FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES

Oshawa, Ontariowww.uoit.ca

RESEARCH REPORT

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The Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) is proud of our strong undergraduate and graduate programs and the solid research productivity we have achieved.

The research conducted by FSSH faculty members explores root causes and works toward solutions to social and legal problems at the local, regional, national and international levels. Sydney J. Harris, a celebrated journalist once wrote “the whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows”. A fitting description of the inquiry, critical thinking and creative activity our faculty are involved in. Their research not only creates windows of knowledge for themselves but also for their students and the broader community.

Our research is unique for two reasons. First, faculty members operate within a supportive research intensive environment that not only focuses on their own research but also supports both graduate and undergraduate students’ research. Secondly, our faculty focus on real-world problems that lead them to conduct interdisciplinary research, which is unique and impactful.

Our faculty’s research appears in prestigious publications, is presented at national and international forums, is covered by local,

national and international media, and is funded by international, federal, provincial and local resources. During the 2010-2011 academic year Social Science and Humanities Research Council grants for FSSH at UOIT exceeded the national average - an amazing accomplishment for such a young university.

The faculty’s move to the downtown Oshawa location in September 2010 has provided more space to conduct research, new state-of-the-art Forensic Psychology labs, and space for a future multi-media lab.

I thank you for your interest and invite you to read this research report. It summarizes the accomplishments of our faculty and provides insight into their published articles, papers, grant activities, creative works and other research activities.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nawal Ammar Dean and professor

Message from the dean

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from the dean 3

Mission statement 4

Programs 6

Awards and recognition 8

Research 12

Faculty research 16

Student research 22

Grants 24

Journals 26

Faculty-organized conferences and workshops 28

In the news 30

Research groups, units and centres 32

Contact us 35

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The Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) promotes social justice through an interdisciplinary approach to research, teaching, and community outreach. The faculty aspires to:• Publish research of the

highest quality;• Educate student-

scholars who are poised to assume leadership roles in enriching our local and global communities; and

• Incorporate leading-edge educational technologies in the classroom.

The faculty cultivates a collegial environment that values shared governance, collective responsibility, professional development, innovation, and anti-oppression in all respects.

Mission statement

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Programs FSSH offers a number of unique Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (BA) (Hons) degrees. These programs provide students with the broad range of academic, communication, and analytical skills required to work in a variety of exciting fields. Our programs also serve as excellent preparation for law school or graduate studies. Through the application of theory and hands-on activities, students develop the knowledge, holistic thinking, teamwork and interpersonal skills essential for success.

OUR GRADUATES GO ON TO REWARDING CAREERS IN A VARIETY OF FIELDS INCLUDING:

• Adult and youth justice systems;• Government agencies;• International human rights commissions;• Not-for-profit organizations; and• Social service agencies.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES:

CommunicationSpecializations:• Commerce and Marketing;• Digital Media;• Health Sciences; and• Science and Technology.

Community Development

Criminology and Justice Specializations: • Criminal Justice; • Gender, Sexualities and Justice; • Race, Ethnicity and Justice; and • Youth Crime and Justice.

Forensic Psychology

Legal StudiesSpecializations: • Alternative Dispute Resolution; • Human Rights; and • Information Law

Public Policy Specializations:• Equity Policy; and• Technology and Society.

Our graduate program offers a stimulating and supportive environment for students. Our students are closely mentored by a talented group of committed faculty members. They offer high-quality, rigorous curriculum focused on theory, research methodology and the substantive areas of inequality and crime and cybercrime. Graduates of the Master of Arts (MA) program are well prepared for doctoral work and for work as administrators or researchers in various government and non-government agencies.

GRADUATE DEGREE:

CriminologySpecializations:• Crime and Inequality; and• Cybercrime.

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We are very proud of our faculty. Many of them have been recognized for their scholarship by their peers and by community organizations and have also received nominations and awards for their teaching, highlighting our commitment to excellence in both areas. Teaching awards have been earned at UOIT, other educational institutions and also include nominations for TVO’s Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition.

Awards and recognition

SCHOLARLY AND COMMUNITY ACTION AWARDS RECIPIENTS:

DR. SHAHID ALVI• American Society of Criminology,

Critical Criminology Division, Critical Criminologist of the Year;

• Certificate of Appreciation Community Development Council of Durham; and

• Heart of St. Thomas Award, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, US.

DR. NAWAL AMMAR• Distinguished Woman Award, Kent State

University, Ohio, US;• Live Achievement Award for Kent State

University’s Democracy Symposium on Homeland Security; and

• YWCA Portage County: Women of Professional Excellence Award for the Year Finalist in North Ohio.

DR. LIQUN CAO• Noted in the Journal of Criminal Justice

Education as one of the most prolific criminologists in elite criminology journals; and

• Donald MacNamara Award (for best article of the year in three Academy of Criminal Justice Science journals: Justice Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and ACJS Today). Authored by Steven Stack, Liqun Cao, and Amy Adamczyk. 2007. Crime volume and law and order culture. Justice Quarterly 24: 291-308.

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DR. WALTER DEKESEREDY• Critical Criminologist of the Year Award,

American Society of Criminology’s Division on Critical Criminology;

• Distinguished Scholar Award, American Society of Criminology’s Division of Women and Crime;

• Lifetime Achievement Award, American Society of Criminology’s Division on Critical Criminology;

• Linda Saltzman Memorial Intimate Partner Violence Researcher Award, Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma;

• Research Excellence Award, UOIT, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada; and

• Research Achievement Award, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

DR. AZIZ DOUAI• Fulbright Scholarship; and• Page Legacy Scholar, Penn State

University, Pennsylvania, US.

DR. STEVEN DOWNING• Recognition of Service to the City

of Dallas for Dispute Mediation Incorporated program evaluation design.

DR. MOLLY DRAGIEWICZ• New Scholar Award, American Society

of Criminology, Division on Women and Crime.

DR. GANAELE LANGLOIS• Gemini Award for Best Cross-Platform

Project. Infoscape Research Lab and in collaboration with CBC-Ormiston Online: 2009.

DR. SHARON LAURICELLA• Student Training in Research Award,

UOIT, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

DR. NATALIE OMAN• Margaret Gillett Graduate Research

Award, McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

DR. BARBARA PERRY• Critical Criminologist of the Year,

American Society of Criminology, Critical Criminology Division;

• Finalist, C. Wright Mills Book Award (In the Name of Hate: Understanding Hate Crime);

• Northern Arizona University Teacher-Scholar Award, Flagstaff, US; and

• Research Excellence Award, UOIT, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

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Collectively, members of FSSH have very active research agendas, with very strong scholarly outputs. These have included publications in a diverse array of peer-reviewed journals reflecting a number of different disciplines including digital media, cultural studies, sociology, criminology, history, and political science. Our work has also been featured in published books, non-refereed articles and research reports, and presentations.

Research

IN THE LAB FSSH has several state-of-the-art psychology laboratories. In these labs, researchers study the behaviour of community members. In addition, students in undergraduate psychology classes are invited to participate in research, so they can observe research in action. Studies conducted in these labs advance psychological theory, as well as inform policy and provide solutions to everyday problems. Researchers employ a variety of methods in these labs to investigate issues such as:

• Legal decision-making;• Social perception;• Stereotyping; and• Theories of justice.

IN THE COMMUNITY1. We are committed to the principles of

social justice, and to the communities in which we live. To that end, we have applied our research expertise to problems and issues as they are identified by those living and working in these communities.

Our faculty have conducted a number of community-based research projects including:

• A Durham Region study of homelessness; • An examination of immigrant services in

the region; • A study of the experiences of abused

women in Ontario family courts; and • The impacts of racism on black police

officers. • A study on the social impact of the

Faculty’s move to downtown Oshawa.

Our faculty are proud that our community-based research is interwoven with policy-based research.

These and other projects resulted in technical reports, many of which have had identifiable policy impacts. For example, a study of community impacts of hate crime resulted in the development of a template for community victim impact statements, which has been used in a number of recent sentencing hearings. Other projects have developed needs assessments that have culminated in action plans in such fields as addictions, violence against women, and immigrant services.

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ACROSS THE GLOBEAt the other end of the spectrum, our faculty are also very much engaged with the international community of scholars. This is evidenced in our training and education. Our faculty members have studied in countries including:

• Australia;• Scotland;• Sweden;• The UK; and• The US.

Faculty have also been involved with a variety of international research boards and editorial boards of international journals. More important, however, are current research agendas that focus on international and/or comparative study. Collectively, we have ongoing research agendas and partnerships in:

• Australia;• Caribbean;• China;• Egypt• Korea;• New Zealand;• South America;• Turkey;• The UK; and • The US.

Some of our faculty also have adjunct and visiting professor appointments at other educational institutions including Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Similarly, we sit on boards of international institutes such as the Scottish Centre of Crime and Justice, and the Centre for the Study and Prevention of Hate Crime both in the UK. We’ve also presented to international organizations including the:

• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe;

• International Law Enforcement Academy; and

• United Nations.

2010-2011 RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES

Note: FSSH had 30 full-time faculty during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Book contracts – 11

Documentary – 1

Funded grants – 17

Book chapters – 15

Refereed articles – 29

Presentations – 46

Books – 5

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Promoting a safer, healthier environment for Canadians is a key research priority for UOIT. Leading innovation on emerging research issues such as hate crime, youth crime, immigration and wrongful conviction, restorative justice, human rights, psychology of law, and international and comparative crime and justice, UOIT has assembled some of the world’s leading experts to tackle these major challenges and develop advanced technologies.

Faculty research

The following is a list of FSSH researchers and the current projects they are working on:

DR. SHAHID ALVI Investigating violence against immigrant women, community responses to poverty, and youth crime and its relationship to social exclusion is currently Dr. Shahid Alvi’s research focus. With Dr. Hannah Scott and Dr. Wendy Stanyon, he recently completed a research project on victimization of urban homeless in Durham Region. Currently, he is analyzing data from another recently completed project on immigrant women’s quality of life, and in particular, their experiences of racism. He is also beginning a research project on the relationship between the peak oil problem, social disorganization and their implications for crime and crime control.

DR. NAWAL AMMARDr. Nawal Ammar’s work focuses on issues of justice, violence against women, and the environment. Her recent research includes projects on improving legal and service access to battered immigrant women in the US, domestic violence in Arab/Muslim communities, Muslims in prisons, Middle Eastern women and various areas of Arab and African societies including violence against children. Currently Dr. Ammar is working on evaluating data from the grantees of the Violence Against Women’s Act to assess the successes and barriers facing service delivery for battered immigrant women. Dr. Ammar has very recently received a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) grant to work with the National Turkish Police on issues of terrorism and civil society.

DR. RACHEL ARISS Relationships between law and social change, and how law shapes (and misshapes) community is the focus of Dr. Rachel Ariss’ research. She is writing about the legal aspects of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation’s struggle to control their land in the face of mining exploration and conducting qualitative research on how midwives understand social change work since midwifery was regulated in Ontario.

DR. SASHA BAGLAY Dr. Sasha Baglay’s research projects include security certificates and detention of non-citizens suspected of links to terrorist organizations, citizenship law and policy, refugee protection and assistance programs for victims of human trafficking, and other issues of domestic and comparative immigration and refugee law.

DR. TARA BRABAZONDr. Tara Brabazon is running three clustered research projects. Firstly, she is continuing her research into online education. The current manifestation of this work, following her two books Digital Hemlock and The University of Google, is titled Digital Dieting: Moving from Information Obesity to Digital Fitness. Her second area of research explores orality, aurality and sonic media, investigating the role of sound-only media in creating political defamiliarization and social change. Tara’s third sphere of research connects her interest in city imaging and social media to explore how geosocial networking, through such applications as

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FourSquare and Groupon, can become part of a strategy for urban regeneration and social development. Downtown Oshawa is an important case study for this research.

DR. LIQUN CAO Dr. Liqun Cao is involved with the study of comparative public opinion on criminality, such as illegal drugs. He also continues his tests of the validity of social support theory and anomie theory with cross-national data and his research on minorities’ attitude toward the police in Canada.

DR. CARLA CESARONIExamining the stress and adjustment of incarcerated individuals is Dr. Carla Cesaroni’s research area. Additionally, she is interested in the role of punishment in the criminal justice system and in the public psyche. For the last decade she has studied the experiences of adolescent males serving custodial sentences. She is working on a comparative study of the experiences and adjustment of adolescent girls versus boys in detention facilities.

DR. KIMBERLEY CLOWFocusing on stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, Dr. Kimberly Clow’s research projects examine the stigma of being negatively associated with the criminal justice system (e.g., wrongful conviction, pretrial publicity), the resistance to individuals fulfilling social roles that are incongruent with traditional gender roles (e.g., men in nursing); and community responses to immigration and diversity (e.g., available services).

DR. WESLEY CRICHLOWDr. Wesley Crichlow’s ongoing and current research examines the fragility and persistence of dominant Caribbean and black masculinities, HIV, black male criminalization and perverse relations to difference, and de-tabooing incest and child sexual violence in the Caribbean. He is collaboratively involved in a research project titled Americas Research Network for Indigenous Health. He is also working board review journal editor for the British Sociological Association and the current book review editor for the Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie.

DR. BRIAN CUTLER Dr. Brian Cutler’s research examines methods of improving the accuracy of eyewitness identification and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction. He is the editor of Law and Human Behavior and president-elect of the American Psychology-Law Society.

DR. AZIZ DOUAI The role of the media in global politics, particularly with relevance to democratization and security-related issues is the area of research Dr. Aziz Douai studies. He is currently editing a book entitled Media and Democratization: The African Experience. Dr. Douai is also interested in new media’s impact on social norms, as well as the media’s constructions of cyber threats.

DR. MOLLY DRAGIEWICZDr. Molly Dragiewicz’s ongoing projects include research on the experiences of abused mothers in the family court system, a study of service providers’ experiences of the backlash against laws and services targeting woman abuse in the US, equal protection lawsuits against battered women’s shelters, and framing in news articles about woman abuse.

DR. WALTER DEKESEREDY Dr. Walter Dekeseredy is conducting research on separated/divorced battered women who lack legal representation in the family court system, and the relationship between online adult pornography and woman abuse.

DR. STEVEN DOWNING Dr. Steven Downing is involved in several research projects including a multisite study of young persons’ socialization experiences into gun cultures and consequential conflict resolution preferences. He is also using mixed qualitative methods to study motivations for high-priced software piracy among industry professionals, including artists and game designers.

DR. SHANTI FERNANDO Conducting research on Canadian public policy in the areas of political economy and equity is Dr. Shanti Fernando’s area of expertise. She recently completed a study (with Dr. Shahid Alvi) on the economic impact of immigration in Durham Region, which included interviews with

some of Durham’s immigrant business owners. She is director of the University-Community Link Unit (CLU), which is working with various community groups and stakeholders to help create a more sustainable community in Durham and beyond, through anti-poverty, literacy and anti-violence advocacy.

DR. JUDITH GRANTDr. Judith Grant’s area of research is gender and drug use/abuse. She has recently authored her second book, which analyzes 25 men’s stories of addiction and recovery (in the Ozark region of the US) to be published in 2011 by Rienner Press.

DR. RONALD HINCH Dr. Ronald Hinch is working on two projects. The first is a book which focuses on how the food industry, grows, raises, processes, and markets food. It deals with issues of food safety and labour issues in food production, as well as the role of governments in the regulation of the food industry. His second project is a book on Canadian serial killers. It provides an assessment of known Canadian serial killers through their social interactions, biographies and actions while offering a theoretical model that explains why serial murderers do what they do.

DR. GANAELE LANGLOIS Cultural and social aspects of new media are the focus of Dr. Ganaele Langlois’ research. She currently has two projects underway. The first focuses on the development of new web-based

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methodologies to trace political activism. The second focuses on critically analyzing the cultural role of software in the online environment, particularly in relation to the phenomenon of participatory culture.

DR. SHARON LAURICELLA Dr. Sharon Lauricella focuses on two primary research areas. Her work in spiritual communication addresses prayer as a form of communication, nonviolent communication, and spirituality in hip hop culture. Her work also comprises the use of mobile learning technology in higher education, including laptops, SMS, and web-based resources.

DR. AMY LEACH Primarily interested in issues related to deception detection, Dr. Amy Leach is conducting research on second-language deception, the cognitive processes underlying deception, and deception on the Internet. In addition, Dr. Leach is engaged in ongoing collaborations examining the stigma of wrongful conviction and the use of facial features in eyewitness identifications.

DR. PATRIK OLSSON Dr. Patrik Olsson is investigating discriminatory practices against children and youth with a special focus on the importance of child participation and socio-legal perspectives on information technology from a critical and constructive point of view. Dr. Olsson is also interested in the culture of the Internet and the

legal predicaments that have arisen lately due to problems that involve various jurisdictions and legal cultures (using qualitative and quantitative methodologies).

DR. NATALIE OMAN A published author in the areas of philosophy of law, Aboriginal rights, ethics, and international human rights, Dr. Natalie Oman has recently completed a book-length manuscript examining the ethical and legal philosophical implications of the responsibility to protect and human security. Her current research applies indigenous norms of democratic governance to emerging transnational politics.

DR. BARBARA PERRY An expert on hate crime, Dr. Barbara Perry continues to make contributions to the limited scholarship on hate crime in Canada. She is particularly interested in anti-Muslim violence, and hate crime against Aboriginal people.

DR. TERESA PIERCEDr. Teresa Pierce’s scholarship and research is focused on the implications of digital technology and the ways in which people negotiate their cultural identities in order to resolve complex situations when online. The central theme of her research is the production of meaning in everyday life. Current projects include research on online support groups for victims of cyberbullying and cyberstalking, transdisciplinary research on the

interconnectedness of gender, culture, and computer science with user-produced semantic messages in digital formats, and the role of the cyberconduit in global politics.

DR. STEVEN REDHEAD Dr. Steven Redhead is conducting trajectories of legal studies and cultural studies; post-subcultural criminology and the histories of critical criminology; masculinities, hate crime and sports hooliganism.

DR. HANNAH SCOTTDr. Hannah Scott recently finished a book, Victimology: Canadians in Context, published by Oxford University Press. She continues to research, publish, and teach in the areas of victimology, homicide studies, statistics and evaluation research, space and crime, and has a developing interest in Drug Courts in Canada. Additionally, she is the director of UOIT’s Centre for Evaluation and Survey Research (CESR).

DR. PHILLIP SHON Parricides in nineteenth-century America is the current focus of Dr. Phillip Shon.

DR. DIANE SIVASUBRAMANIAMDr. Diane Sivasubramaniam’s research investigates the psychology of fairness. She is conducting research projects examining how fairness judgments are formed in restorative justice procedures, and the effects of these fairness

a; and whether authorities and subordinates differ in the way that they form fairness judgments.

DR. ANDREA SLANE Dr. Andrea Slane has published articles on unsolicited bulk email, online hate complaints, and international online defamation cases. She has completed policy research for the Department of Justice (on online hate), through the Contributions Program of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (on information sharing between private entities and law enforcement), and for Public Safety Canada (on online child sexual exploitation crime prevention materials and strategies). Dr. Slane has completed a year-long study of Canadian Internet safety education and online child sexual exploitation crime prevention strategies.

DR. ARSHIA U. ZAIDI Issues of race/ethnicity, immigrant families, gender, and sexuality are the focus of Dr. Arshia U. Zaidi’s research. Most recently, she is involved in three Social Science and Humanities Research Council grants (SSHRC). One grant examines cultural dilemmas and sexual experiences of South Asian youth in the Durham and Greater Toronto regions and the other two grants focus on the intersections of acculturative stress, substance use, and psycho-social well being amongst South Asian youth and elderly abuse/neglect (with Dr. Shahid Alvi) of South Asians in the greater Toronto area. Dr. Zaidi is well versed in both quantitative and qualitative methods.

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The opportunity for undergraduate students to collaborate with professors on significant research projects is a key differentiator between UOIT and other post-secondary institutions. FSSH undergraduate and graduate students are immersed in our research agendas, which provide valuable hands-on opportunities through practicum placements, paid research assistantships, and in the case of the forensic psychology labs, on a volunteer basis. Our students are also engaged in independent research in a variety of areas.

Student research

Notably, several of our undergraduate students have published in peer-reviewed journals by the time they graduate. In addition, several graduate students have also successfully published their research – a remarkable achievement for a master’s program established just a few short years ago.

Student papers have appeared in publications including the:• Albany Law Review;• Canadian Journal of Criminology and

Criminal Justice;• Journal of Criminal Justice Education;• Journal of Immigrant and Refugee

Health;• Journal of the Institute of Justice &

International Studies; and• Violence Against Women. Another testament to the growing recognition of our undergraduate and graduate students as scholars are the invitations they receive to attend and present papers at national and international conferences.

Among the recent conferences attended are the:• Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

Annual Meeting;• American Society of Criminology Annual

Meeting;• American Psychology-Law Society

meeting; and • Fourth International Congress on

Psychology and Law.

UOIT student scholarship has also been recognized through high-profile awards, including:• American Psychology-Law Society

Minority Affairs Committee Diversity Travel Award; and

• Student paper awards presented by the American Society of Criminology’s Division on Critical Criminology.

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Remarkably, we are able to maintain our high level of productivity with modest funding. A great deal of our work is within the local community and we are able to conduct interviews and even surveys at very low cost. Still, we have garnered funding from major national and international sources.

Grants

FUNDING FROM MAJOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SOURCES INCLUDE THE:

• British Home Office;• Health Canada;• IBM;• National Endowment for Democracy;• National Homelessness Initiative;• North Atlantic Treaty Organization; • Ontario Victim Services Secretariat; • Open Society Institute; • Social Sciences and Humanities

Research Council; • United States Department of Agriculture;• United States Department of Health and

Human Services; • United States Department of Justice; and • United States Department of State.

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Just as we are actively engaged in our local communities, so too are we committed to ongoing promotion of our academic community. This is evident in traditional academic channels such as publications, conference participation, and technical reports. In addition, our faculty supports three peer-reviewed academic journals.

Journals

CRITICAL CRIMINOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNALDr. Shahid Alvi is the editor of Critical Criminology: An International Journal, the official journal of the Division of Critical Criminology of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Section on Critical Criminology (ACJS). The journal explores social, political and economic justice from alternative perspectives, including anarchistic, cultural, feminist, integrative, Marxist, peace-making, post-modernist and left-realist criminology. Rather than limit the scope of its coverage to state definitions of crime, Critical Criminology focuses on issues of social harm and social justice, including work exploring the intersecting lines of class, gender, race/ethnicity and heterosexism. The journal benefits professionals interested in alternative methodologies and theories, including chaos theory, non-linear analysis, and complex systems science as it pertains to the study of crime and criminal justice. The journal offers works that focus on creative and co-operative solutions to justice problems, plus strategies for the construction of a more inclusive society.

LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIORDr. Brian Cutler is the editor-in-chief of Law and Human Behavior, official journal of the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS)/Division 41 of the American Psychological Association (APA). This journal is a

multidisciplinary forum for the publication of articles focusing on the intersection of human behavior and the law, the legal system, and the legal process. The journal publishes original research, literature reviews, and occasional commentaries.

AMERICAN COMMUNICATION JOURNALDr. Aziz Douai is the associate editor of the American Communication Journal (ACJ). The official peer-reviewed journal of the American Communication Association, ACJ is dedicated to the conscientious analysis and criticism of significant communicative artifacts. Appreciating the diversity of research agendas and methodologies in the study of communication, the co-editors and editorial board of ACJ welcome submissions on any topic related to the discipline.

Additionally, Dr. Tess Pierce oversees the TheCircle@UOIT, the university’s first interdisciplinary peer review journal. Operated entirely by Communication students, TheCircle gives undergraduates the chance to showcase their research papers, projects, assignments, creative works, etc., to the rest of the academic world. TheCircle is not a newspaper, rather a publication that contains articles and creative works that have been specially commissioned or submitted for peer-review and publication. The objective of TheCircle is to publish Canadian research from all fields of study; however, research topics that do not contain Canadian content will also be accepted and reviewed.

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Faculty- organized

conferences and

workshops

LEADERSHIP IN DIVERSITY CONFERENCEIn the spring of 2010, FSSH held its inaugural conference on Leadership in Diversity themed Women in Criminal Justice Leadership. With more than 100 participants, the conference exceeded our expectations. Conference speakers included:

• Gwen Boniface, former commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and former Deputy Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate;

• Wendy Southall, chief of police, Niagara Regional Police Service; and

• Vernon White, chief of police, Ottawa Police Service.

The defining characteristic of our conference was the integration of expert knowledge and analysis, with practical problem-identification and -solving by participants through several strategy oriented break-out sessions.

In the spring of 2011, our second conference focused on racialized minority groups within the justice system. Speakers for this conference included:

• Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, human rights activist and chief executive officer and founder of Innocence International; and

• Jay Hope, second black deputy minister in Ontario’s history.

ACADEMY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SCIENCESIn March 2011 FSSH was the local co-ordinator for the annual conference of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, which hosted more than 1,200 participants from across the globe. Appropriate to the venue, the theme for the year was Strengthening American/Canadian Justice Connections. In addition to providing local input, FSSH sponsored an evening reception.

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Our faculty are frequently contacted by media outlets for their expert opinions. They’ve been nationally featured in the Edmonton Sun, Maclean’s Magazine, Toronto Sun, Toronto Star and on Global Television news. Locally they’ve been interviewed by Metroland, Durham Radio, Rogers Television and Channel 12 (CHEX). They have served as experts on honour killings, hate crimes, cultural taboos, sexting and serial killing.

In the news

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Research groups, units and

centres

CENTRE FOR EVALUATION AND SURVEY RESEARCHhttp://cesr.uoit.ca

The Centre for Evaluation and Survey Research (CESR) is an interdisciplinary academic, market-driven, hybrid centre that primarily serves systematic research and analysis functions both within and outside the university. The Centre offers high quality quantitative and qualitative survey research, evaluation research, collaborative research models, consultation, and training. Additionally, CESR has the capacity to collaborate -- on a small-scale – in partnership with other universities and governmental and non-governmental agencies in the Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The Centre also has the potential to engage in collaborations with the business, health care, and social service communities and numerous automotive and manufacturing industries. CESR is housed within FSSH, and will ultimately grow to include other stakeholders from within the university and outside. The current CESR board member constituency represents numerous UOIT faculties and is multidisciplinary with one member from the social service community.

CESR is very beneficial to UOIT, the students, and the surrounding community. The centre provides high quality hands-on training for both undergraduate and graduate students in areas of survey design, evaluation research, and implementation.

DIGITAL LIFE RESEARCH GROUPThe Digital Life Research Group (DLRG) explores how information and communication technologies and new media have changed the way we live, inform ourselves, relate to others and connect to communities.

DLRG provides a forum for discussion on digital life broadly defined, from spiritual support to online safety and security issues, from gaming to political activism, from blogging to digital storytelling. Common to all these issues is the recognition that they cannot be effectively answered by traditional scholarly approaches, but rather require interdisciplinary research. As a group composed of educators, communication researchers, sociologists, criminologists, legal scholars and historians, they engage in cross-disciplinary exchange to identify new sites of critique and to fully understand and meaningfully intervene in issues related to life online.

FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH GROUPThe Forensic Psychology Research Group is engaged in leading-edge research in the application of psychology to the justice system. The group, consisting of faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate students, regularly applies for external grants to fund their research. They publish their research in forensic psychology research journals and books and present their research at national and international conferences.

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UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY LINK UNITwww.clu.uoit.ca

UOIT University-Community Link Unit (CLU) is a campuswide research unit that conducts collaborative, interdisciplinary applied research with various stakeholders in the Durham Region and Northumberland County. It was created to support the needs of and assist with the development of sustainable communities and cities. Our goal is to engage in dialogue with scholars, students and a variety of stakeholders within the region and beyond in order to understand the dynamics of communities, cities and regions, while informing public policy at local, regional, provincial and national levels. This unit affirms UOIT’s commitment to community economic development. Current community partners include Northumberland Poverty Reduction Action Committee (NPRAC), Literacy Network of Durham Region (LiNDR) and Durham Region Intimate Partner Violence Empowerment Network (DRIVEN). Our current Executive Board includes members of our faculty as well as UOIT’s faculties of Engineering and Applied Science, Science and Business and IT, and we have developed research partnerships with the Faculty of Education.

CLU continues to seek partnerships with community groups and non-profit organizations to:

• Create a framework and research plan for specific projects;

• Use research to build on the strengths of their organization;

• Apply for funding for specific projects;• Use knowledge of the community to

develop a social planning capacity;• Widen their influence on their community;

and • Connect with UOIT.

Members of FSSH would be happy to hear from you to discuss their research agendas, potential partnerships, or new ideas for research projects. We are eager to connect with fellow scholars, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and industry. Our passion for the work we do in the interests of informing public debate and policy make us enthusiastic and productive researchers across an impressive range of disciplines and fields of study. You can learn more about our research, our programs, and individual faculty members by visiting our website. We look forward to hearing from you!

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities University of Ontario Institute of Technology 55 Bond Street East Oshawa, Ontario, Canada L1G 0A5

T: 905.721.3234 F: 905.721.3372 E: ssh@uoit.ca www.socialscienceandhumanities.uoit.ca

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