Fourth-year SJPS students take part in year-end research Symposium

Social Justice and Peace Studies students conducted extensive research and presented their findings in large, poster format on April 12, 2018 in Vitali Student Lounge. Family, friends and the King’s community were invited to attend. The student-presenters stood by their posters ready to explain and discuss their research.

“The SJPS Symposium is a chance for students to highlight their amazing work. Fourteen students chose individual research projects based on topics that they are passionate about - from indigenous rights, to debates concerning the justice of sex work, to welfare and prison reform. The Symposium represents a term's worth of careful study, but more than that, it represents the culmination of the four-year degree. I couldn't be more proud of them,” said course instructor Dr. Tom Malleson.

Manyang Mangek researched where poverty comes from, and whether its alleviation should be seen as a human rights issue. He proposed that eradicating poverty is an act of justice. He discussed the human rights and political issues surrounding poverty. A possible solution is support for local food productions. Mangek also proposed schooling opportunities for low income groups.

Holly Reid looked into an alternative structure to Canadian prisons.  Reid argued that Canadian prisons need to focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment. She cited Norway as having one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. Norway is one of several countries that use “restorative justice” for crime. Reid listed possible rehabilitation techniques Canada could adopt. These include pre-release planning, training for harm reduction, and job skills.

Nachamada Simon is an international student from Nigeria studying at King’s. She researched who has the responsibility for fixing Africa’s humanitarian concerns. Should this responsibility fall on the West, The United Nation, or the African Union?

“I think there should be African solutions to African problems to enable the continent to be independent of external actors.” Simon cites the African Union as an example. This African organization results in self-resilience and responsibility amongst Africans.  “I am passionate about this issue because I am from Africa. I would like to see the African countries work together to resolve their issues because we cannot always rely on aid from external actors. I would like to see our continent stand strong,” Simon concludes.

Other topics included the urban bias of welfare, the missing ethics of Canadian gold mining corporations, and environmental injustice at Aamjiwnaang Reserve, Sarnia.