Teaching

M12(a) - Three Minute Thesis Preliminary Round

Date: Jun 4 | Time: 12:00pm to 01:30pm | Location:

Sponsor / Commanditaire : We are grateful to the sponsor of this competition: ABACUS-DATA. Nous remercions le commanditaire de cette compétition : ABACUS-DATA.

Chair/Président/Présidente : Samantha Twietmeyer (Queen's)

Prizes! Winner $700; first runner up $400; second runner up $200
Prix ! Le/a lauréate 700 $ ; deuxième place 400 $ ; troisième place 200 $

Haunted Bodies: Evaluating the Act of Veiling and Women’s Struggle for Autonomy in Iran: Soma Bidarpour (University of Saskatchewan)
Abstract: In September 2022, the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police sparked the Women, Life, Freedom (WLF) movement, drawing global attention to women’s rights in Iran. The Iranian regime targeted WLF female protestors “with shotgun fire to their face, breasts, and genitals” and subjected them to rape, torture, force-feeding, and incarceration (Guardian, 2022). This study investigates two interconnected questions. First, what are the counter-hegemonic acts of female political activists to target the hyper-masculinist identity of the Islamic state? Second, what are the state’s gendered strategies for resubjectifying and reassimilating non-normative women? Building on the work of David Campbell (1992), I argue that the Islamic Republic of Iran approaches women as a political battleground to reinforce its performative political identity. It marks unveiled women as “westoxicated” (Moghadam 1994, 124), equating them with foreign enemies and positioning them as threats to the state’s “true identity” (Campbell 1992, 3). In response, resistant (non-conformist) women use counter-hegemonic acts such as collective hunger strikes, uncovering their hair, dancing, and singing in public to reclaim bodily sovereignty and challenge state-imposed narratives. I trace how defiant women challenge “resubjectification” policies by employing lively and creative acts of resistance to reclaim their bodily sovereignty (Wilcox 2015, 14).

A Punctuated Equilibrium Approach to Understanding Economic Policy Making in Ghana: The Case of Electronic Transaction Levy Policy: Belinda Dentu (Brock University)
Abstract: While substantial research exists on economic policies globally, there remains a notable gap in applying theoretical frameworks to understand how these policies are developed, particularly in the context of developing countries like those in Africa. Most existing theories have been primarily utilized in developed nations, and the same cannot be said of the developing world. This provides a fertile ground for new research. The study addresses this gap by applying Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) to analyze digital tax policies in Africa, specifically Ghana. Ghana is chosen as the case study for this research due to its recent adoption of the Electronic Levy (E-Levy) policy, which serves as an illustrative case for PET. The PET is thus employed here to explain the policy process that led to the development of this policy. According to PET, policy frameworks tend to remain stable over long periods (equilibrium) but can undergo rapid changes when significant disruptions, or “punctuations,” occur. By applying this theory to the E-levy policy, my study argues that the E-levy policy emerged after a prolonged period of stability within Ghana's tax policy framework, driven by significant pressures that caused punctuations in the policy process, ultimately leading to a policy change. The research is chiefly qualitative, and makes use of a diachronic case study research design. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in demonstrating PET’s relevance in a developing world context, thereby expanding its applicability globally. Additionally, it provides a practical framework for understanding policy changes in diverse political and economic environments.

Social Identity-Based Concerns: New Perspectives for Technology Acceptance: Anne Imouza (McGill University)
Abstract: This thesis proposal presents a critical approach to studying the acceptance of new technologies. The proposal investigates the social and theoretical reasons for integrating an intersectional lens while studying attitudes toward new technologies. The thesis proposal advances that some intersections of social identity groups, such as women of color, will face and experience a higher risk of political, cultural, and economic oppression within Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies (Benjamin 2019; Schelenz 2022). I argue that intersectional identity group-based concerns will be associated with lower levels of moral technology acceptance where technology is perceived as morally questionable. While previous models of technology acceptance (Davis 1989; Venkatesh et al. 2003) account for various predictors of individual behavior, this project advocates for a more fine-grained analysis that examines how intersectional identity-based concerns lead to subgroup variations in the moral acceptance of AI systems. Drawing from critical race theory, feminist theory, and technology studies, this interdisciplinary framework provides a theoretical foundation for understanding AI moral acceptance. The first chapter will include the fundamental concepts, the existing models, and the theoretical contribution. The second chapter presents the first empirical analysis, which includes a survey experiment to investigate how the priming of the biases included in an artificial intelligence system impact intersectional identity groups' moral acceptance of AI technologies. The third chapter will investigate the generalizability of the theoretical framework and the experiment results by investigating the relationship in a comparative approach to examine similar patterns in two other countries (The U.S. and Australia).

Reducing Gender Inequity in the Canadian Energy Sector: Lessons from Abroad: Alex Hinrichs (Simon Fraser University)
Abstract: The persistence of gendered pay and employment differences in the energy sector remains to be an obstacle for equity in Canada. This is especially relevant considering the transformation of the energy sector in response to climate change. The literature on gender equity signals education, organizational climate, domestic labour expectations and networking as important potential causal factors for gender inequity in the workplace. This paper seeks to examine approaches for improving gender equity through a comparative analysis with Norway, which has significantly better gender equity. The Canadian gender wage gap conditional on skills is -22.4% in the energy sector and the gender employment gap in Canada is -67.8% in the energy sector as of 2018 (International Energy Agency, 2024). By contrast, Norway’s gender wage gap conditional on skills is -3.6% and their gender employment gap is -83.6% in 2018 (International Energy Agency, 2024). Norway has a range of equity-improving policies, such as a 40% gender quota for their corporate boards that could provide lessons for Canada. This research will explore the four posited causal factors in Canada and Norway through qualitative and quantitative analysis, including a literature and policy review, and an original survey. The survey will ask women in the energy sectors in both Canada and Norway questions regarding their experiences and treatment within their workplaces. The data will be analyzed to attempt to understand the effects of the gender quota in Norway and make an official recommendation as to if Canada should adopt the policy. This research will be an important contribution to understanding the gender divide across the fossil fuel and renewable energy sectors facing a gender divide, including differences in men and women’s attitudes towards the green transition, as documented in previous studies. The poster will serve to gain feedback for the completion of a more comprehensive study to be completed in 2025. References International Energy Agency. (2024, August 5). Gender and Energy Data Explorer. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/gender-and-energy-data-explorer?

Proposal for Non-Official Minority Language Rights, For the Racialized, Marginalized and Others: Di Rao (University of Waterloo)
Abstract: The Official Languages Act (OLA) was passed in 1969, declaring English and French as equal and official languages of Canada. This legislation allowed anglophones and francophones to offer and receive federal government services based on the language of their preference. Yet, scholarship on the language of government service provisions has since been limited (Chouinard & Richez, 2022). Despite the influx of immigrants in the post-war era, it is unclear whether government services are linguistically accessible to immigrants, racialized minorities and other marginalized minorities who do not speak English or French as a primary tongue (i.e. non-official linguistic minorities). This paper seeks to contribute to our knowledge of language rights and barriers faced by non-official linguistic minorities. This paper will provide I) a description and analysis of the legal and policy landscape around language and language access in Canada specifically framed from the perspective of non-official minority languages, II) a theoretical and normative contribution grounded in a rights-based, legal, and policy-focused analysis, and III) empirical evidence to advance language reforms in Canada to lessen linguistic barriers for non-official linguistic minorities in government services. This paper will answer the following questions: 1) To what extent do non-official linguistic minorities in Canada face barriers to accessing government services? 2) How might a rights-based perspective guide public policy on language and accessibility of government services in Canada? Lastly, 3) what concrete reforms to public administration are required to make public services more linguistically accessible to non-official linguistic minorities?

Remote Control: Premier-Press Gallery Relations and Accountability in a Post-Pandemic Atlantic Canada: Gillian Brown (Acadia University)
Abstract: Democracy works when the public can hold its government to account. But without information, its ability to do so is called into question. This research examines the relationship between Atlantic Canada premiers and the provinces’ press galleries, aiming to understand how and why the relationship between the two actors has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through study of this relationship, one can gain a clearer picture of how these developments have affected accountability. I argue that the pandemic normalized new technologies that government communications departments now use, which place a barrier between themselves and the press. While improving remote accessibility, this allows them to evade the accountability that the press gallery has historically held them to. I focus on how live video and remote communication have impacted press gallery members’ ability to fulfill this role. I will demonstrate this through a qualitative study comprising of interviews with press gallery presidents and political communications staff in each Atlantic province; supplemented by an inspection of media advisories in each province published in March 2015, March 2020, and March 2025 to illustrate the evolution of government communications practices. Given the dwindling number of legislative reporters in Atlantic Canada in combination with newsroom closures, understanding this relationship and its effect on government accountability through the decline of available information is necessary. Without this understanding, it is difficult to determine how the actions of political leaders, as well as the landscape in which reporters respond to those actions, affect the democratic process.

From Oppression to Empowerment: Understanding Democratization through Emancipatory Security in Iran: Amin Moussavi Nezhad (University of Saskatchewan)
Abstract: This paper explores the application of Ali Bilgic’s notion of security as emancipation to the democratization process in Iran. Bilgic’s framework, which emphasizes the empowerment of individuals and social groups against oppressive power structures, provides a novel lens through which to analyze Iran’s complex political landscape. The paper begins with a detailed overview of Bilgic’s theoretical contributions, focusing on concepts such as emancipatory power, collective resistance, and local agency. It then contextualizes these ideas within the historical and contemporary struggles for democratization in Iran, highlighting key movements such as the Green Movement of 2009 and the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests of 2022. Through a case study approach, the paper examines how Bilgic’s concepts manifest in these movements, offering insights into the strengths and limitations of applying emancipatory security to the Iranian context. The analysis underscores the importance of addressing both physical and structural violence, fostering trust and solidarity among diverse social groups, and respecting local cultural and religious contexts. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for future research and policy, arguing that Bilgic’s framework can significantly contribute to understanding and supporting democratization efforts in Iran.

Les acteurs internationaux dans la lutte contre les pandémies au Cameroun (1960-2023): Helene Diane Nono (Université de Douala Cameroun)
Abstract: La santé est un bien public global d’où la mobilisation de tous. Toute recherche ambitionne de résoudre une difficulté scientifique, une contrariété d'ordre social ou épistémologique. C’est ce qui nous a conduit à structurer notre problématique de la manière suivante : quels sont les modes et enjeux de la participation des acteurs internationaux dans la lutte contre les pandémies au Cameroun ainsi que les contraintes, effets et pistes susceptibles d’améliorer l’efficacité de leurs actions et interactions ? Un travail ne peut être considéré comme une véritable recherche, s’il ne se structure autour d’une ou de plusieurs hypothèses. Cette hypothèse dessine en filigrane notre plan de travail qui se subdivise en deux parties. Dans cette perspective, nous postulons que les acteurs internationaux, motivés par divers enjeux ( sanitaires, humanitaires ), participent de plusieurs manières ( mise sur agenda, élaboration, mise en œuvre des politiques sanitaires ) à la lutte contre les pandémies. Cependant, ces acteurs évoluent dans un contexte contraignant, leurs actions et interactions produisent des effets dont certains sont pervers, ce qui suggère des pistes en vue de l’amélioration de l’efficacité de leur participation. La mobilisation des données empiriques provenant de divers horizons (écrits, électroniques, entretiens) ainsi que l’usage des méthodes et théories : la gouvernance, l’interdépendance complexe, l’interaction stratégique et la « boîte à outil des politiques publiques » ont été la posture scientifique idoine pour cette étude.