UNews - Department of Sociology

Drs. Tiffany Hind Bull-Prete and Matthew Bogard earn Canada Research Chair support

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 18:05:41 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has a new Canada Research Chair (CRC) and a second researcher has had his program renewed thanks to $311 million in funding announced today in support of the Government of Canada’s CRC program.

Apooyak’ii Dr. Tiffany Hind Bull-Prete, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and member of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), has been named a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Resiliency. Dr. Matthew

Dr. Tiffany Hind Bull-Prete is the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Resiliency. PHOTO courtesy of MoonSong Photography

Bogard, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, has had his Tier II CRC in Aquatic Environments renewed for a second term.

Hind Bull-Prete’s CRC appointment is focused on advancing research inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action 21 and 22.

“My work seeks to restore balance and resilience within Indigenous communities, with a particular focus on the Siksikaitsitapi,” she says. “Grounded in Blackfoot principles and conducting community driven research, my work will delve into the intergenerational trauma that has stemmed from colonial policies that severed familial and cultural ties, leaving a legacy of profound trauma.”

The initiative is dedicated to fostering meaningful relationships within the community, strengthening bonds and mutual support. Ultimately, Hind Bull-Prete’s research aspires to document and co-develop models of resilience in collaboration with community members, Elders, and leaders, illuminating how traditional teachings and innovative practices continue to empower the Blackfoot People to restore balance and cultivate a thriving community in the present day.

Dr. Matthew Bogard is the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Environments.

Hind Bull-Prete earned her Bachelor of Elementary Education, specializing in math and science, her Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy in Education all at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. She has held a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship, and was an inaugural recipient of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary's Provost's Postdoctoral Award for Indigenous and Black Scholars. She has been at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge since 2022.

As Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Environments, Bogard is exploring how aquatic ecosystems in the Canadian prairies — such as lakes, streams and reservoirs — are affected by these human activities.

By integrating biogeochemical and ecological approaches across scales — from tiny microbial habitats to the entire prairie region — he and his research team are identifying how various stressors are reshaping the cycling of nutrients, organic matter and potent greenhouse gases. Ultimately, their work will help address critical issues, such as the overabundance of nutrients in watersheds (eutrophication) and water quality loss. It will also support the move toward sustainable agriculture and nature-based climate solutions.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers to collaborate on projects funded by Partnership Grants

caroline.zentner — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 16:59:54 +0000

Several ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers are collaborating on recently announced projects funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grants.

“ULethbridge researchers involved in these projects are contributing their expertise to studies that have an impact across Canada and around the world,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge vice-president research. “Many research projects have an increasingly broad scope and depend on collaborations with researchers at other universities in Canada and abroad. These collaborations transform individual insight into collective knowledge and generate discoveries that a single researcher might not uncover alone.”

Dr. Lisa Starr, dean of the Faculty of Education, and Dr. Kaylan Schwarz, a professor in the School of Liberal Education, are involved in a project called TRANSFORM: Engaging with Young People for Social Change. The project is supported by a $2.5-million Partnership Grant from SSHRC and over $3 million in in-kind and cash contributions from partner universities and organizations.

The project is led by Dr. Claudia Mitchell from McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. The researchers will study how young people are pivotal agents of change in gender equality, particularly through visual arts. Using diverse art forms, such as photography, filmmaking, cellphilming (video shot on a cellphone or tablet camera), performance art and textile production, the TRANSFORM project will empower and champion youth-led agendas for transforming gender norms and inequalities. The study has field sites in Africa, South America and India.

Dr. Olu Awosoga, a Faculty of Health Sciences professor with expertise in quantitative research methods, is a co-applicant on a $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant to improve the well-being of Black children and youth in Canada. The project is led by Dr. Bukola Salami at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. The project focuses on experiences with the justice system, the education system, the child welfare system and immigration and settlement. Researchers will conduct a national survey focusing on Black children and youth in Canada — the first of its kind — to gather data on the lived experiences of Black youth.

Dr. Leroy Little Bear (BASc (BA’71), DASc ’04), vice-provost of Iniskim Indigenous Relations, is collaborating on a project led by Dr. Shalene Jobin of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. The Critical Approaches to Indigenous Relationality project is supported by a $2.5-million Partnership Grant.

A further project funded by a Partnership Grant and involving ULethbridge researchers is the already announced Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories of Performance project.

In addition, Dr. Kara Granzow, a sociology professor, is a co-applicant on a SSHRC program called the Reconciliation Network in Response to Call to Action 65 led by Dr. Vanessa Watts at McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. This joint initiative between the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and SSHRC supports the establishment of a national research program to advance the collective understanding of reconciliation. The project Re-Neighbouring as Reconciliation: Indigenous Stories of Resistance was awarded more than $975,000 over five years.

God is still doing reasonably well in the polls

caroline.zentner — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 23:53:58 +0000

A majority of Canadians continue to believe in God, according to the most recent national survey by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge sociologist Dr. Reginald Bibby.

Bibby has been charting the God numbers through national surveys from the mid-1970s to December of this year.

“God is not faring all that badly in the polls,” says Bibby. “Some 60 per cent of Canadians continue to believe in God and only 15 per cent say they definitely don’t. Those numbers represent a decline in clear-cut believers since the mid-1970s, but show that belief in God is still widespread in Canada.”

Over the years, the surveys have provided interesting insights about Canadians’ spiritual beliefs. His first Project Canada survey in 1975 found that only two per cent of Canadians said they didn’t believe in God. That figure has now increased to 16 per cent. In 1975, agnostics comprised six per cent of survey respondents; in 2020, agnostics comprise 13 per cent.

Bibby’s surveys have been able to track various age cohorts, including Baby Boomers. As Boomers have aged, they and their aging parents have been less inclined to express decisive belief in God. About one in 10 have opted for atheism.

Belief in God is slightly higher in Saskatchewan and the Atlantic regions, as it is among women and people born outside of Canada. Levels of belief are slightly lower among younger adults and university graduates.

As would be expected, belief in God is considerably higher among the 75 per cent of Canadians who identify with religious groups than it is among the 25 per cent who say they have no religion.

“The God findings provide a further reminder of the reality of the growing diverse responses to religion in Canada,” says Bibby. “This religious polarization includes individuals who can be described as pro-religious, low religious and no religious.”

Bibby’s latest survey finds that 25 per cent of Canadians are pro-religious, 45 per cent are low religious and about 30 per cent are no religious.

“During this time of year when faith has traditionally been on the minds of many, more Canadians than in the past have said goodbye to the gods. But large numbers — in fact the majority — have not,” says Bibby.

Bibby has been monitoring social trends in Canada for the past 45 years and making his findings publicly available. One of his most recent religion books is Resilient Gods: Being Pro-Religious, Low Religious, or No Religious in Canada. This latest survey was conducted in partnerships with Andrew Grenville and Maru/Blue Research using a representative online sample of 3,029 people.

Dr. Robert Wood named Interim Vice-President (Research)

trevor.kenney — Thu, 28 May 2020 17:27:51 +0000

Dr. Robert Wood is set to take over the lead role in expanding the research footprint of one of the country’s top research institutions as the newly appointed Interim Vice-President (Research) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Dr. Robert Wood assumes oversight of an ever-expanding research portfolio at the U of L.

Wood has served the U of L as a dean for nearly a decade; first as the Dean of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, and more recently as the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. He assumes oversight of an ever-expanding research portfolio at the U of L. Consistently ranked among the top research institutions in the country, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ just opened the Science Commons in the past year, Canada’s foremost science teaching and research facility.

“I have been at the U of L for 20 years, and over that time it has been truly remarkable to see the trajectory of growth we have experienced with respect to the scope, quality and impact of our creative activity and research,” says Wood. “This trajectory of research elevation is supported by talented colleagues, students and postdoctoral fellows spanning every academic discipline. In my capacity as the Interim Vice-President (Research), I look forward to cultivating and mobilizing research success in every Faculty, school and campus in our vibrant university.”

Wood’s own research interests span the areas of social problems, youth culture, addiction and the sociocultural aspects of problem gambling. He says he feels “particularly fortunate to have stewarded a collaborative research program that has made significant national and international impacts on the policy and prevention environment related to problem gambling.”

Wood came to the U of L in 2000 as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology. He was promoted to associate professor in 2006, and then to the rank of professor in 2013. In 2018, his academic position migrated to the Faculty of Health Sciences, where he eventually assumed the role of dean, and where he continues to supervise graduate students. He earned his BA Honours at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in 1995, an MA from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto in 1997, and his PhD at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in 2001, all in sociology.

“Dr. Wood has a great breadth of experience that will serve him extremely well in this role,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, provost and vice-president (academic). “As an accomplished educator, researcher and now administrator, he has the broad perspective that is essential in guiding a complex research portfolio at a comprehensive institution such as the U of L.”

Wood’s experience goes far beyond the walls of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as he has represented the U of L in a number of external roles. He has served as president of the Western Canadian Deans of Graduate Studies (WCDGS), secretary-treasurer for the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) and as a Western Regional representative on the board of directors for the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Administrators (CAPA).

“I have always maintained that graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are the engines of research at a comprehensive university. They advance the frontiers of knowledge through their creative activity and their research. My external administrative service allowed me to gain a deep and a nuanced perspective on how graduate student and post-doctoral researchers are supported at other Canadian universities, as well as best practices for creating an overall university experience that allows them to thrive,” he says.

Wood has extensive knowledge and experience in managing and structuring multi-million-dollar budgets to achieve strategic priorities. He is also keenly supportive of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s continued push to foster industry and stakeholder connections that will advance research programs on campus while also creating meaningful change in the local community and beyond.

“The U of L has long embraced our president’s vision of being a community-engaged university. For me, this means the work we do as ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, both in teaching and research, should have a meaningful and transformative impact on our communities and our broader society,” says Wood. “I look forward to supporting our researchers in forging stronger external industry, stakeholder and community connections that will be mutually beneficial. I am particularly committed to supporting connective research and creative activity that will honour the Calls to Action of the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and which will advance our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ objectives related to equity, diversity and inclusion.”

Wood’s role as Interim Vice-President (Research) is for 13 months and commences June 1, 2020. The recent administrative appointments have filled a number of vacancies created with the departures of some key U of L senior leadership personnel who advanced to other Canadian post-secondary institutions.

U of L symposium to focus on digital audio arts and music sociology

caroline.zentner — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 17:10:59 +0000

Audio engineers and researchers from around the world will gather at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge on Friday, Feb. 14 for a one-day symposium titled Social Distinction in the 21st Recording Studio.

Organized by Drs. Amandine Pras, a professor of digital audio arts, and Athena Elafros, a professor of sociology, the symposium features hip-hop and electronic music experts, sound engineers, sociologists and ethnomusicologists from Alberta, Bamako (Mali), Paris, New York, Montréal and Toronto talking about upcoming generations of studio arrangers and recording producers.

“We organized this symposium to bring different people we’ve been working with together to exchange ideas,” says Pras.

One of the roundtables during the symposium centres on the two professors’ collaborative research, which examines social discrimination in the recording studio.

“Initial results show that for women and individuals who identify as transgender or nonbinary, the experience of discrimination and microaggressions are very high,” says Elafros.

Another session will centre on research Pras is involved in as part of an international team of 18 researchers. Looking at culture mediation and youth in West Africa, the project focuses on music production and how young generations manage traditions with globalization.

“West African societies are managed by elders,” says Pras. “Digital technology is a way for youth to cut through the hierarchy of their society. It’s really challenging the structure of the society.”

U of L students have been involved in both research projects and have helped analyze the data.

Study chronicling history of Alberta Gay Straight Alliances wins Parkland Institute Faculty Research Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:30:19 +0000

A new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research project that proposes to chronicle the history of Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) in the province of Alberta has been selected as the winner of the 2019 Parkland Institute Faculty Research Award.

Tif Semach, left, and Dr. Athena Elafros will work with undergraduate student Wednesday Culley on the collaborative research project.

The project, GSAs in Alberta: Past, Present, and Future, is a collaborative study led by Dr. Athena Elafros (assistant professor of sociology), sessional instructor Tif Semach (BA ’12, MA ’14) and fourth-year undergraduate student Wednesday Culley. The group aims to create a record of Alberta GSAs by capturing the oral histories of those involved from the early 2000s to the present. In addition to preserving these experiences for current and future policy analysis, the project will create a public repository and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the preservation of data in Canadian LGBTQ2S+ archives.

“I’m just really interested in capturing something that is so ephemeral. There really isn’t any record of this and it’s a really important thing for the queer community of which I identify as part of,” says Semach, who is also the community education coordinator for OUTreach Southern Alberta. “It’s also a chance to really track the evolution of LGBTQ rights in Alberta.”

Elafros researched GSAs as part of her doctoral program at McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and co-published two papers with, among others, Dr. Tina Fetner, current president of the Canadian Sociological Association. With an inherent interest in the topic, she began speaking with Semach and the idea for the project took shape.

Undergraduate student Wednesday Culley will play a key role in the research project.

“We really started talking about the fact that there is no record of this very important history in the province,” she says. “Working together, we came up with the idea to do the oral history component. Given my two colleagues’ connections in the community, we thought it’d be a good way to access participants and give them a chance to talk about their experiences and share them with other people who might be experiencing similar issues.”

Semach played a key role in starting the city’s first GSA, and only the second in the province, when she was a student at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) in 2003. A decade later, Culley was involved with the GSA at LCI, while Culley’s father worked as a board trustee for Lethbridge School District No. 51 and touted the implementation of safe and inclusive policies in the district.

“I’ve sort of lived and breathed these topics for a long time,” says Culley. “We’re primarily looking for people who have participated in GSAs, and it doesn’t matter the experience, just people who were involved with them in any capacity. Being able to access different people who have experienced things maybe two years ago versus 10 years ago allows us to see a wide array of experiences and how things have changed over time.”

The project will involve a lot of ground work and take place over the next year.

“We’re going to start here in Lethbridge and then kind of branch out to Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and hopefully some of the rural areas as well,” says Semach. “It’ll mainly just be a case of reaching out and letting people know we are doing this largely from a queer perspective, so we are working from within the community and are a safe voice looking to capture their stories.”

Elafros says the Parkland award is welcome recognition for the legitimacy of the study, especially in the current political climate. And while much of the current literature on GSAs is focused on the present, this study offers a historical perspective and will highlight broader outcomes.

“A lot of conventional historical accounts focus on people or groups with power, those without power or prominence often being left out,” says Dr. Trevor Harrison, U of L sociologist and director of the Parkland Institute. “The research being conducted by Dr. Elafros and her colleagues is important in addressing this absence. Additionally, because the present is always informed by the past, such research also points to contemporary issues of how the LGBTQ2S+ community still experiences prejudice and exclusion in Lethbridge.”

For Semach, the data they acquire will be integral for future programming and policy decisions.

“From the perspective of a community advocacy organization, a lot of what we are doing right now at OUTreach is looking at what our community needs,” she says. “Having access to data like we will be acquiring — the real, lived experience of people in Alberta — will allow us to then go out to organizations and advise perhaps on how policies should be focused. It’ll really allow for us to make decisions based on data.”

Canada’s millennials are an upgrade to previous generations

caroline.zentner — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 22:32:36 +0000

Contrary to popular opinion that millennials are entitled and narcissistic, three Alberta sociologists have found that millennials are not only looking good, but may well be an upgrade on previous generations.

In their newly released book, The Millennial Mosaic (Toronto: Dundurn), Drs. Reginald Bibby, from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and Joel Thiessen and Monetta Bailey from Calgary’s Ambrose ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, team up to provide an up-to-date reading on millennials, who are Canada’s youngest adults born since the mid-1980s and now reaching their 30s.

Dr. Reg Bibby

They draw on thousands of national surveys, past and present, to examine young people today and compare them to older Canadians both today and yesterday. No surprise, their research found that millennials love the internet and their smartphones. That love of technology, combined with higher levels of education, means millennials can expect to be the most informed generation in Canadian history. The research also shows millennials embrace the idea of diversity and are more inclined than older generations to accept social, demographic and lifestyle variations.

“Pluralism is in their DNA,” says Bibby. “Beyond embracing the idea of diversity, millennials maintain the need for a just and fair society.”

Dr. Joel Thiessen

While the research shows millennials are more likely than older generations to indicate they are troubled by the future and lack of money and time, it also shows most millennials have high hopes and expectations when it comes to education, careers, income, relationships and family. When the researchers looked at the levels of concern reported by young people from 1984 through 2000 and to 2016, they found rising levels of concern.

“These data point to changes that are taking place in society and the culture rather than changes that reflect the life cycle as people move from youth to early and middle adulthood,” says Thiessen. “They also reflect an information society where more problems than ever before are being identified.”

Dr. Monetta Bailey

When the researchers looked at the levels of personal concerns of young people in the mid-1980s and compared them to the levels the same cohort reported some 30 years later, they found that concern levels had decreased. They attribute the decrease to basic positive realities that, with the help of family, friends, professionals and other resources, young people learn how to live life as they get older.

“Where young people are now is not where they will be years from now,” says Bailey. “While personal concerns among millennials are pervasive, many will be resolved with time, just as they have been in the past. Emerging millennials have many positive features, with the majority saying they are either pretty happy or very happy, much like Gen Xers and baby boomers.”

Look into non/monogamous relationships earns student Parkland Institute Graduate Research Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 15:16:53 +0000

Jaisie Walker, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student in the Department of Women & Gender Studies, has been awarded the 2019 Parkland Institute Graduate Research Award for their project, Unsettling Lateral Violence: Queer Genealogies of Non/Monogamy in Southern Alberta.

Jaisie Walker has worked for the U of L’s Campus Women’s Centre and the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Society in Taber.

Walker, born in England and raised in Scotland before moving to Canada following their high school years, has worked on the frontlines of anti-violence programming and seen how the queer and non/monogamous communities are underserved by current policies on interpersonal violence.

“What I continuously saw was that the literature these programs were relying on for their anti-violence programming still framed relationships in a heterosexual and monogamous lens and it continuously relies on this narrative of a victim-perpetrator model,” says Walker, who has worked for the U of L’s Campus Women’s Centre and the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Society in Taber.

"For many LGBTQA2S+ people, non/monogamous relationships are seen as progressive and transgressive solutions to heteronormative violence. Consequently, non/monogamous relationships have become a way of mobilizing political values in an attempt to be more responsible, caring and loving. However, non/monogamies scholarship is beginning to outline significant constraints that factors such as race, gender and class have on negotiations of safety and desire in non/monogamous relationships. Furthermore, non/monogamous communities continue to express the need for community accountability and anti-violence models that move beyond punitive victim/perpetrator dichotomies."

Walker explains that, while the justice system still has its place in dealing with situations of interpersonal violence, most instances occur between people who have established loving, trusting relationships where criminal charges are not always a desirable outcome.

“When it comes to the queer community, for example, people don’t want to just rely on punitive justice frameworks,” says Walker. “When they are thinking about their relationships, they want to build sustainable new ways of doing things.

“Even in more progressive spaces, where a basic level of consent and agency is often emphasized, it can still be really difficult to identify, understand, communicate and navigate solutions around experiences of violence. This is especially fraught and complicated in LGBTQA2S+ contexts, where platonic and romantic community is relied on for survival, social and familial types of support, and the consequences of a punitive justice framework aren't sustainable. By using lateral violence as an anchor, a concept which acknowledges the peer-to-peer and structural components of violence, I’m hoping to create space for these community dynamics to be better addressed.”

Walker’s proposed study will utilize a participatory-action research approach. They look to gather 15 participants to photographically document community assets and concerns around violence, safety and accountability, critically discuss the resulting images, and communicate their desires for change with policymakers, educators and program developers through a participant-led public exhibit.

They gained approval from the Parkland Institute adjudicators for presenting a “well-prepared application with clear relevance to the communities of interest, and public policy applications.” The adjudicators also made note of the interdisciplinary nature of the project as it touches several fields of work while connecting to rural policy and governance issues.

“Verbalizing relationships can be really difficult, and interviews can be really difficult,” says Walker. “In PhotoVoice, participants are really leading what they produce. It’s exciting because this particular topic crosses over critical rural studies, feminist geographies, queer theory, anti-violence literature, gender studies, art—you can make this applicable in so many different kinds of fields.”

Dr. Trevor Harrison, U of L sociologist and director of the Parkland Institute, says Walker’s project is an excellent example of the breadth of research U of L students are involved in at the graduate level.

“Parkland supports research that pushes the boundaries of so-called common-sense understandings of the world, opening up instead avenues for greater dialogue,” he says. “Despite some legal gains in recent years, the LGBTQA2S+ community still faces many challenges, as Jaisie’s project highlights. Their submission was clear, well-articulated, and frankly exciting. We look forward to the results of their research.”

Dr. Robert Wood appointed as new dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 22:20:48 +0000

Accomplished administrator and researcher Dr. Robert Wood has been appointed dean of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Wood, who has served in a similar role as Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and subsequently Dean of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs since 2011, is excited about the opportunity to continue to elevate the profile of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

“When I consider the programmatic growth of the Faculty over the past decade, the diversity of the professions, the stellar academic research taking place and the commitment to honouring the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I know that our Faculty has an exemplary future,” he says.

Wood says the Faculty is alive with activity and boasts a collegial group that is continually moving ahead with relevant, community-minded programming and research.

“I’ve always admired the energy and the work ethic of health sciences colleagues and staff. Working together, I know that we will further elevate the identity and the impact of our Faculty,” he says. “When I first came here, they’d just transitioned from being a school of nursing to a school of health sciences. Over the years, they’ve added different professions and the research portfolio has expanded. There’s now this growing cadre of sociocultural researchers of health, such as myself, and I think we may want to start to envision what our Faculty will look like in the future.”

Wood, whose research interests span the areas of social problems, youth culture, addiction, and the sociocultural aspects of problem gambling, came to the U of L in 2000 and began teaching as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology. He chaired the department in 2010, and was tenured as a full professor in 2013. He earned his BA Honours at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in 1995, completed a master’s at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto in 1997 and his PhD at the U of A in 2001, all in sociology. In 2018, he was successful in his application to become a full professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, where he continues to maintain involvement in research and graduate supervision.

“Dr. Wood has proven over the years to be a strong presence in the classroom, an excellent researcher and a forward-thinking administrator,” says Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Andy Hakin. “His stewardship of the School of Graduate Studies led to impressive growth for our graduate programming and we fully expect the Faculty of Health Sciences to continue to enhance its profile under his leadership.”

Wood once admitted he never envisioned an administrative role when he began his career in academia but soon found a comfort level in the responsibilities of leadership.

“I miss teaching, absolutely, and felt it was a privilege to be a faculty member, but for me, being an administrator was the first time I really felt I was doing my best work. Administrative work is where I feel the most comfortable and I want to keep doing this kind of work,” he says. “I find it energizing and motivating, and particularly with our group in health sciences. When you’re able to initiate change in a complex organization, it’s really exciting.”

Wood will assume the dean’s role commencing July 1, 2019.

Kaitlynn Weaver found her niche in Child & Youth Studies

caroline.zentner — Wed, 29 May 2019 21:53:55 +0000

When Kaitlynn Weaver (BA ’16) walks across the stage to receive her Master of Arts, she’ll do so knowing she took every opportunity available to learn and develop as a person and as a scholar.

“What has made my master’s experience so great are the people I’ve met here and elsewhere and the opportunities I’ve been given,” she says. “My supervisor, Dr. Kristine Alexander, and my committee (Drs. Caroline Hodes, Jan Newberry and Amy von Heyking) actively sought opportunities for me in places I wouldn’t even have thought to look. The level of investment they had in me, my experiences, my ability to network, to gain confidence in myself, my research and my public speaking skills has been so valuable. The last three years have been so formative for me in ways that I can’t even explain.”

Originally from Rocky Mountain House, Weaver followed in her older sister, Sarah’s, footsteps in continuing her education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Right from the start, Weaver felt at home at the U of L.

“I was able to shadow Sarah as a university student over my spring break in high school,” says Weaver. “I sat in on a philosophy and a sociology class. I was excited and engaged and the philosophy professor asked me questions in class and had me participate like I was a university student. That was really impactful and being here has been awesome.”

When she first arrived in 2012, Weaver studied New Media. As part of the U of L’s liberal education requirements, she also took a class in sociology.

“I really liked it and I liked the way they were talking about people’s identities and power structures, and I wanted to pursue it further,” she says. “I decided to switch my major to sociology and do a minor in Women & Gender Studies, which was a huge part of my university experience.”

As she was nearing the completion of her bachelor’s, Dr. Carol Williams (Women & Gender Studies) asked her if she was considering graduate school and told her that Alexander, who’s also a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Child and Youth Studies and director of the U of L’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS), was looking for graduate students.

Weaver knew she wanted to focus on youth during graduate school, as she had been a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club of Lethbridge and District and had completed an independent study about youth unemployment with Dr. Muriel Mellow. She obtained a Canada Graduate Scholarship through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), which later led to receiving a Michael Smith Foreign Studies Supplement Award.

“When I started my master’s, I was a graduate assistant for a project called Elders of the Future, which was a 10-year project on Blackfoot child-rearing practices in southern Alberta,” says Weaver. “I was asked to run children and youth programming to create photos and artworks for an eventual exhibit at Casa.”

The project, a collaboration between the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society and I-CYS, celebrated the resiliency of local Blackfoot communities through their family and child-rearing practices. Weaver worked with children and youth at Opokaa’sin and helped organize events around the exhibit.

“I got to work with Blackfoot youth and children at Opokaa’sin and that’s not something I would have otherwise been able to do,” she says.

The foreign studies award allowed Weaver to spend three months studying at Rutgers ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Camden in New Jersey, the first American institution to have a childhood studies department. Supervised by Dr. Lauren Silver, Weaver lived in Philadelphia, just across the Delaware River from the university, from January to April, 2018. She attended Silver’s classes and met other faculty members in the department.

“I grew more as a person and as a professional in those three months than I ever have in my life,” she says. “I was completely taken out of my comfort zone and immersed in a different lifestyle. I presented in a class, got to talk to every professor in the department and gained lifelong friendships.”

For her thesis, Weaver spoke to Faculty of Education alums, asking them to focus on their childhood experiences and their experiences being adults. Her thesis, titled “Growing the Finest Teachers Possible”: Theorizing how Young Teachers Challenge, (Re)produce, and are Subject to Discourses of Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood, examined the expectations of new teachers and the reality they found in the classroom.

“These teachers focused a lot on their own experience as educators and expected a lot more freedom and autonomy in their classrooms to “shape” the children they’re working with,” Weaver says. “They found out that actually, just because they’re adults and just because they’re educators, doesn’t give them complete freedom. The expectations of adulthood and the realities didn’t really match up.”

Now setting off on her life as a professional, Weaver continues to be involved with youth. She recently began employment with Family and Community Support Services (Barons-Eureka-Warner) and the Boys & Girls Club of Lethbridge and District.

“It’s a partnership position funded by the Government of Canada. It’s a full-time position and I work in southern Alberta rural communities and get youth from Grades 9 to 12 involved in volunteering and civic engagement in some way.”

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