An array of award-winning research on topics ranging from addiction stigma to the origins of evil will be shared at the virtual Social Sciences Research Colloquium next week.

The Faculty of Social Sciences (FOSS) welcomes the Brock and wider communities to this annual event, which highlights the research being undertaken by select recipients of the FOSS Student Research Award as well as the Faculty’s Early Career Researcher and Distinguished Researcher for 2022.

Associate Professor Pascal Lupien, recipient of the Faculty of Social Sciences Early Career Researcher award for 2022.

Associate Professor Pascal Lupien in the Department of Political Science says he was honoured to receive the 2022 Early Career Researcher Award earlier this year. He is looking forward to sharing his research on the complexities of how Indigenous social movement organizations in Latin America use social media during protests.

“My aim is to shed light on both the empowering opportunities and unforeseen challenges that arise in the intersection of activism and the digital realm,” says Lupien. “I look forward to engaging in a meaningful dialogue about the evolving dynamics of social movements in our interconnected world.”

Professor Tony Volk, recipient of the Faculty of Social Sciences Distinguished Researcher award for 2022.

Professor Tony Volk, who was named the 2022 Distinguished Researcher for FOSS, says that he is excited to share “some shocking synchronicities that we’ve found in both the development and evolution of evil personality traits” at next week’s event.

“The FOSS award is quite fitting given that this work is based on input and help from more than a dozen faculty and students from both Child and Youth Studies and Psychology as well as FOSS funding and support,” he says.

The colloquium, which will be held via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 1 to 3:30 p.m., includes the following presentations:

• “The Shifting Constitution of Gender and Mobility in a Context of Religious and Infrastructural Change: A Case Study of the Swat Valley, Pakistan” — Idris Khan, Master of Arts (MA) candidate in Geography
• “Drawing on Lived Experience of Peer Support Workers in the provision of Substance and Addiction Services in St. Catharines; a case study of ABC HEALTH CENTRE” — Patrick Segawa, MA candidate in Child and Youth Studies
• “Indigenous Representation and Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canadian Anti-Stigma Campaigns: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis” — Megan Vlahiotis, undergraduate student in Psychology
• “#Resistencia: Indigenous Movements, Social Media, and the 2019 Uprisings in Latin America” — Associate Professor of Political Science Pascal Lupien
• “The Origins of Evil” — Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk

Dawn Zinga, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences, says that the annual event never fails to spark new insights and inspire further conversation.

“It is always a thrill to showcase the scope of research taking place across the Faculty,” says Zinga. “Surprising intersections and overlap always emerge, even between different disciplines and research questions that appear quite different, which usually prompts terrific discussion.”

Everyone is welcome to attend this free public event. Those interested in attending are asked to register to receive the online meeting invitation. Simultaneous American Sign Language interpretation of all presentations will be available.