Rebecca Swityk (all pronouns) and Kael Kropp (he/him) co-authored a paper together that is published in the 2022 edition of the PSUR, titled “The Quieted Queer: Russian Heteronationalism and LGBTQ+ Erasure”. Rebecca is a second-year Criminology major, and Kael is a graduating Honors Political Science student with a minor in Psychology and a Certificate in Applied Social Science Research.
Rebecca is a Social Sciences Councillor, Merchandise Director, and Vice President (Internal)-elect of the Organization for Arts Students and Interdisciplinary Studies (OASIS), and a peer reviewer for Crossings and Invoke. Her favourite Political Science class has been POL S 101, sharing that “As a criminology student, my experiences in Political Science are limited. However, my time in POL S 101 was incredibly formative, expanding my knowledge in sociology as it relates to political theory.”
Kael is the University of Alberta's Killam Fellow (Fulbright Canada), the Vice President (Academic) of the Organization for Arts Students and Interdisciplinary Studies (OASIS), the Editor-in-Chief of Crossings, and a former Roger S. Smith Undergraduate Student Researcher. His favourite Political Science class has been POL S 323 (Elections in Canada), sharing that “Dr. Trimble and the other students made our class discussions incredibly engaging, covering urgent topics for advancing Canadian civic equity”. The research Kael did in this class also introduced him to the work of his upcoming Master’s thesis supervisor at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Carey Doberstein!
Read further to hear about Rebecca and Kael’s research and their personal connection to the topic, as well as their emphasis on the value of submitting your own work to peer-reviewed journals like the PSUR.

Hi Rebecca and Kael! What inspired you to research the specific topic of your paper?
As queer Canadian students, we recognize the benefits granted by statutory protections and equality-ensuring measures in our daily lives. We authentically lead our lives with little to no worry that we will be targeted, especially not by our government. Recognizing this privilege sparked our introspection, compelling us to delve into the egregious affronts faced by queer Russians.

What was the most interesting thing you learned from researching/writing your paper?
We were most shocked about Russia’s judicial support for a one-hundred-year ban on queer free expression. This, to us, represents an intergenerational extinction of queer authenticity, worthy of advocacy and scholarly inquiry to counter such prejudice.

What made you want to submit to the PSUR?
The PSUR is a fantastic vehicle to disseminate our writing around queer Russian advocacy and state-sponsored homophobia. We are proud to be featured alongside a host of other incredible student research!

What was the submission and peer-review process like for you? And what was the most valuable part?
We are so fortunate to have been supported by the wonderful PSUR review and copy editing teams throughout the submission process. Their revision suggestions and a close eye for detail undoubtedly strengthened this article.

What would you say to someone who is considering submitting their work to the PSUR?
Submitting to an academic journal is an incredibly valuable experience, especially when given the opportunity to have your work reviewed by a panel composed of such diverse knowledge reserves. Regardless of the editorial decision, having your work critically reviewed by fresh eyes is instrumental and exciting. It expands your knowledge while isolating gaps in your research, which is an invaluable asset to leave the process with.

What is a piece of advice that you would give to students as they write papers that they might submit to the PSUR?
Our advice for prospective authors is to offer more background information than you might for a class specific to your paper, as sometimes your paper is reviewed by folks without as much exposure to the topic as you. Second, we suggest entering into the review process with an open mind and embracing the edits suggested by the review team. Undergraduate publication venues like the PSUR have your best interests at heart!

You can read Rebecca and Kael’s article in the 2022 edition of the PSUR on our website!