Emerging Perspectives!

Grad students, academics and support staff came together recently in the Werklund School of Education to celebrate the launch of a new journal.

It’s called Emerging Perspectives, and it’s been developed by Werklund’s Graduate Programs in Education Students Association (GPESA). The journal, which will not be restricted to a particular number of pieces per issue nor a specific number of issues per year, will be open access—that is, available on-line to interested readers and researchers wherever they are, whenever they want, at no charge.

The goal of the journal is to “foster a culture of collaborative, interdisciplinary research and to establish graduate students in education and educational psychology as leaders in international, high-quality, impactful scholarly activities."

When Maisha Syeda became GPESA's president two years ago, she discovered a $5,500 Quality Money Grant from the Graduate Student’s Association (GSA) that had been earmarked to cover technology expenses, as well as to develop a graduate student journal. “We were encouraged and inspired to advance the initiative taken by our past members and utilize the grant money to develop a graduate-student based journal,” says Syeda, who is currently studying for her PhD in School and Applied Child Psychology.

“Students are often admitted to grad school based on specific specializations, research aspirations, and talents,” says Laura Mooney, GPESA's VP Academic and a PhD student in Educational Leadership. “While many of these students make important contributions to research and teaching on an individual basis, our Emerging Perspectives editorial team recognizes that it is individuals working together which strengthens a collective body of knowledge and practice.”

“Emerging Perspectives stands apart from other journals in that we are challenging our contributors to venture into writing partnerships with colleagues outside of their own familiar departmental territories. In short, we want to showcase writing and research from graduate students who can engage in scholarly conversations and knowledge-exchange partnerships with colleagues from other areas of education-related research interests.”

“We decided to produce a journal primarily to showcase the excellent research that we know is happening at the graduate level, starting in our own faculty,” adds Brianna Hilman, a PhD candidate in Language and Literacy. 

“We are in graduate school because we are working through important ideas, and sharing those ideas enriches everyone’s practice.  And we wanted a journal that is student-run and student-centred, to recognize the caliber of the work that students do.”

Also on the editorial team is Brit Paris, an MA Student in Language and Literacy, who serves as journal manager.  As such, Paris will coordinate the editorial team and manage the website. “I see the journal as vital to graduate students getting the experience and exposure they need in academic publishing,” she says.

Rounding out the team and strengthening the interdisciplinary focus of the group are Teresa Fowler, Konstantinos Chondros and Jonathan Woodend.

For more information contact Emerging Perspectives.