UNews - Department of Women and Gender Studies

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.”

New Take Two speaker series to focus on U of L research

caroline.zentner — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 17:34:17 +0000

As Associate Vice-President Research, Dr. Claudia Malacrida wants to demonstrate the diversity and depth of research done at a small, liberal arts institution like the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. To that end, she created a new speaker series called Take Two. Once underway, the Take Two sessions will feature two researchers who approach a topic from different perspectives.

For the inaugural talk, Malacrida will provide the community a report on the federal review panel, of which she was a member, and its findings on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 3:30 p.m. (Markin Hall Atrium). Attendees will have the opportunity to sign a petition to increase support for research funding that will be submitted to the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan.

Dr. Claudia Malacrida

“Part of my rationale for wanting to give this talk is to galvanize our response to the recommendations of the review panel and to garner support for the idea that fundamental research in Canada should be a level playing field for universities, regardless of their size,” says Malacrida.

Following consultations across the country, evidence gathered by the panel points to a research system that is underfed and overworked. The Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities, to which the U of L belongs, has thrown its support behind the panel’s recommendations and is advocating for increases to annual federal spending on research and that it be distributed fairly to universities, both large and small.

The balance of the Take Two series will take a different direction, offering fresh insights on research being done at the U of L. The events will offer talks by two researchers who take different approaches to a related issue. Each researcher will have about 20 minutes to present, followed by a question-and-answer session.

“We wanted to create a novel format for the Take Two series,” says Malacrida. “We are asking these researchers to talk across disciplines in a way that will help people understand that exciting work happens here. We want to show that we have people working in all areas on campus who are contributing to our understanding of our social, cultural and physical worlds.”

The second session on Oct. 25 will focus on understanding childhood and difference. Dr. Jeffrey MacCormack (Education) conducts research on attentional issues in the classroom in children who experience difficulty socializing and regulating emotions. He’s interested in how play-based interventions can help regulate and modulate children’s behaviour in the classroom. The other speaker, Dr. Jan Newberry (Anthropology) will discuss the partnership between the U of L’s Institute for Child and Youth Studies and the Opokaa’sin Early Intervention Society. Through the Raising Spirit project, they’ve been collecting stories and images for a digital storytelling library to highlight Indigenous ways of knowing and to build community capacity collaboratively.

“Despite differing approaches, both researchers’ work is not about fixing kids who don’t fit in; it’s about changing the way we think about what ‘in’ ought to look like,” says Malacrida.

The third session on Nov. 23 brings together Drs. Maura Hanrahan and Monique Giroux (Native American Studies) to talk about their research. Hanrahan examines policy, especially as it relates to the way current approaches to Indigenous health research can operate to exclude the health concerns of Métis peoples. Giroux is both a scholar and fiddler. She studies how Métis identity is produced and regulated through dramatic works, as well as through performances at fiddling contests and cultural festivals.

In the fourth talk scheduled for Feb. 1, Dr. Chris Hopkinson (Geography) will talk about his research using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors to create three-dimensional topographical maps used by governments and industries to assess flood hazards, manage wildlife habitat or create greenhouse gas strategies. Leanne Elias, a New Media professor, will talk about her experimental visualization of agricultural data, such as crop production.

“Elias visualizes those data through sound, light and visual images to produce art but also to convey information,” says Malacrida. “Both she and Hopkinson are working very different approaches to sustainability and environmental visualization.”

The fifth session of the series features Drs. Paul Vasey (Psychology) and Suzanne Lenon (Women and Gender Studies) talking about their research into gender, sex and sexuality. Vasey does fieldwork looking at both gender and sexuality in two cultures that recognize a third gender, the fa’fafine of Samoa and the muxes of the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico. Lenon’s research focuses on the history and material aspects of marriage law, with respect to race, gender and sexuality, especially regarding same-sex marriage and polygamy.

Talks are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., with the Sept. 21 session taking place in the Markin Hall Atrium. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome to attend.

Students get challenging but amazing learning experience in the Philippines

caroline.zentner — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 21:54:51 +0000

What usually takes hours to describe in a classroom came instantly alive for the 14 students who signed up for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s first ever Philippine Field Study course.

Offered through the Department of Women and Gender Studies, Dr. Glenda Bonifacio wanted her students to learn about global citizenship from a gender perspective. In Tacloban, where Bonifacio is from, the students saw how global forces affect people’s livelihoods, the environment and society in general. They also learned a little about the convoluted Filipino political system.

Typhoon Yolanda ripped through Tacloban on Nov. 8, 2013, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall that caused floods, landslides and destruction. Thousands of people lost their lives.

A concrete column ripped from a building during Typhoon Yolanda washed up on the shore near Tacloban.

The students, who received financial assistance through the Campus Alberta Grant for International Learning, saw the devastation left by Yolanda and the rebuilding efforts now underway during their month-long stay. As part of their course work, they listened to lectures from local government officials, Filipino scholars and representatives of non-government organizations. They visited the sites of mass graves, toured areas not yet rebuilt and a women’s weaving co-operative. One day while riding on a form of public transport called a jeepney, they spoke to a woman who told them she had lost 16 members of her family during the storm.

“I feel ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t the right thing to say because it’s so much more than that,” says Cassandra Travis-Bobey, a student who participated in the field course.

“I was preparing myself for this physical devastation where things were not completely rebuilt,” says Jasmine Saler, another student on the trip. “I don’t think I was prepared at all for the emotional devastation that, I feel, still hadn’t really been dealt with.”

She says the need for relief in the form of food, water, medical treatment and shelter is the first concern after a natural disaster but she became convinced that relief for the emotional consequences of such massive loss of life and destruction should also be part of the response.

After Yolanda, relief poured in from around the world but it often didn’t reach those who needed it most. As it can happen after a major natural disaster in any country, political corruption hampered the delivery of aid.

These homes, occupied by squatters, were rebuilt in an area along the coastline which had been destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda.

“One of the professors who spoke to us summed it up brilliantly. He said that Super Typhoon Yolanda was a natural disaster followed by a political tragedy followed by a communication disaster,” says Saler. “The politics that played into how relief aid was distributed was horrifying. The storm knocked out their communications system and for three days they did not hear anything from anybody. That’s just the beginning of this long list of atrocities and, I would say, massive human rights violations, that occurred in the process of supplying relief aid and rebuilding in the area.”

While the country is still recovering from Yolanda, larger forces are also at work in the Philippines, says Travis-Bobey. As part of her course work, she looked at the effects of having multi-national companies as part of the Filipino economy. The companies secure large tracts of land for growing pineapple and bananas and employ locals to work in the fields. The best of the crop is reserved for export while local markets get second-rate fruit to sell. And the Filipino people are doubly affected because the extreme weather associated with climate change causes crop losses and loss of income.

Saler found global influences in local advertising. She noticed the models featured in media ads had a mestizo skin tone and that Western beauty ideals, such as white skin, long hair, and eye makeup for women, were often incorporated. The ‘Got Milk’ slogan used in North America to promote the consumption of milk was used in the Philippines to market a skin-whitening product.

The students also saw discrepancies between the information government organizations delivered and the reality on the streets when they toured various areas. Officials often stuck to the message that rebuilding is progressing while students saw how much remains to be done. Some rebuilding projects are at a standstill due to lack of funds and other ruined buildings haven’t been touched. Many areas don’t have proper waste management or basic services like running water.

“Even though we were only there for a month, I still feel emotional about it. I can’t imagine having to live that reality every day, of the devastation you felt and the rebuilding that needs to be done,” says Travis-Bobey.

Jasmine Saler, far right, and another student examine the mats and bags made by a tikog weavers' association. The women weave the mats in the shade at the mouth of a cave.

“Instead of being this myth of progress, it might actually be a coping mechanism. You’re faced with so much devastation and things aren’t progressing well and you’re trying to deal with the personal consequences of the storm, but if you can say things are moving well and getting organized, it helps you move through that,” says Saler.

While many of their experiences were overwhelming, the students describe their professor as “amazing” and “phenomenal.” They also appreciated being welcomed into the homes of Bonifacio’s in-laws for food and karaoke.

Despite the weight of the situations they encountered, they would recommend the experience to anyone else considering going.

“If you go, be prepared to open yourself up and then you’ll be amazed,” says Travis-Bobey. “It affected and changed who I am.”

“Expect it to be immensely challenging and a very intense 30 days,” says Saler.

Three-wheeled motorcyles like the one shown here are just one of the ways to get around the city. The front end of a jeepney can be seen at the far left.

These temporary shelters for families have been built north of Tacloban.

Students to learn the effects of development and globalization in field course to the Philippines

caroline.zentner — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:43:01 +0000

A group of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students will have the learning opportunity of a lifetime this summer as they trade the classroom for the streets of Tacloban City, Philippines.

“Instead of sitting in the classroom, they will get lectures in the field,” says Dr. Glenda Bonifacio, the U of L professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies teaching the course and a former resident of Tacloban City.

During their month-long stay beginning June 20, 10 students will visit non-government organizations working in the area, evacuation centres and women’s co-operatives, attend community festivals, meet with representatives from different government agencies and hear on-site lectures by Filipino scholars, practitioners and local officials.

While much has been rebuilt in Tacloban City, the landscape still bears the scars of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in November 2013, killing thousands of people and destroying homes and infrastructure.

“It will be the first field course for women and gender studies and the first one to the Philippines,” says Bonifacio. “They’re going there to immerse in the society, in the community. In the end, the goal is to develop global citizenship from a gender perspective.”

The Philippines is still considered a developing country, although the literacy rate is about 95 per cent. In 2013, the island country placed in the top 10 in the world for gender parity while Canada was in 20th place. Bonifacio says the field course will give students the chance to understand and analyze how local and global forces manifest in the lives of people by looking at geography, environment, society, culture and economics.

“I was very excited because I love travelling and I’ve been on school trips before that have taken me to different places that I wouldn’t have visited on my own,” says Jasmine Saler, a fourth-year U of L student majoring in kinesiology and women and gender studies. “To go with someone who has lived there, who knows the languages, who has connections there, that’s the perfect way to travel.”

Saler is also looking forward to learning a different way of living in the context of recovering from a natural disaster.

“I can’t imagine ever having that opportunity again,” she says. “I am most eager to see the festivals and the vibrancy of the culture. Understanding the connection between peoples is also what I’m really excited to learn about.”

Christina MacDonald, a third-year U of L general social science student from the Onion Lake Cree Nation, which straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary, applied for the field course in keeping with her parents’ teaching to take any opportunity to travel. Not having travelled outside of Canada before, she admits the prospect of a month in the Philippines is rather frightening.

“I’m really scared but I always learn something amazing from that fear,” she says. “I’m always interested in how other people live. We’re all human beings at the end of the day but we have these intersectionalities, such as gender, race and class, which we have to deal with every single day. To actually experience the intersectionalities that other people face firsthand will allow me to understand it better.”

Even though students have expressed interest in most of the spots, Bonifacio encourages other students who’d like to attend to put their names on a wait list. With five months yet to go, she says openings may occur and students on the wait list will have priority.

In addition to paying tuition for the six-credit course, students have to cover the cost of their flight, housing, accommodation and meals. They’ve received $750 each from the Campus Alberta Grant for International Learning but with the cost of a flight nearing the $2,000 mark, the students hope to raise more money through fundraising initiatives. Anyone interested in sponsoring a student is invited to contact Bonifacio via email at glenda.bonifacio@uleth.ca.

Ferguson earns provincial honour

trevor.kenney — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:07:40 +0000

Elizabeth Ferguson (BA '03, MA '05, Native American Studies), the coordinator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Native Student Advising office, has received an award from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) for her work to support First Nations, Métis and Inuit students at the U of L.

As the first recipient of this award from the U of L community, Ferguson joins more than 300 women from 76 communities across the province who have been recognized for their strength and accomplishments.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit students enjoy the strength of support systems initiated by Elizabeth Ferguson.

"Elizabeth has single-handedly developed a lot of the support systems we have in place for our FNMI students, and has done so in a resourceful, gracious and determined way," says Dr. Judith Lapadat, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's associate vice-president, students. "I am extremely proud of her, as are our staff members who work with her to support our FNMI students. Elizabeth is a key point of contact for all of them at some point in their university life, and does everything she can to make their experiences here better. As a U of L graduate who returned to school as an adult, Elizabeth has the inside knowledge they appreciate."

The U of L currently has more than 400 FNMI students from all parts of Canada.

Ferguson, a member of the First Nations Dene community, is well known on campus and in the community for her advocacy for, and wholehearted participation in, numerous activities that showcase the achievements of the U of L's FNMI students. These include an event for families and graduates at spring and fall convocation ceremonies, the annual Native Awareness Week celebration and her role in enhancing the presence of Elders on campus.

She also started an FNMI student-specific food bank, made sure that the campus food services providers learned how to make fry bread, berry soup and other traditional foods at FNMI-focused events and works with students to provide settlement assistance when they relocate to attend school.

Her external community activities include a city-appointed position as the First Nations representative on the board of Economic Development Lethbridge, among many other commitments.

"Elizabeth Ferguson has been invaluable in the cultural, spiritual and scholarly advancement of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students on the campus of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and has served the larger campus community through her leadership," says Dr. Carol Williams, a faculty member and Chair of the Department of Women and Gender Studies. "She has successfully shown the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ how, and why, ensuring student confidence through cultural specific and sensitive policy and practices is crucial to their success."

Ferguson earns provincial award

trevor.kenney — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:57:02 +0000

Elizabeth Ferguson (BA '03, MA '05, Native American Studies), the co-ordinator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Native Student Advising office, has received an award from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) for her work to support First Nations, Metis and Inuit students at the U of L.

As the first recipient of this award from the U of L community, Ferguson joins more than 300 women from 76 communities across the province who have been recognized for their strength and accomplishments.

"Elizabeth has single-handedly developed a lot of the support systems we have in place for our FNMI students, and has done so in a resourceful, gracious and determined way," says Dr. Judith Lapadat, the U of L's associate vice-president, students. "I am extremely proud of her, as are our staff members who work with her to support our FNMI students. Elizabeth is a key point of contact for all of them at some point in their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ life, and does everything she can to make their experiences here better. As a U of L graduate who returned to school as an adult, Elizabeth has the inside knowledge they appreciate."

The U of L currently has more than 400 FNMI students from all parts of Canada.

Ferguson, a member of the Dene community, is well known on campus and in the community for her advocacy for, and wholehearted participation in, numerous activities that showcase the achievements of the U of L's FNMI students. These include the annual Native Awareness Week celebration, an event for families and graduates at spring and fall convocation ceremonies and her role in enhancing the presence of Elders on campus.

She also started an FNMI student-specific food bank, made sure that the campus food services providers learned how to make fry bread, berry soup and other traditional foods at FNMI-focused events and works with students to provide settlement assistance when they relocate to attend school.

Her external community activities include a city-appointed position as the First Nations representative on the board of Economic Development Lethbridge, among many other commitments.

"Elizabeth Ferguson has been invaluable in the cultural, spiritual and scholarly advancement of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students on the campus of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and has served the larger campus community by her leadership," says Dr. Carol Williams, a faculty member and Chair of the Department of Women and Gender Studies. "She has successfully shown the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ how, and why, ensuring student success through cultural specific and sensitive policy and practices is crucial to their success."

UNews - Department of Women and Gender Studies

Kaitlynn Weaver found her niche in Child & Youth Studies

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