Faculty & Staff

Administrative title: Chair, Department of Child Studies and Social Work

Academic title: Associate Professor

Office: T378
Email: mpauls@mtroyal.ca
Phone: 403.440.8481

Monica has been teaching at MRU for over 15 years. Her teaching philosophy is grounded in the connection between theory with practice and she works to create a participatory learning environment, partnering with agencies and organizations in the field and providing opportunities for the practical application of knowledge. Monica has extensive experience in applied research, program development, evaluation, and policy analysis. Upon completing her Master's degree, she worked as a Research Coordinator at the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family (CRILF) and as a Policy Analyst for the United Way of Calgary and Area. Prior to this, she worked for several years with at-risk youth in schools, community programs and residential facilities. Monica completed her PhD in Sociology at the University of Calgary.

Areas of instruction

• Community-Based Research 
• Program Design
• Program Evaluation
• Systems and Social Policy
• Child and Youth Care Practice

Areas of scholarship

• Social Media and Youth
• Youth Activism
• Youth Justice
• Social Movements
• Community Development

Selected Publications

Pauls, M., Hoa, N., & Nelson, F.(2024). Learning about trauma, online: What works and what is . Imagining SoTL, 4(1), 2-19.

Pauls, M., Kelly, B. & Adorjan, M. (2022). Researching online activism using a mixed-methods approach: Youth activists on Twitter. SAGE Research Methods: Doing Research Online.  

Pauls, M., Warthe, D. G. & Winterdyk, J. (2016). Preventing domestic violence: An international overview. In J. Winterdyk (Ed.), Crime Prevention: International Perspectives, Issues and Trends (pp. 115-146). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Pauls, M. & Smey Carston, C. (2016). The matter of care. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 29(3), 82-90.

Pauls, M. & Winterdyk, J. (2015). Family violence and abuse within a Canadian context. In P. O'Reilly & T. Fleming (Eds.), Violence in Canada. Canada: de Sitter Publications.

Hincks, C., Miller, A. & Pauls, M. (2013). The Grande Prairie PACT program evaluation: Discrepancy between model evaluation practice and constrained real-world evaluation of crime prevention in small communities. The International Journal of Child, Youth & Family Studies, 4(1), 136-146.

Selected Presentations

Bridging the Gap: e-Learning as a Way to Connect Theory to Practice. (2021). Forum for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (virtual).

Online Affordances as Sensitizing Concepts: Online Activism in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism. (2021). 37th Annual Qualitative Analysis Conference (virtual).

Virtual Space for Change: A Study of the Impact of Technology on Youth Activism. (2020). NVivo Virtual Conference, Qualitative Research in a Changing World. 

Influencing Societal Change, One Hashtag at a Time. (2020). Canadian Sociological Association Conference (virtual).

For All the Right Reasons: Exploring Social Responsibility through Field School Participation. (2018). Social Work, Education and Social Development 2018 World Conference. Dublin, Ireland.

Relevant Community Service

• Board Member (Treasurer, Western Region Representative), Child and Youth Care Educational and Accreditation Board of Canada
• Research Committee Member, Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada
• Member, Canadian Sociological Association
• Member, Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta