Senior undergraduate students will have the opportunity to experience what presenting at a conference is all about Wednesday at York when several students will present their research and participate in panel discussions.
The students, part of Professor Jennifer Dalton’s courses in the School of Public Policy & Administration (SPPA), Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, will discuss a range of topics.
The Advanced Public Policy Analysis: Presenting the Research Findings of SPPA’s Senior Undergraduates conference will take place April 2, from 3:30 to 7:30pm, in the Senior Common Room, McLaughlin College, Keele campus. Professor James Simeon, SPPA director, will give opening remarks at 4pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
“Students enrolled in my Advanced Public Policy Analysis course this past academic year had the opportunity to work on extensive original research throughout the duration of the course. This mini-conference will showcase the culmination of their work,” says Dalton.
“The event, which is also a graded component of the course, will give students the opportunity to experience a ‘mini’ conference environment first-hand. In that sense, it is an experiential learning opportunity with real-world application.”
On a practical level, this experience will help students hone their speaking and presentation skills. “It gives students a sort of ‘dry run’, which is invaluable for subsequent experiences in a range of different academic, professional and employment settings,” says Dalton.
“Our school seeks to provide our students with meaningful experiential education opportunities in a number of our courses and this is entirely appropriate and perhaps essential for a school that prepares its students for a successful and rewarding career in the broader public sector,” says Simeon.
The first panel, from 4:05 to 4:50pm, chaired by Professor Ian Greene, will discuss Canada’s social safety net and institutional quality. This panel will focus on socioeconomic and policy concerns faced by various cohorts in Canada. Each paper will examine the quality of various institutions and the social services they provide.
The following students will present their research papers:
- Joanna Matthews – “Housing First”: A First for Housing;
- Rajbir Sohal – Canada Pension Plan: Can Baby Boomers Afford to Retire?; and
- Zalma Abdi – The Hidden Concerns of the EQAO: An Exploration of Biases and Problems of Accountability.
The second panel, chaired by Dalton from 4:50 to 5:35pm, will look at law, justice and Canadian ideologies. The focus of this panel is rooted in Canadian justice and politics. The role of various Canadian institutions is examined in terms of their quality, access and representativeness of Canadian identity.
The following students will present their research papers:
- Shanika Johnson – Access to Justice for the Unprivileged in Family Law Matters;
- Melissa Qi – The Cannabis Debate: A Policy for Canada; and
- Deswaine Nanton – To Be Canadian: A Study of the Role of the CBC to Promote Canadian Identity.
Economic policy and institutional developments will be the topic of the third panel, chaired by Professor Brenda Spotton Visano from 5:45 to 6:45pm. This panel will consider various approaches to Canada’s economic development. The significance of big data and equalization policies will be examined alongside the impacts of immigration and international relations on Canada’s economic viability.
The following students will present their research papers:
- Koosha Totonchi – Big Data Analytics in Economic Policy Development & Analysis;
- Vajinder Mukkar – Sharing is Caring?: A Review of Equalization;
- Sara Siddiqi – The Impact of Canada’s Immigration Policy on Labour Market Outcomes; and
- Jennifer Mendoza – What Does Asia Pacific Relations Mean for Canada?
The final panel of the day will delve into environmental policy, climate change and sustainable development, chaired by Professor Bob Drummond from 6:45 to 7:15pm. This panel will focus on environmental policy in Canada, specifically from the perspectives of restricting climate change and encouraging sustainable energy production.
The following students will present their research papers:
- Kevin Devine – Canada’s Climate Change; and
- Ramsen Yousif – Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Limitations.
For more information, visit the SPPA website or contact Professor Jennifer Dalton at jedalton@yorku.ca.