Vanier program critical to supporting next generation of social sciences and humanities scholars
Ottawa, ON - August 3, 2011 - The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to congratulate the latest round of Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipients.
"On this exceptional roster of emerging scholars are some of the best and brightest from around the world" said Graham Carr, President of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. "Supporting this next cohort of researchers is critical to ensuring that we have the talent to foster creativity, deepen knowledge, create new jobs and enhance Canadians' overall well-being."
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program provides $50,000 annually for three years to top doctoral students from around the world who choose Canada as a destination for their studies. These prestigious awards highlight the exceptional quality of research and graduate training in Canada's social sciences and humanities community. They help to ensure that Canada develops the pool of research talent needed to address the challenges of an aging population, understand complex global realities, and create a world-class education system for Canadian families.
For more information or to learn more about how this program supports researchers in the social sciences and humanities:
- Visit the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships website at www.vanier.gc.ca
- Contact Ryan Saxby Hill at 613-238-6112 ext 303
Some examples of work in the Social Sciences and Humanities supported through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program:
What are the true costs of being a caregiver?
Christine Proulx, a doctoral candidate in McGill University's Department of Sociology is interested in how the time we spend caring for an aging relative will affect other areas of our lives. In 2002, according to Statistics Canada data, there were approximately 712,000 Canadians between 45 and 64 years old who were caring for both children under 25 and an adult relative at the same time. The reality of this so-called "sandwich generation" is the subject of Proulx's doctoral work, which is supported through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program. She is interested in not only getting a clear picture of how many Canadians fall into this category, but also how this dual caregiver role is affecting their work and family life. She is looking at hours spent working, divorce, separation and re-partnering as well as the possible effect of current policies aimed at supporting informal caregivers in different provinces.
Proulx says the support offered from the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship will help her to disseminate the results of her work more widely-making sure that her doctoral research can help inform public policy and guide decision-making on this complex social and economic challenge.
What does it feel like to be a consumer?
Jodie Whelan, a doctoral candidate at the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, is interested in what it actually feels like to be a consumer. When we are consuming goods and services, or simply thinking about doing so, Whelan proposes we take on a certain mindset that subsequently influences our behaviour. Instead of looking at how marketers or advertisers can control these behaviours, Whelan is interested in the social effects of being a consumer. She's looking at how the consumer role can trigger feelings like hope, empowerment, and self-focus and the impacts of these feelings on both consumer and non-consumer behaviour. Her work can help us better understand what is motivating consumers and how we might direct those behaviours in positive ways - such as reducing consumer debt or making ethical purchasing decisions.
Whelan's work is supported through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship program, which she says will provide financial freedom to pursue her research. She has completed her comprehensive exams and has ambitious plans to publish, present at conferences and get her work out into the community.