Throughout my learning in all the mandatory as well as elective courses within this program I have developed skills and focus in all of the major learning outcomes but also in many other ways that can not be simply attributed to a class or a learning outcome as this program is a community. A community that helps all of its members better themselves and due to the diverse cohorts and interdisciplinary nature of our backgrounds and course content learning comes from every conversation, every small detail or being with and learning from others experiences.
I am going to start with the program learning outcome “Articulate original ideas, arguments and observations through group work and presentations, and high-quality writing or artistic works.” This was one that I focused on throughout all of my classes as each class had a specific end project either a paper or some sort of creative project to be worked on. This was where I developed some creativity but also a lens in which I began to look at all the course material through. Even though I was not choosing the thesis option I felt it would be easier to focus on something that would be meaningful to myself and the work that I do outside of the program as well as valuable from a human rights and social justice perspective. I focused on women and children but specifically pregnancy and rights for pregnant people. Many of my papers dove deep into how different medications in labour affected both the mother and child and how doctors and nurses often negated consent when administering those medications.
However my creative projects were much more abstract and pushed me out of my comfort zone. I wrote a stage play entitled “Part of Post” depicting the pressures that the female main character faces to get pregnant and then documenting her struggle with postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a condition that affects a lot of women and the pressures to become pregnant is also something that you regularly see within many societies though in different ways. This condition can be treated but must be supported by family, friends, intimate partners, and medical professionals. The entire script is available for you to read.
I completed a cyclical painting of a woman breastfeeding her infant and her mother spoon feeding her. In order to represent the intergenerational nature of the way in which our food influences our lives. The painting itself is inspired by the classic paintings of Madonna with Child while also incorporating another generation and adding modern elements with the cartoon style depiction. The blues and greens of the mat below the family represent earth and the balance that we all play in standing, living, and eating on our planet. The browns, oranges, and yellows of the walls represent the soil and the way in which we are all entrenched in and surrounded by the very thing that gives us life. This painting represents a nuanced understanding of how little changes to the way we interact with food as well as the nurturing of the next generations’ well being can bring food sovereignty and food justice for all. The painting is available for you to view.
The final creative project that I worked on was a podcast which details some of the risks of using menstruation applications for persons wanting to track their cycle especially with the overturning of Roe vs Wade in the United States. This podcast and my idea for it came after the 2024 elections as the president-elect Donald Trump has made many comments about abortions and their legality within the United States. The elections also sparked my concern for Canadains and the use of Artificial Intelligence within the medical fields. The podcast, shownotes, and scripting are available for you to listen to and view.
The second Program Learning Outcome that was meaningful to me was “Demonstrate advanced knowledge of and competence in the application of research methods and techniques.” This was developed within our required research methods class where I was able to write a grant proposal. The grant proposal was done to help facilitate our knowledge for work in future non-profits and to help develop a deeper understanding and skill set when it came to research methods and ethics. I wrote my grant proposal on the medication pitocin and the way in which labouring parents are often not informed of the risks when consenting to the administration of the medication. The grant proposal is for a research project that speaks to birthing parents about their experiences with the drug pitocin with questions aimed around consent. The grant proposal outlines the need for the project with a literature review, description of research team, description of knowledge mobilization, budget description as well as a detailed budget and timeline.
The third program learning outcome that I found to be particularly impactful was “Demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of the past and present debates that have shaped human rights and social justice issues.” I found that from a philosophical perspective we covered the history of human rights and the way in which they have transformed and also stayed stagnant within the Law class. The class covered readings of original works spanning from 1651 to 2018 and helped to put historical context to some of the current issues that we are facing within human rights and social justice issues. Throughout the class we had reflections on our readings and chatted openly in discussion on how these historical movements directly and indirectly changed the course of what human rights mean especially within western society today. My focus was often on historical movements and powerful leaders for women’s rights and it was interesting to dive deeper into how women’s rights such as the right to vote, the right to own property, and even the right to have a bank account were established. As well as how in many other countries today there are still limited rights for women. Most profound for me was learning about the alliship for women from men that took place in order for the larger gains for (white) women’s human rights to be recognized.
The law class set up a very detailed background for many of the prolific issues of injustice within Human Rights and Social Justice but the foundations class deepened my understanding of modern issues and how devastating and disturbing from both a political and sociological lens the lack of global human rights is. We discussed what it is like to be privileged within our world and recognizing our place and our unconscious biases. While also learning of genocides, political turmoil, and the ways in which saviourism has affected the establishment of global rights. With the understanding that rights are precarious and not necessarily inherent and justice is and can only be justice if there is a power that is not corrupt to carry it out in appropriate and meaningful ways.
All of my classes and experiences within the program have built on these individual program learning outcomes in their own ways but these specific examples are those that have been most meaningful to me and my learning. The discussions, readings, research, and lectures have aided in my knowledge and understanding of each of these topics and have also allowed for me to look into my own topics of interest inhuman rights and social justice at length. In class and out of class discussions with individuals from my cohort were one of the most profound and unexpected ways that I deepened my knowledge for these subjects as each of my classmates have such diverse stories and knowledge backgrounds. I found myself learning from and being sparked to look up more from every conversation I had with each of them. They often shared stories of where they are from, their own personal discriminations, issues faced within organizations that they work or volunteer with, as well as their areas of interest or past studies. I have been so lucky to have shared this time and gained so much from each of them.