The Faculty of Social Sciences celebrates teaching excellence and supports meaningful learning experiences across all of our programs and courses.
Tara Shivafard, who is completing a BA in Political Science, received the Law Plus Student of the Year Award. The fourth-year Political Science student also works as a Junior Analyst at Infrastructure Canada. Tara serves as the Vice Chair of the Defence and Intelligence Working Group at Women of Colour Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS), where she develops programming focused on feminist approaches to peace and conflict. She also serves as a Youth Advisor to Senator Marilou McPhedran at the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, where Tara runs the Women’s Rights in Iran and Afghanistan Working Group. In her role as the Director of Programming for the Canadian Institute for Defence of Democracies, she founded a student-run and youth-run think tank. Read more.
A new course offered this summer will dive into the phenomenon of tourism driven by anime fandom. “Anime Tourism,” offered by the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, will examine anime culture, the development of anime tourism destinations and the impact of anime tourism. It will also explore the geography, history, culture and mythology of Japan. Read more.
Students across the Faculty took field trips to enhance their classroom learning this winter. Students and faculty members from the Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice program attended the St. Catharines court house for a presentation by the Deputy Crown Attorney. Students in Advanced Topics in Planning and Community Development in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies took a field trip through Thorold, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and St. Catharines to explore topics such as residential development, new hotel construction, New Urbanism, and downtown revitalization. Meanwhile Kevin Turner’s Digital Mapping class hiked to Glenridge Quarry to complete fieldwork.
Students of “Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Swallowing” in the Department of Applied Linguistics took part in a distinctive experiential learning assignment in which they auditioned to donate their voices to a human voicebank, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to blend donated voices into bespoke voices for people who rely on synthetic speech tools. The experience helped students learn about the potential of assisted communication technology as well as the airflow, bones and muscles used while speaking. Read more.
Final presentations in GEOG 4P26, Michael Pisaric’s Stream Form and Function class, highlighted group research projects along 12 Mile Creek in the Niagara Peninsula for guests Brian Green of Trout Unlimited: Niagara Chapter and Eric Augustino of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. Students conducted fieldwork, collected and analyzed their own data, and reported that information to the visiting stakeholders.
Students at Brock University and Occidental College in California shared media projects on topics related to migration at a hybrid mini-film festival on Wednesday, Dec. 6 as part of Assistant Professor Julie Ham’s course on Human Migration in a Globalized World in the Department of Sociology. Read more.
in the fall, students in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies took part in the Peterborough Field Course (GEOG/TOUR 3P57 and GEOG 3P56). Above, Chris Fullerton (far right) and Jayson Childs (far left) present the Beachwood staff with four remote-sensing images, a small token of appreciation for their support of the field course.
At Spring Convocation in June, Erin Panda in the Department of Child and Youth Studies was named recipient of the Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2023. Panda gave the convocation address at the afternoon ceremony. Read more.
Professor Michael Ripmeester in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies became the inaugural Experiential Education Faculty Champion for FOSS. He is shown here at the far right (in a Brock Badgers t-shirt) during a field course to British Columbia in spring, 2022. Read more.
At the end of the winter semester, the Niagara Regional Native Centre hosted Brock students and researchers, Indigenous community experts, and members of the Niagara Region to share and discuss student-written policy briefs addressing the local housing crisis for Indigenous Peoples. “Indigenous Housing Re-storying in Niagara” featured students from courses on Indigenous Politics in Canada and Issues in Local Government. Read more.
Three FOSS Teaching Assistants were recognized with awards at the annual celebration of Teaching Assistants hosted by the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation. Nwakerendu (Kay) Waboso in the Department of Child and Youth Studies received the Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. Zihang Bu in the Department of Child and Youth Studies received an International Teaching Assistant Award and Oya Pakkal in the Department of Psychology received the Teaching Assistant Award. Read more.
In May, students returned from this year’s Croatia Field Course (GEOG/TOUR 3P37) led by David Fennell of the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies. This year’s course focused on the topic of “Managing Tourism in World Heritage Sites.” Student Laureen Damignani took the group photo shown here.
In April, students from our master’s- and PhD-level graduate programs in Sustainability spoke at the main office of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. The students shared insights from a consultancy project completed through courses in Engaging with Community in Sustainability Science and Problem Solving in the Environment. Read more.
For three weeks in March, Assistant Professor Michelle Chen’s COMM 4P65 students from the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film produced social media content, analyzed data, and pulled out all the stops to engage the Brock community on the issue of period poverty for United Way Niagara’s Period Promise donation drive. Read more.
Students in Brock’s Term Abroad in New Zealand program (GEOG-TOUR 3F97) this semester, under the supervision of Professor David Brown, had a memorable trip that included a chance meeting in Fiordland National Park in Milford Sound, NZ with Sociology grad Katie Greenwood (BA ’18), who is now living and working in New Zealand as a crew member on the Southern Discoveries nature cruise team.
This winter, the Department of Sociology welcomed back two retired professors to give public lectures affiliated with classes, celebrating decades of research and sharing it with current students. Professors Emerti Janet Conway and Murray Smith (shown left) gave talks on the rise of anti-feminism in Canada and capitalist decay in the 21st century.
Three instructors in the Faculty of Social Sciences were honoured at the University’s Tribute to Teaching event this winter. Associate Professor Priscilla Burnham Riosa (shown, right) in Applied Disability Studies received a 2022 Brock University Award for Excellence in Teaching for Early Career Faculty. Assistant Professor Kate Cassidy (not shown) in Communication, Popular Culture and Film received the 2022 Don Ursino Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Large Classes. Instructor Natalie Spadafora (shown, left) in Child and Youth Studies received the 2022 Clarke Thomson Excellence in Sessional Teaching Award. Read more.
“What I want you to see is this…” was a cross-Faculty project that resulted in an exhibit featuring work from students in the Department of Sociology. Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) students curated the gallery show of 26 Sociology students’ narrated photographs exploring problematics of social class and social conflict in student life. Faculty co-organizers included Miles Howe in the Department of Sociology and David Vivian and Catherine Parayre in STAC, which is housed in the Faculty of Humanities. The exhibit was on view from Nov. 21/22 to Jan. 15/23. Read more.
Business Communication major Megan Green was one of several students to take part in the Media, Memes and Culture student conference, which was held over two class sessions in COMM 4P23, “Advanced Research in Media and Popular Culture.” Green’s presentation, “Who is ‘Karen’ and why does she want to speak to the manager?”, was a deep dive into the origin story and mutations of the ‘Karen’ persona in meme culture. Read more.
Students in POLI 4P50, “Machinery of Government,” taught by Assistant Professor Joanne Heritz in the Department of Political Science, completed a multi-faceted experiential education project by researching topics of relevance to Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation. In late November, they presented their findings to two representatives from the MTO who were guests on campus. Read more.
Fourth-year Child and Youth Studies students, with three PhD students, accompanied Hannah Dyer on a field trip to Toronto this fall. The students in Childhood, Art and Aesthetic Expression (CHYS 4V03), a course that considers children’s art and art about childhood including drawings, paintings, photography, film, and literature, visited the AGO, toured a Jordan Bennett exhibition (a Mi’kmaq visual artist from Stephenville Crossing, Ktaqmkuk), and met with artist/scholar Immony Men from OCADU, who researches Cambodian diaspora, skateboarding, and community arts. They also visited galleries at 401 Richmond, a community arts centre, and walked through graffiti alley. The trip was made possible with the help of Brock’s Experiential Education team.
This fall, students in Assistant Professor Jon Petrychyn’s Issues in Canadian Cinema course in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film learned about the rich history of Canadian film festivals, pitched their own festival, and completed a mock grant application for funding using the expert advice of industry professionals, who attended the class as guest speakers. Read more.
At Spring Convocation in June 2022, Shauna Pomerantz in the Department of Child and Youth Studies was awarded the 2022 Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching. Read more.
At Spring Convocation in June 2022, Nuoting Huang of the Department of Economics (left) and Katarina Hiebert of the Department of Applied Linguistics (right) both received the Dean’s Gold Medal for academic achievement.
This spring, 25 students completed the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies’ Vancouver Field Course (GEOG/TOUR 3P93) with Professor Michael Ripmeester and teaching assistant Hannah Willms. The group spent ten days in Vancouver walking, touring, discussing, and reflecting. Read more.
Kate Cassidy in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film received the Clarke Thomson Award for Excellence in Sessional Teaching at the annual Tribute to Teaching celebration hosted by the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation on Dec. 8. Read more.
Maddie Bell (BA ’21), who graduated from the Department of Political Science at Fall Convocation, reflected on how her co-op placements – including a work term at Global Affairs Canada – helped her build the skills she needed to secure admission to law school. Read more.
A winter course on Ancient Political Theory (POLI 4P02) taught by Associate Professor of Political Science Stefan Dolgert connected the popular anime series, Attack on Titan, social media, and conversations with industry experts to engage students in his Ancient Political Theory course provide modern context to ancient ideas. Dolgert has previously taught ancient politics using the hit series The Wire, hip hop albums and kung fu. “What I try and do is have a dialogue between an ancient or classical text and something that’s happening in the present,” he says.
In February, students in CHYS 2P16 — Principles of Community Engagement in Child and Youth Studies welcomed three Canadian senators to share their community engagement experience and expertise during a virtual class session. Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard of Nova Scotia, who is also Deputy Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, along with Sen. Marilou McPhedran of Manitoba and Sen. Kim Pate of Ontario joined the discussion. (Photo courtesy of Senate of Canada.)
A community collaboration recently allowed Political Science students to connect their classroom learning to the lived experiences of newcomers to Canada. At a hybrid meeting held late last term, students in Livianna Tossutti’s class on Global Migration: Canada in a Comparative Perspective met virtually with newcomers studying English as a Second Language (ESL) at the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre. The ESL students represented 19 countries of origin and spoke more than a dozen languages. By sharing their stories, they helped Brock students understand the human side of issues they had explored in class, including the push and pull forces that drive international migration, the experiences of temporary and permanent migrants, and Canada’s multicultural approach to integrating newcomers.
In CHYS 3P44, Gender and Sexuality in Childhood and Youth, taught in Fall 2021 by Assistant Professor Chelsea Jones (shown), an online panel called Cripping Sex Education: Deaf, Disabled and Queer Perspectives on Teaching Kids about Sex helped students prepare for projects they would undertake in the course, now showcased on this web site. The event was funded by Brock’s Human Rights and Equity Services, the Social Justice Research Institute, the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada.
Programs launched in September 2021
- the undergraduate program in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice
- new specialization in Leadership, Diversity, Community, and Culture in the Department of Applied Disability Studies
- the micro-certificate in Environmental Sustainability
Associate Professor Hannah Dyer in the Department of Child and Youth Studies (CHYS) was the recipient of the 2021 Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching and was honoured at Brock’s Virtual Spring Convocation in June of 2021.
At Spring Convocation 2021, the Faculty congratulated the first cohort of newly minted PhDs from the Department of Child and Youth Studies. Prarthana Franklin-Luther, shown here, was the first to successfully defend her thesis in November of 2020.
Teaching Assistant Zain Virani (MBE ’19) in the Department of Economics received the 2021 TA Award, presented annually to a teaching assistant in recognition of an outstanding contribution to teaching and learning at Brock.
Teaching Assistant Felisia Milana, also an MA student in Political Science, received the 2021 Novice TA Award. (Felisia also went on to receive the Board of Trustees’ Spirit of Brock Medal upon graduating in the Fall of 2021.)
Assistant Professor Liz Clarke in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film received the 2020 Excellence in Teaching for Early Career Faculty Award from Brock’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation.
In December of 2020, Assistant Professor Valdeep Saini in the Department of Applied Disability Studies received the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis Teaching Award.
Students in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, put their skills and knowledge to work for a local businesses in St. Catharines, ON as part of a service-learning project in COMM 3P62, Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communication.