, misconstruing and preventing trans liberation. Using sociological theories from Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the Frankfurt School, and Judith Butler, I propose a path beyond this transphobic discourse: redefine gender devoid of any and all labels and categories. This anti-binary attitude puts the emphasis on embodied experience, such that gender is centred around personal joy and self-awareness rather than external, societal criteria. With this anti-binary in place, gender liberation will extend not only to trans individuals, but to all individuals facing pressure from the gender culture industry.
Faculty Mentor: Annaliese Pop
The Lived Experience of Being a Caregiver for a Family Member With a Terminal Illness
No full textFamily Caregivers are the invisible healthcare providers within our society, comprising a substantial portion of the population, with 1 in 4 Canadians stepping into this role at some point in their lives. Often, when we hear of death, our first instinct is to avoid its path, but for caregivers of terminally ill loved ones, confronting mortality is an unavoidable reality. Caring for a terminally ill family member carries unique challenges and responsibilities and places significant demands on caregivers, who play a vital yet often overlooked role. Despite their indispensable role, caregivers\u27 experiences are not fully understood, and nurses lack the necessary tools and knowledge to support them adequately.
We will be exploring the lived experiences and responsibilities of caregivers for terminally ill family members, shedding light on the physical, emotional, and financial burdens they bear. Through a comprehensive exploration of the literature, we will uncover caregivers\u27 multifaceted roles, from providing physical care and emotional support to serving as advocates and decision-makers. We will then discuss the profound impact of caregiving demands on caregivers\u27 physical and mental health. By gaining a deeper understanding of their experiences, we can better equip healthcare professionals and the healthcare system to meet family caregivers\u27 needs. Additionally, this research allows us to examine how we may address the system to support this population. Given that anyone may find themselves in a caregiving position at some point in their lives, this topic holds profound implications for all individuals, making it an imperative area of study and intervention.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lisa McKendrick-Calde
Deadly Roads for Frogs and Toads: A Spatial Study of Amphibian Road Mortalities and Culvert Locations in Elk Island National Park
No full textRoad mortalities involving amphibians and reptiles are an unfortunate consequence of linear disturbances across landscapes. With the expansion of populated areas and the need to access remote locations via vehicle, roads are required, but their impact is greater than just their physical footprint. Mitigation efforts, such as the installation of culverts, are one option of reducing road mortalities among amphibian and reptile populations. Amphibians and reptiles are by far the group with the highest mortality rate due to vehicle impacts. Elk Island National Park, located east of Edmonton, Alberta, offers an excellent opportunity to look at the correlation between road mortality incidences and culvert locations. The main parkway receives hundreds of thousands of vehicle visitors annually, and, with culverts already installed throughout the road network, the analysis of the mortality frequency and location of adjacent culverts should be evident. By examining the spatial relationship between road mortality incidences and culvert access we hope to find a workable solution for amphibian populations.
Faculty Mentor: John Fedoru
Decolonizing Journalism Education: Integrating Global Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Upholding Educational Sovereignty
No full textThis essay explores the concept of decolonizing journalism education through the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems, focusing on educational sovereignty. Drawing from the story of my grandmother—an African Indigenous woman skilled in pottery, traditional medicine, and storytelling—it highlights how Indigenous knowledge offers a rich, immersive learning experience outside formal schooling. These practices, rooted in cultural heritage and holistic understanding, challenge the rigid structures of Western education. By integrating Michelle Bishop’s framework of Indigenous education sovereignty, which includes elements such as intergenerational reciprocity, agency, time, pattern thinking, country, and relationality, this essay advocates for an innovative and transformative approach to journalism education. The essay also uses the work of Indigenous scholars from Canada, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand to provide a global perspective on educational sovereignty. It argues for moving beyond simply adding Indigenous content to reimagining education that centres Indigenous ways of knowing. Through this framework, journalism programs can become more inclusive, fostering a dynamic learning environment that values deep cultural understanding and self-determination
Attempts to Build Community: How Independent Bookstores Contribute to Culture
No full textThis study focuses on comparing the book culture of Glass Bookshop in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with Lighthouse Bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. Each independent bookstore has a social narrative, portrayed as a space where communities gather and is important to the local community fabric. Glass Bookshop and Lighthouse Bookshop have left-leaning, socio-political social narratives. Different aspects of each bookstore’s websites, store events, and customer habits were compared and contrasted using qualitative data analysis. It was found that Lighthouse Bookshop appears more established in its book culture and community interactions than Glass Bookshop, which appeared to be more disconnected in its portrayal and interactions. Glass Bookshop closed in February 2024, so the study cannot be replicated