Fourth year law student Shigdo Defi’s research project comes at an opportune time: the U.S. government has just announced it will create a new agency to monitor cybersecurity threats.
His project, entitled “Cyber Warfare and the International Law of War” was on display during the Undergraduate Research Showcase, which was part of FPA Research Month.
“What constitutes a cyber war? The question is how do we apply the current law to a war that doesn’t distinguish between combatants versus noncombatants,” says Defi. “The digital space is not safe and the law is not developed to manage global peace and security in cyberspace.”
Defi was one of 27 undergraduate students who displayed their research in the Discovery Centre of the MacOdrum Library recently. They presented on topics as diverse as marketing the moustache, fantasy football, and the Scottish independence referendum.
For fourth year BPAPM student Tierra Hohn, her curiosity led her to study the media literacy curriculum taught to Ontario teenagers. She wondered what effect it would have on the body image of adolescent girls.
“We know girls are keenly affected by the images they see,” said Hohn. “I wanted to explore whether a general media literacy curriculum would help them navigate those images.”
Hohn surveyed teenage girls in community centres and found that the program not only didn’t help these girls critique those images, but those who consumed more media had lower self-esteem.
Hohn’s recommendation is that Ontario change the curriculum to specifically address the effect of media images on teenage girls.
She says her research experience has been a valuable part of her education in the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management program.
“Much of what we will do as policy makers is behind the scenes. There isn’t a lot of engagement with the community,” explains Hohn. “This was really interesting because it was more hands-on. I was able to talk to teenagers personally.”
The Undergraduate Research Showcase is an annual event that is part of FPA Research Month, which is hosted every March by the Faculty of Public Affairs.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015 in FPA Research Series, News
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