USURJ: University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal

Editorial Board and Acknowledgements

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Cover Artwork

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Warsha Mushtaq is an honours student, majoring in history at the University of Saskatchewan.

Artwork

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As an undergraduate student studying Interactive Systems Design, my work explores a variety of mediums – in which a focus on the creative aspect of perspective is carried throughout my work. With my complementary interests in art and technology, I have a preference and aptitude for experimenting with graphic design, digital illustration, and photography, as well as finding ways to work with a combination of these mediums in my projects.

The first work I have submitted is titled "Our Prairie Skyline," a digital print I created using Adobe Photoshop. I created this piece as a part of the ART 136 Digital and Integrated Practice Foundations course, in which the work features a selection of my Saskatchewan sky snapshots in a digitally edited composite. This piece was also showcased at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery in March 2023 as a part of the Indigenous Student Achievement Pathways (ISAP) Exhibition.

The second work I have submitted is titled "The Unaccompanied Violin", which is a 22" x 30" graphite pencil drawing I also created as a part of the ART 136 course. After creating the piece, I later created an accompanying ekphrastic poem for the drawing as part of the ENG 120 Introduction to Creative Writing course. This piece was also showcased at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery in March 2023 as a part of the Indigenous Student Achievement Pathways (ISAP) Exhibition.

Artwork

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Erin Baril is an honours student, double majoring in biology and biochemistry at the University of Saskachewan.

Monstrous Lessons

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On October 31, 1589, Peter Stumpp was executed as a sorcerer and werewolf. Short pamphlets and print artworks were distributed through-out Germany and into England following Stumpp’s execution making him one of the most infamous werewolves in history. Through discussion of contemporary world events, development in printing technology, and the necessity of public teaching tools, the reason for Stumpp’s infamy becomes clear.

"No Glove, No Love"

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The emergence of AIDS in Canada in March 1982 demanded a change in approaches to sexual education. Past practices of abstinence-only education were no longer sufficient as both queer and heterosexual populations grappled with the devastation brought by the disease. When Canadian federal and provincial government institutions failed to act, the queer community came together to introduce the modern, now-commonplace idea of safer sex. This form of education was driven largely by the experiences of gay, bisexual, and queer men in the early years of the pandemic and has now become a core element of queer identities. The evolution of sexual education and the politics of sexuality have been shaped by the experiences and work of queer communities throughout the AIDS epidemic.

"Dance and Make Revels"

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Did prostitutes in medieval London have agency? This paper examines a new transcription of a medieval chancery bill concerning a woman accused of dressing in men's clothing and attempting to seduce a merchant at Hanse precinct in London. Rather than assessing this accusation as a potential expression of identity, this paper assesses Joan White's use of male clothing as a method of asserting limited agency over the lived experience of a medieval prostitute. By drawing on the work of Veronica Franco, another medieval courtesan, whose writings also suggest that she was accessing a certain type of agency, this article posits that while participants in the medieval sex trade did not necessarily have agency, they were able to access an "economy of makeshift" through which they could create limited facets of agency for themselves.

RETRACTED: Alteration of the Endocannabinoid System in Human Alzheimer’s Disease Brain

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"RETRACTED: Alteration of the Endocannabinoid System in Human Alzheimer’s Disease Brain." USURJ: University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal 9.2 (2024). DOI: https://doi.org/10.32396/usurj.v9i2.659

After this article was published, one of the co-authors contacted USURJ indicating that they had not been involved with the article or its submission to USURJ. This is in violation of USURJ’s publication agreement, which the corresponding author had signed. Additionally, the article made use of data that the corresponding author was not authorized to share. The journal determined a retraction was appropriate following the COPE Retraction Guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines).

As the data was not meant to be public, the article has been removed, and the removed contents are no longer available with a Creative Commons license.