JNAL 5504 Capstone Projects
Independent study projects by students in Humber College’s post-graduate Journalism program.
Tackling Toronto’s gun violence needs improved investments in education, housing, community
By Kimia Afshar Mehrabi
Kimia Afshar Mehrabi analyzes the disturbing gun violence trends in Toronto, and their disproportionate effects on young, marginalized people across the city. She interviews advocates, mothers of homicide victims, and students to better understand why gun violence is escalating at an alarming rate in the city.
Unlearning, unpacking and understanding feminism
By Risi Bello
Unlearning, unpacking and understanding feminism is a three-part podcast series that discusses some of the major issues with the feminist movement. The host Risi Bello speaks with feminist experts and guest speakers from marginalized communities to address issues of race, sexuality and the necessary changes needed to make the feminist movement more inclusive.
Study finds India’s air pollution deadly, killing 1.6 million people in 2019
By Malav Contractor
Pollution in India is a bigger problem than COVID-19, with 1.6 million deaths because of air pollution, while 500,000 died due to water pollution. Currently, 35 Indian cities are considered as most polluted on World Health Organization’s top 50 most polluted cities. Malav Contractor looks into the deadly issue plaguing much of the country.
Crunch culture pushing gaming developers out of video game business
By Ryan Edralin
Ryan Edralin explores how “crunch” culture in the video game industry affects industry workers. A former industry worker and now union rep. explains the struggle for industry workers and the difficulty to organize.
Eco-anxiety grows as the world burns
By Harsh Grewal
Harsh Grewal writes about eco-anxiety, exploring what the psychological phenomenon is and how changes to the climate system can have emotional, mental and physical effects on individuals. People who struggle with eco-anxiety share their stories, and experts in the field offer suggestions to help others deal with eco-anxiety in their everyday lives.
Need for change brings innovation to the aid and non-profit sector
By Gabriel Hutchcraft
Gabriel Hutchcraft looks at how non-profits, humanitarian organizations, and social enterprises are using new and innovative ways to operate, making them responsive to the cultural and social needs of aid recipients.
Ukrainians remain defiant as the Russian invasion enters its sixth month
By Shreya Jain
Shreya Jain speaks to Ukrainians who fled the country after the Russian invasion began in February. She finds a people and a nation that are hurting but remain unbowed and steadfast in their determination to win.
Conservatism is on full display for the country
By Liam McCurry
Liam McCurry explores the current state of Conservatism in Canada. He draws comparisons to the past and looks to the future to help understand what it means to be a conservative in Canada at this time.
Lack of accessibility to trans healthcare disproportionately impacts the community in Canada
By Nitika Mishra
Nitika Mishra reports trans people are one of the most impoverished demographics in Ontario and are often required to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket for procedures that are recognized as medically necessary by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and leading medical experts. The trans community also faces discrimination in Ontario while accessing healthcare.
Advocates say Canada’s legal system needs to learn how to combat domestic violence
By Vina Nguyen
Vina Nguyen focused her final capstone project on domestic violence cases in Canada. She’s interested in exploring how domestic violence is treated by institutions and what barriers there are in helping survivors. The big question for this project was “how can this issue be addressed to better help survivors?”
Science of dreams and nightmares
By Andrea Palacio
This podcast investigates the science behind dreaming, what happens in the body when it has a nightmare, why someone could be having them, and if COVID-19 ushered in any changes. Neuroscientist Dr. Mark Solms and psychologist Dr. Susan Whitbourne discuss the psychological meaning behind night terrors in this three-part series. The series also hears from those who experienced these dreams.
Coronavirus, poor decisions decimating nursing in Ontario
By Ojasvini Parashar
Nurses have worked tirelessly in the coronavirus pandemic era and have faced stress, burnout, inadequate pay, dangerous conditions, workload issues and staffing shortages. More than half of registered nurses say they are burnt out and many are considering leaving the profession. Ojasvini Parashar looks at the issues facing nurses in Ontario and what needs to be done before the nursing shortage turns into a crisis.
Fight against gender-based violence includes the end to female genital mutilation
By Brianna Pillay
Female Genital Mutilation may not be known to many but it is a worldwide issue impacting the lives of young girls and women. This practice is a human rights violation and gender-based violence and the fight against FGM is one that cannot be stopped.
Violent incidents on the TTC increase fear among riders
By Janice Saji
Janice Saji examines reports of violence and harassment on the TTC. Riders share their stories and demand stringent measures to tighten security.
TikTok for children: Some say harmful, others say harmless
By Sydney Vardja
TikTok for children: some say it’s harmful while others say it’s harmless. Sydney Vardja explores the growing concern about TikTok and children by examining the tragic 2021 death of 10-year-old Nylah Anderson in Pennsylvania, with several experts providing insight into how the social media platform affects children.
Migrants’ untold tale entails misery, uncertainty, abandonment and hope
By Tarek Youzbashi
A rubber dinghy has been the lifeblood of hope for many migrants forced to leave their countries due to wars and crises. The European dream of a bright future away from death and destruction enticed many migrants to cross dangerous seas on flimsy boats. But the winds of hope did not blow in favour of many of them as boats capsized and thousands drowned or went missing. The dream has become a nightmare for many families who are still uncertain of the fate of their loved ones and whether they are dead or alive. Tarek Youzbashi tells the story of one missing migrant.