UNews - www.uleth.ca/research_profiles

5 Questions with Dr. Elizabeth Galway

trevor.kenney — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 21:25:16 +0000

Dr. Elizabeth Galway has been a faculty member in the Department of English since 2003 where she teaches courses in Canadian literature, children's literature and nineteenth-century literature. She is the author of From Nursery Rhymes to Nationhood: Children's Literature and the Construction of Canadian Identity (Routledge 2008), and is currently working on a book about children's literature and the First World War.

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

I have a variety of different research interests but my primary research areas are children's literature and Canadian literature. I became interested in these subjects while I was completing work for my master's degree in English literature. I was studying at Durham ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the north of England at the time and I was conscious of the fact that the English literature that I had read as a Canadian child had shaped my expectations about life in England, and had led directly to my desire to live and study in Britain. These thoughts about the continuing resonance of children's literature in my own life were the first step towards my reconsideration of the apparent simplicity of the genre. I became interested in exploring what one might call "adult themes" in children's literature, and started to consider how literature for children is inextricably bound up with issues of concern to adults.

Dr. Elizabeth Galway believes that children's literature has a profound effect on the attitudes we carry as adults.

Living in England gave me a better understanding of British literature and culture, but it also heightened my awareness of my own status as a Canadian. I began to consider the extent to which the literature read in childhood influences how Canadians perceive themselves, and how others perceive them. I have been able to combine my interests in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Canadian and British literature and to explore how children's literature reflects and influences attitudes towards nationalism, imperialism, gender and citizenship.

How is your research applicable in "the real world?"

We should not consider scholarly research as something separate from "the real world," since the work being conducted across different disciplines is applicable to many aspects of everyday life. Although my current project about WWI has me studying literature written nearly one hundred years ago, it has direct relevance to events taking place today. I recently published an article on the portrayal of child soldiers in WWI literature that can help us understand current debates about the use of underage fighters. Exploring literary portrayals of child contributions to the First World War can help us understand contemporary definitions of childhood that simultaneously include a longing to protect children, a need to shape them into "good citizens", and a desire to give them a sense of confidence and agency.

First World War children's literature may have also had a lasting impact on how Canadians viewed the nation, its role in the world, and concepts of citizenship and patriotism. Canada has not ceased to be engaged in military activity in different parts of the globe, so understanding earlier attitudes towards armed conflict can help us better comprehend our current place in the world.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

Every time that I accomplish something that is part of the job, whether it be receiving a grant, generating a great class discussion, or receiving a copy of one of my publications, I feel a sense of excitement. The most recent achievement that I am very proud of is my role in helping to establish the Institute of Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. This institute represents a major step forward in facilitating interdisciplinary relationships between scholars working in different areas related to childhood studies.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

My desire to become a university professor arose directly from my own love of being a student; so creating a positive experience for students is something that is very important to me. There is a direct link between my research and my teaching and I am often able to include readings on my courses that stem directly from my research trips. For example, on my reading list for Canadian Literature 1867-1914, I have included a number of stories and articles that are long out of print, but which provide students with a more complete picture of what early Canadians were reading. The SSHRC grant for my project on WWI has also enabled me to hire several students as research assistants. They've been a real help to me, and have had the opportunity to conduct hands-on research by visiting libraries and museums, and working with primary source material from the war period. The study of literature can be a very solitary pursuit, so it has been wonderful to have this opportunity to work with students outside of the classroom and to share ideas about the material that is being studied.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

If I had unlimited funds, I would invest in every area of research! The real question is how to decide what projects to support when the funds are limited. The short answer is that we need to strike a balance. After all, what good would it do to invent an iPod or a Kindle, if there was no music to listen to and no literature to read?

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Research and Innovation Services website at www.uleth.ca/research_profiles.

This story first appeared in the June 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

5 Questions with Dr. Elizabeth Galway

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:13:37 +0000

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

Dr. Elizabeth Galway believes that children's literature has a profound effect on the attitudes we carry as adults.

How is your research applicable in "the real world?"

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

How important are students to your research endeavours?

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

This story first appeared in the June 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

5 Questions with Dr. Carly Adams

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:38:04 +0000

Dr. Carly Adams joined the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in July 2007. Adams is a social and cultural historian working at the intersections of sport history and sport sociology. Her research interests lie in the study of 20th century Canadian sport, gender, regional and local history, oral history and women's sport governance. She is particularly drawn to research methods that allow her to talk to people about their sport and leisure experiences of the past and ask them how they make sense of and remember their experiences within the context of their lives and the world around them.

Most recently, Adams has received funding (with Dr. Hart Cantelon) through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Sport Participation Research Initiative to explore issues of community revitalization and rural survival in southern Alberta through a case study of the Warner Hockey School in Warner, Alta. This project looks at the social determinants that led to the establishment of the school, its purposes, both imagined and actual, and the underlying role that high performance sport might play in rural community survival. She will present her findings at a Women Scholars Speaker Series event on Mar. 25, 12 to 2 p.m. in Andy's Place (AH100).

Adams received her PhD in Sport History at The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario in 2007. A paper from her dissertation won the North American Society for Sport History Graduate Student Essay Award.

Dr. Carly Adams delves into the history of sport and has done a great deal of work on the history of women's hockey.

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

I have always loved history and learning about the past. During my undergraduate studies in human kinetics and sport management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor, several influential professors piqued my interest in social history, oral history and the relevance of sport, leisure and recreation to our understanding of the past. However, I was also surprised by how few sport historians researched and wrote about gender and women's sport/recreation experiences. In 2000, I was chosen to participate in a one-semester exchange to Deakin ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Melbourne, Australia. While in Melbourne I interned with the Melbourne Football Club. The Aussie club had a full time sport historian on staff dedicated to the team – and from there I was hooked! I attended my first North American Society for Sport History conference in 2001 and discovered that there was a group of scholars dedicated to this type of research and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. My PhD dissertation project was largely based on oral histories with women who played industrial, recreational and playground sports in London, Ont. during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. As soon as I completed my first oral history interview, I knew how important memory and voice were going to be to how I wanted to "do" history.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

A historical understanding is relevant to all of us – past practices in any situation are valuable and important. It doesn't matter what career one is in, understanding experiences and happenings of the past will guide, shape and challenge how we think about the present and make decisions about the future. I have been fortunate to collaborate with various public institutions such as sports halls of fame and I have also recently published a book, aimed at ages 12 and up, about the Preston Rivulettes, a women's hockey team that competed in the 1930s. I am committed to disseminating my research beyond the borders of academia.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

Every time I have an article accepted for publication, or I am asked to consult with a public institution (for example the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and The National Commemoration Board of Parks Canada), or receive a research grant – it is an honour.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

Students are central to my research. I have had many student research assistants work closely with me on various projects. I also believe it is very important that we bring our research to the classroom. My greatest challenge as an educator is to encourage students to think critically about the world around them, to ask questions and express different perspectives. I use many examples from my research in class and encourage students to discuss and critically engage with the projects I am working on. Some of my favourite teaching moments have been listening to students discuss and challenge something I've written or offer a different perspective that challenges me to rethink the direction of a project.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

If I had unlimited funds, I would invest in ALL areas of research! Related to my own field, I would invest in regional, local and oral history in rural communities. These histories tend not to get much academic attention, and we risk forgetting these important ties to our past.

This story first appeared in the March 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - www.uleth.ca/research_profiles

5 Questions with Dr. Elizabeth Galway

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5 Questions with Dr. Elizabeth Galway

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5 Questions with Dr. Carly Adams

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