Master of Social Work (MSW)

Yeates School of Graduate Studies

Major Research Papers (MRP)

The Major Research Paper (MRP) provides the students with the opportunity to conduct original research. The students engage in critical analysis and knowledge development with respect to social work practice. The major research paper is presented to the university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work. 

Consult the Intellectual Property Guidelines as provided by the Yeates School of Graduate Studies for further information regarding Copyright including copyright ownership and use of copyrighted material.

Cohort 2010

Bain, Heather Lynne.  "Next to the Closet Door": Narratives of Older Women Who Are Attracted to Women (2011)

Bajurny, Virtue.  Alone/Together: Blogging Diabetes (2011)

Blomkwist, Colleen.  Narratives From Parents of Gay Sons… Who Are These Parents Anyway? (2011)

Chakrabarty, Rajat Kanti.  Living Fully: Experience of Mindfulness Meditation in People Diagnosed with Cancer (2011)

Chopamba, Dorothy Clara.  (Re)Storying, (Re)Covering, (Re)claiming and (Re)sisting HIV Disclosure: An Afrocentric Perspective (2011)

Condor, Roxana.  Decolonizing Somali Youth Identities: Hybridity and the Importance of Multiple Stories (2011)

Howes, Sarah.  "Everyone's At Risk To Becoming Homeless": Reflecting On The Experience Of Homeless Youth In Toronto (2011)

Ketenci, Sinem.  Global Food Crisis: Exploring Social Work Strategies in the Era of Neoliberal Globalization (2011)

Lagios, Andrea.  Beyond the Discourse of Trauma: Stories of Strength from Inside Refugee Camps (2011)

Latty, Stephanie .  I Come From That History, I Come From that Strength, I Come From That Resistance: (Re)Framing Conceptualizations of Resistance in the Caribbean Community (2011)

MacKinnon, Kinnon.  Queer Rurality: Toward a Theory of Rural Space and Queer Subjectivity (2011)

Malone, Amanda.  Ideal Motherhood & Surveillance: Young Mothers with Intellectual disabilites Share Their Stories (2011)

Merrick, Cindy.  What Stories Tell: "I Don't Expect… To Be Treated Good" (2011)

Nassir, Bahja.  Motherhood Experiences of Racialized Women With Physical & Sensory Disabilities (2011)

Pollock, Ariel.  Dog Ownership and the Experience of Being Homeless: Narratives of Accessing Shelters and Owning a Companion Animal (2011)

Ramathe, Rochelle.  "Involuntary Segregation vs. Voluntary Separation" What Role Do Afrocentric Schools Play in Decolonizing the Mind? (2011)

Samuels, Venece.  Black Womenleaders and Social Work in Canada (2011)

Scavuzzo, Erin.  Are They Talking About Me? Cause I Hear What They're Saying (2011)

Shah, Sumaira.  "It's Not What You Think": Narratives of Muslim Women Who Wore Hijab In Toronto's Public Secondary Schools (2011)

Silverman, Karen.  From the Classroom to the Front Line: Understanding Anti-Oppressive Practive Through the Experiences of Recent Social Work Graduates (2011)

Summers, Krystal.   Aboriginal Helping and Helpers: Reflections and Stories About Culturally Specific Substance Misuse Treatment with Aboriginal Peoples (2011)

Tataryn-Kiy, Cynthia.   Holding The Hope: At What Risk to Workers? (2011)

Yeatman, Allison.  "It Felt Like I Had Somehow Been Raped Wrong": Experiences of Disclosure in a Rape Supportive Culture (2011)

Cohort 2009

Abaza, Yasmine. "Anti-Arab and Anti-Muslim - Islamophobia: Whiteness Explored Through the Lens of an Arab Muslim Social Worker" (2010

Ahluwalia, Nina. "Empty Womb…Empty Arms…" (2010)

Amin, Khalat. "HOW ME(less)? Examining the Lexicon on Homelessness in Newspapers" (2010)

Anderson, Tania. "Hope on the Frontlines: Exploring Practitioner Hope in Social Work Practice" (2010)

Batangan, Lindsay-Anne. "Sheltered & Harmed: A Critical Look at Canada's Response to Protecting Children From Sexual Exploitation" (2010)

Brar, Sundeep. "Understanding the Experiences of High School Students Who Have Been Suspended OR Sent To An Alternative School for School Absenteeism" (2010)

Carnevale, Natalie. "Voices of Experience: Perspective of Parents on Child Welfare's Response to Domestic Violence" (2010)

Christie, Alison. "Fighting for the Right to Grieve: Service Providers' Journey Navigating Through Dominant Discourses on Grief and Bereavement" (2010)

Deonarine, Aditi. "It Takes A Lot Of Heart": Examining The Experiences Of Older Women Who Are Unpaid Caregivers For Their Husbands Who Have Physical And/Or Cognitive Impairments" (2010)

Duhaney-Morris, Patrina. "The Impact of Mandatory and Dual Arrest Charges for Black Women Charged with a Domestic Violence Offence" (2010)

Etherington, Nicole Kristy. "'No One Will Take Me': Family Doctor Screening Practices as Mentalism" (2010)

Franklin, Nicole. "Different Faces in Different Places: artistic representation of young African Canadian women in education" (2010)

Fung, Alfred. "Exploring the Challenges of New Military Veterans" (2010)

Gomez, Alma Mae. "Invoking the Babaylan Consciousness: Connecting Philippine Indigenous Knowledge, Systems and Practices to Social Work" (2010)

Johnston, Alaina. "Separated Children in the Canadian Context: Their Status, Experiences and Unique Needs" (2010)

Luke-Smith, Jessica. "Ontario Works? Single Mothers Uncovering the Realities of Childcare to Reconstruct Ontario Works" (2010)

McCormack, Celine. "The Making of a "CancerDiva': Renegotiating One's Identity and Narrative in the Context of Illness" (2010)

Peter, Michele. "How Do We Fit In? Young Tamil Immigrant Women Express Their Settlement Experience in Canada" (2010)

Premdas, Suzanne Neera. "Anti-Racist and Anti-Colonial Discourses: Are Aboriginal Peoples Left Out?" (2010)

Qazi, Mansoora. "'What's Islam Got To Do With It?' The Concept of Equality and Women's Rights Within the Framework of Islam" (2010)

Reid, Jenna. "Conversations with Mad Students: Experiences of Undergraduate Education in a Supposed Anti-Oppressive Social Work Program" (2010)

Samsudeen, Sabrina. "UnMasking and Re-Scripting Identities: the Voices of Second Generation South Asian-Canadian Women" (2010)

Sutherland, Danielle Jacqueline. "Can Queerspawn be an Identity? Eight Youth with LGBTQ Parents Talk about Their Identity" (2010)

Tucker-Abramson, Zachary. "Youth Engagement and AOP practice: A case study of Grassroots Youth Collaborative" (2010)

Uwabor, Mercy I. "Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes: a Critical Discourse Analysis of Bill 117 Debates" (2010)

Williams, Shatyra. "Broken Women Making a Life: Insider Perspective of Black Women and Communities in Conflict with the Law" (2010)

Cohort 2008

Arthurton, Karen. "Miss-Interpreted, Miss-Understood & Miss-Ing The Voices of 'Mixed Race' Women in Canada" (2009)

Bacchus-Haynes, Florette. "Give Us Strength So We Can Shed Fewer Tears" (2009)

Bomberry, Julia. "A Time for Change: Exploring a Code of Ethics For the Haudenoasaunee Community" (2009)

Delarosa, Elizabeth. "Centering First and Second Generation Filipinas' Narratives - Enacting Agency and Resistance in Everyday Experiences" (2009)

Duncan, Michelle. "Equity and Democracy" (2009)

Elsayed, Nadia. "A Look Into Accessible Public Transportation for People in Toronto Who Have Acquired Brain Injuries" (2009)

Ernewein, Jennie. "Resistance in the Workplace: Revisiting the Relationship Between Social Services and Unions" (2009)

Farhadipour, Roya. "The Challenges of Parenting Teens For New Iranian Immigrant Parents in Richmond Hill" (2009)

Fernandes, Neesha. "The City of Toronto Official Plan and Its Policy Implications: Neighbourhood Planning From a Social Determinants of Health Perspective"(2009)

Gana, Carolina. "Mujeres Activistas: Stories of Activism" (2009)

Grosso, Pina. "'Not Something That Has Gone Wrong With Us': Worker Burnout Among Social Workers" (2009)

Johnstone, Lori . "Welcoming Bill 12 Conversations About Adoptee Rights and the Opening of Adoption Records in Ontario" (2009)

Kapfunde, Dayirai. "'Being There' in a Transnational Context: Zimbabweans Navigating Family Caring in Canada" (2009)

Kehyayan, Edward. "Welcome to the Pity Party: Dominant Representations of Queer Youth in Research and Their Impacts" (2009)

Krasovec, Tory. "Making and Remaking Men: Rethinking Connell's Hegemonic Masculinity Through the Narratives of Men Who Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse" (2009)

Leigh, Amy. "Expressive Arts as Holistic Healing: My Journey" (2009)

Mastrangelo, Mary. "Exploring Body Image: Women's Narrative's About Healing and Negotiating Their Gendered Bodies" (2009)

Millward, Jason. "It's All About Me': Privilege and Whiteness in an Anti-Oppression School of Social Work" (2009)

Moore, Bobbi. "Creating Space for a Dialogue: Adults with a Different-Ability Speak Out" (2009)

Munro, Lorraine. "Queering Kinship - Queer Single Mommas in the Age of the Same-Sex Nuclear Family" (2009)

Nickerson, Krystina. 'Micro-Level Operations of Power in a Residential Treatment Group Home for Youth: Making Meaning of a Worker's Experience''(2009)

Ord, Robyn. "Conversations About Death, Grief and Loss: Resistance to Dominant Discourses on Grief" (2009)

Paton, Cathy. "Revelling in Human Complexity: A Philosophical Exploratory Study of Ways of Knowing, Technocracy, and Meaning Making" (2009)

Ramsingh, Shivana. (in progress)

Rutt, Catherine. '"I Taught Myself How To Do Child Welfare": Female Child Protection Workers' Experiences of Being Un(der)trained" (2009)

Simas, Melissa. "Everyday Mothering: Some Experiences of Mothers with Physical Disabilities" (2009)

Simpson, Tyler. "Words of the Wise: Reflections on Risk Assessment in Child Welfare" (2009)

Syed, Umaimah . '"Being Muslim, Female and a Lesbian": A Glimpse at a Journey Between Self, Islam and Sociocultural Expectations" (2009)

Torres, Eric. "Seiryoku Zenyo Jita Kyoei Martial Arts & Identity" (2009)

Williams, Lindsay. "Re-Visioning Harm Reduction Services for Women" (2009)

Winkelaar, Jeffrey. "Seeking Meaning and Identity: Sexual Minority Refugees in Canada" (2009)

Zammit, Sondra. "Strategically Navigating Through Youth Mentoring Programs as a Means of Challenging Dominent Discourse Within Social Service Agencies" (2009)

Zeemel, Nathalie. "Qualitative Interviews with Health Care Providers in a Community Based Setting: Decolonizing Processes, Actions and Practices of Interpretation Service Provision with Newcomers" (2009)

Cohort 2007

Abdillahi, Idil. "Far From Safety" (2008)

Aikens, Jonilee. "(Re)working it": Sex Workers Dialogue About Their Strengths" (2008)

Alfred-McCracken, Sheila. "Who am I? When is the Government going to Tell Me?" (2008)

Boodhai, Sunil. "Ah Pinch ah dis an “ah dash ah dat: Identity and the Indo-Caribbean Gay Man in Toronto" (2008)

Bursey, Monique. ""All the World's a Stage": Popular Theatre as an Emancipatory Method of Self Identification for Social Workers" (2008)

Carlos Escamilla, Aida. "Uncovering White Hegemonic Discourse: Institutionalized Oppression of the Mexican Seasonal Agricultural Workers" (2008)

Chang, Nee-ka. "What Does it Mean to Be 'Chinese'?: Toronto Chinese Social Workers Talk About Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence as a Form of Child Maltreatment" (2008)

Cross, Gregory. "Racelessness in the Education System: Criminalization of Black Youth" (2008)

Day, John. "Social Marketing & The Oppression of Hunger" (2008)

Derencinovic, Elizabeth. "Giving Voice to Practice Wisdoms: Applying Anti-Oppression to Group Process" (2008)

Dhebar, Meera. "The GIPA (Greater Involvement of Persons with HIV/Aids) Principle and Volunteerism: Moving Beyond the PHA Identity" (2008)

Fee, Melissa. "Seasons of Grief and Grace: The Story of Living in Two Worlds" (2008)

Gallo, Tanya. "Mandated Safety: Examining the Effectiveness of Mandatory Reporting Laws" (2008)

Gastaldi, Jessica. "Audit Discourse and New Managerialism: Powerlessness and The Silencing of Voices. The Authentic Experience of One Children's Aid Society" (2008)

Gill, Anne. "Being Punjabi But Christian" (2008)

Koleszar-Green, Ruth. "Understanding Our Education: Looking at SWP 435: Aboriginal Approaches to Social Work" (2008)

Krawczyk, Eva. "Healthcare Interpreters: A Voice of the Dominant Discourse, Or a Voice of Diversity? Through the Lens of Autoethnography" (2008)

Lantz, Brandy. "Unheard and Forgotten Tears: A Child's Loss of a Loved One Through Homicide" (2008)

Oleh, Julian. "Breaking The Cycle of Recidivism: Case of a Mental Health Survivor in Criminal Justice System" (2008)

Panico, Alessandra. "The Experience of Graduates of Care: Where Are They Now?" (2008)

Romeo, Rosemary. ""What do You Mean, My Child Has a Disability?" The Construction of Parental Attitudes and Perceptions of Disability: Implications For Social Work Practice" (2008)

Sampson, Neisau. "Negotiating Identity: White Mothers of Black Children in Toronto" (2008)

Shen, Tammy. "Creating Spaces: Negotiating Multiple Identities in a Context of Whiteness. The Journeys of Three Second-Generation Canadian-Born Chinese Women" (2008)

Simone, Diane. "Critical Analysis of Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse" (2008)

Singh Dhanjal, Rajwinder. "Integrating Spirituality Within Substance Use Programs: Perspectives of Practitioners" (2008)

Stefaniak, Sandra. "Returning the Gaze: An Autoethnographic Exploration of The Social Worker as Researcher" (2008)

Stoeber, Anne. "Repeat Claimants of Employment Insurance: Impacts, Barriers, and Recommendations: A Qualitative Research Study" (2008)

Sudama, Kamla. "Diss-Ability" (2008)

Teper, Shawna. "Healing From The Hurt: The Impact of Neoliberalism on Violence Against Women Shelters" (2008)

Warmington, Sarah. "In The Swirling Waters of Elder Abuse, Where is the Safety Net?" (2008)

Zendegani, Shahla. "Women in the Shadow: Exploring the Resiliance and The Experiences of Racialized Violence Against Women Workers in Non-Profit Organizations in Toronto" (2008)