Library Award Papers - 2018 winners

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    Dissectible Bodies in the Nineteenth-Century: Robbery of African American Graves for Anatomical Dissection in the United States
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2017-04-14) Redgate, Isabella
    The first report of human dissection in the United States dates as far back as 1734 when the body of a Native American who, executed for murder, was publicly dissected in Boston.1 The pressing demand for cadavers, however, surfaced in 1762 when medical colleges like the Medical College at the University of Pennsylvania, the Medical College of Philadelphia and King’s College (now Columbia University) began to offer formal human anatomy courses in which dissection was required. In this essay, I will be specifically looking at the controversial origins of anatomical dissections in the United States by focussing on the perception of necessity that influenced the use of African American bodies for science. Due to the ideological systems in place, African American bodies were the most acceptable bodies to gain medical knowledge from because the commodification of their bodies transgressed the line between life and death, which meant that their bodies were often commodified in death as they had been in life. Secondly, science as an “unquestioned prerogative” was not expected to abide by a moral code but instead was expected to breach the “superstitious” notions held by the general American population. To convince the American population of the objective and foundational personality of medical science, the desecration of African American graves and the use of their bodies instead of white bodies for dissection was key.
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    “Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University: A Critical Look”
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2017-03-30) Berthelet, Alishia
    Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) has long been known for its historical commitment to the higher education of women. In order for women to truly advance, they must be able to learn about themselves. Doing so allows women the opportunity to identify the sources of their oppression, so that they may then attempt to counter them. One of the areas that has flourished because of the Mount’s commitment to the advancement of women is the Women’s Studies program. The Mount has been described as a national leader in Women’s Studies, and there are four elements to this title: the Women’s Studies program; the Institute for the Study of Women; Atlantis; and the Nancy’s Chair. The development of these elements occurred within the influences of second and third wave feminism and the desire to create a "common physical space” , as well as an intellectual space, where women could study and research themselves in order to further understand their integral roles in society. While the formative years of the Women’s Studies program demonstrates a desire to maintain the Mount's status as a University committed to the higher education of women, current realities of the program paint a slightly different picture.