Nancy Skorobohach (she/her) is a graduating honors Political Science student, with a minor in International Studies and a Certificate in Peace and Post-Conflict Studies. Her article “A Misleading Memory: Using The Holodomor to Vilify Socialism” was published in this year’s edition of the PSUR!
Outside of academics, Nancy has been a Crisis Intervention Volunteer with the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre for three years, a member of the Youth Advisory Board for the Research Network on Women, Peace and Security, and also served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the executive board of the U of A's Girl Up for the 2021-2022 school year.
Her favourite Political Science course was POL S 469 (Ethics in International Relations with Dr. Epp), sharing that “it was a very soul-nourishing class” because it combined theory, social justice, and international relations, and because it provided the opportunity to reflect on how her ancestry, upbringing, and life experiences have shaped her morals and outlook on the world.
Read further to hear about Nancy’s engaging research and her tips and tricks for writing papers!
Hi Nancy! What inspired you to research the specific topic of your paper?
I wrote this for POLS 459: Topics in International Relations (History, Memory, and Politics) and I chose the topic because I am Ukrainian and I wanted the opportunity to learn more about the Holodomor and the history that my ancestors lived through. I also wanted to try and reconcile my socialist political leaning with this other part of my identity, which led me to discover the discrepancies between history and the memory that lives on today.
What was the most interesting thing you learned from researching/writing your paper?
Learning about the reality of the Holodomor through academic research changed the perspective I had heard before conveyed in mainstream media (as I discuss in the paper) and really made me realize how sculpted the narratives are.
What made you want to submit to the PSUR?
My friend proof-read the paper for me when I wrote it in the spring of 2021 and he told me it was probably my best writing (and he had proof-read the majority of my papers that year so he was well-qualified to make that statement)! He encouraged me to submit it to the PSUR. I also wanted to share it because of the personal significance it has and the way it helped me to reconcile parts of my identity that I was previously hesitant to discuss at the same time.
What was the submission and peer-review process like for you? And what was the most valuable part?
Since I had written the paper months before submissions opened, it was a pretty relaxed process. I found the feedback from the peer reviewers very helpful, especially as they highlighted concepts that needed to be expanded on since it is easy to write a paper for a professor who is clearly well-acquainted with the course concepts, but it is another thing to share that with people who haven't even taken the class.
What would you say to someone who is considering submitting their work to the PSUR?
Go for it! You really have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain, so why not submit it?
What is a piece of advice that you would give to students as they write papers that they might submit to the PSUR?
If you're writing it for a class, my biggest tip is to create a rough outline or sketch of what you want to discuss and then go talk to the instructor about it! As intimidating as it can be, it is always worth it to work through your general ideas with them before you start writing.
You can read Nancy’s article in the 2022 edition of the PSUR on our website!