MSVU e-Commons
The MSVU e-Commons is the institutional repository for Mount Saint Vincent University. It allows MSVU faculty, students, and staff to store their scholarly output, including theses and dissertations. Works in the e-Commons have permanent URLs and trustworthy identifiers, and are discoverable via Google Scholar, giving your work a potential local and global audience.
In addition to free storage, the e-Commons provides Mount scholars with an open access platform for disseminating their research. Depositing your work in the e-Commons complies with the requirements for open access publication of work supported by Tri-Agency funding (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC).
If you would like to deposit your work in the e-Commons, or you have any questions about institutional repositories, copyright, or open scholarship, please contact the MSVU Library & Archives.
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Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender, and Social Justice Celebrating Writing Week Department of Applied Human Nutrition Department of Biology Department of Business Administration and Tourism Department of Chemistry Department of Child and Youth Study Department of Communication Studies Department of English Department of Family Studies and Gerontology Department of History Department of Mathematics Department of Modern Languages Department of Political & Canadian Studies Department of Psychology Department of Sociology & Anthropology Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management Department of Women and Gender Studies Faculty of Education Lesbian Pulp Fiction Collection This is a collection of essays MSVU students have written using source texts from MSVU Library's Lesbian Pulp Fiction Collection.Library MSVU Art Gallery MSVU Senate MSVU Theses Nancy's Chair in Women's Studies Open Educational Resources SE space/L’Espace ES
Recent Submissions
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Midwifery as an Exception to the Idea That Women's Work Was Unskilled in Early Modern Europe
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025) Gorman, Leah
In early modern Europe, women played a vital role in supporting their families, yet their labour was often dismissed as domestic and unskilled. Despite the necessity of both husbands' and wives' contributions - whether in farming, artisanal trades, or household economies - women’s work was not considered productive and was rarely compensated on the same level as men’s. Midwifery, however, stood apart. Midwives possessed specialized knowledge that regularly saved the lives of mothers and infants, making childbirth one of the few domains where women's expertise was both recognized and relied upon.
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Damsels Relieving Distress: The Role of Maritime Women in Relief Efforts Following The Halifax Explosion of 1917
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025) Bates, Katie
Historically, the figure of the ‘Maritime woman’ has been one portrayed in a singular
dimension that is informed by conflated middle-class eurocentric narratives. In reality, Maritime
women have always resided in a multi-dimensional space and, as such, were faced with societal
paradigms in which to grapple and live with. This element of multi-dimensionality is specifically
noted in analysing the roles which Maritime women held in the relief efforts following the
Halifax Explosion. This crisis invoked a suspension of societal norms in order to address and
minimize the harm inflicted on the Halifax population. Though relief efforts were informed by
pre-existing social networks that were influenced by class-dynamics, women nonetheless were
able to meaningfully participate in both the facilitation and organization of these relief efforts.
The variety of positions that women held in the relief efforts following the Halifax Explosion of
1917— in the context of both female collectives and female individuals— demonstrates the
multidimensionality and influence of twentieth-century Maritime women and the influence of the
social structures that informed their lives.
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University Students in Canada and Contextual Considerations: A Rapid Scoping Review
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Long, Rachel P.
The complex needs of university students are (and have been) present across the (globalized) Canadian landscape and continue to rapidly evolve with conditions and dynamic contextual settings in which students (and instructors) are situated. Although the importance of context is widely accepted and commonly emphasized across education literature (e.g., in bridging theory and practice), the complexity of context as a concept is evident through fragmented contextual discourse and understanding. Considering the complexities of context and its interrelated nature with other variables, a fragmented literature landscape and clarity issues surrounding terminology, distinct landscape in which university students in Canada are situated, along with diverse and evolving student needs: the aim of this study is to provide a preliminary exploration into what is known (and what is not known) about the concept of contextual considerations relating to students enrolled in Canadian public university institutions, and the practical application of these considerations in university teaching practice.
This review was modified from the standard scoping review process with the implementation of a rapid approach and structure which caters to a master’s thesis project. The theoretical framework critical social theory and conceptual frameworks (1) adult education and lifelong learning discipline and (2) Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory (process-person-context-time [PPCT] model) has been utilized. Scholarly literature has been primarily considered for this review (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles), those of which were available in English and published between 2015 to 2025. Included sources offer discourse surrounding ideas of context and university students in public universities across the Canadian provinces. With only one reviewer for this study, a few consultations were made with the project supervisor and a research librarian to support the project. A broad Novanet catalogue search was conducted and titles, abstracts, and full-text sources were screened. Data from included sources were extracted utilizing an extraction form in Excel. Data analysis was conducted through descriptive statistical analysis and descriptive content analysis, presented in tables added to the appendices. The PRISMA-ScR reporting criteria with updated guidance by Peters et al. (2020) supported in the structure of the following thesis.
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Learning from Nova Scotia Career Development Professionals: A Futures-Oriented Theoretical Framework Developed through a Critical Realist Approach
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Murphy, Joel S.
In a rapidly changing world, sectors across society are investing heavily in anticipating and preparing for future disruptions; however, the field of youth career development has received comparatively little attention. This dissertation addresses this gap by exploring the possible futures of youth career development in Nova Scotia, Canada, with a time horizon of 2030. Career development professionals (CDPs) are increasingly facing complex challenges, including volatile labour markets, evolving educational models, and emerging generations with distinct values and expectations. Through the adoption of an engaged critical realist scholar approach, this study embedded iterative futures research methods (modified Delphi, environmental scan, and rapid realist review) within a realist-informed paradigm. The resulting Futures-Oriented Theoretical Framework was composed of five middle-range theories particularly relevant to the context of 2030. The theories identified and selected after the nine phases of data gathering and analysis are Critical Digital Literacy, Intersectionality Theory, Basic Psychological Needs Theory, Emotional Intelligence Theory, and Possible Future Selves Theory. This framework aims to support CDPs in critically and creatively designing programs, services, and interventions for Generation Z and the older members of Generation Alpha. Grounded in the Nova Scotian context, the framework is designed to be generalizable across Canadian career development settings, offering a strategic tool to help CDPs anticipate, adapt, and lead in the future of accelerating change.
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The Intergenerational Impacts of Military Service-Related Moral Injury
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-07) Reeves, Kathryn
Moral injury, defined as the psychosocial and spiritual distress resulting from actions or events that transgress deeply held moral beliefs, is increasingly recognized as a risk of employment within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). While much of the existing literature focuses on the internal experiences of morally injured service members and Veterans, there remains a critical gap in understanding the intergenerational experiences of moral injury in families, particularly children raised in military families. This study explores the retrospective experiences of adult children of CAF Veterans who participants perceived to have incurred a military service-related moral injury. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach within interpretive and critical paradigms, this research centers the lived experiences of 11 adult participants through semi-structured interviews. Framed by the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model, a military-sensitive life course perspective, and a critical ecological lens, the findings reveal the long-term emotional, relational, and identity-based consequences of a parent’s moral injury, as well as adaptive strategies developed in response to moral injury-related family dynamics. The study highlights the need for inclusive policies and support systems that acknowledge moral injury as a family experience. Recommendations are offered for research, policy, and practice aimed at improving the health and well-being of military-connected families.