This thesis examines the relationship between architecture and domestic violence, arguing that traditional ideas of home and privacy can obscure experiences of abuse. It proposes a memorial in Toronto that combines remembrance, advocacy, and community support, using architectural thresholds to promote awareness, healing, and survivor empowerment.

This research explores why former human traffickers in Indonesia stopped offending. Through interviews with ten ex-traffickers, the study found that marriage and parenthood often triggered moral transformation by creating empathy and shame. The findings suggest trafficking prevention should focus not only on punishment, but also on strengthening families and social bonds.

This oral history research explores silence as a meaningful form of communication rather than an absence of speech. Through documentary interviews with family members, the project examines how silence can express fear, shame, power, and agency, challenging dominant assumptions about listening and revealing how discomfort often prevents deeper understanding and connection.

This research examines dismemberment in early modern drama to explore how cultural systems shape human responses to violence. By analysing plays such as Titus Andronicus, the project argues that fear and disgust are historically conditioned rather than purely instinctive, revealing how societies teach audiences to interpret violent imagery across different historical periods

This research examines how trauma-related emotional expression influences police perceptions of victim credibility in sexual assault cases. By testing whether brief trauma education reduces bias, it proposes a low-cost intervention to improve investigative decisions. The goal is to ensure victims are believed based on evidence, not emotional display, promoting justice and accountability.

This research investigates why women are more vulnerable to stress-related disorders. Using a mouse model of acute trauma, the study shows that estrogen levels in the hippocampus drive memory disruption after stress. Blocking local estrogen production protects memory, revealing sex-specific mechanisms relevant for targeted treatments.

This research examines why people choose to engage with disturbing stories of strangers’ suffering, despite emotional discomfort. Motivations include curiosity, empathy, self-understanding, and seeking awareness of the world. Understanding these reasons may help promote greater social empathy, awareness of urgent struggles, and engagement with issues requiring collective action.