Our Students

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA in Communication & Culture, York and Ryerson Joint Graduate Program
MBA in Finance, The People’s University of Bangladesh
MA in English, National University, Bangladesh
Ontario College Graduate Certificate in Videography—Broadcast Journalism/Documentary, Conestoga College
BA (Pass), National University, Bangladesh

Research
Abu’s research interest lies in exploring the boundaries within the discursive practices of socio-political and cultural representations. He is a documentary filmmaker and has been the featured artist in two solo exhibitions. Abu is interested in combining research with creativity—either representing research findings through a creative process or using creativity as a means of inquiry. He is the winner of The Ken Mackenzie Memorial Award & Bell Media Videography Digital Media Award.

Additional Information
Publications
Haque, Abu. “Space in Contemporary Cinema: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Manchester by the Sea and The Shape of Water.” The Journal of Communication and Media Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, March 2019, pp. 23-31.

Conference
46th ICOHTEC Symposium, University of Silesia, Poland
“Technological Mediation: Alienated Bodies”
July 22-29, 2019

International Graduate Student Symposium, York University
“In the Line of Fire: Disposable Body of Labour”
February 21-22, 2019

New Frontiers Graduate Conference in History
“Ambiguity of the Spatiotemporal”
February 21-23, 2019

Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies, University of Berkeley, CA
“Space in Contemporary Cinema”
October 18-19, 2018

Annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2018, University of Regina, Canada
“Marginality: Space for Anxiety and Struggle”
May 30-June 1, 2018

Canadian Studies Conference, Carleton University, Canada
“Memory and Erasure: A Subaltern View”
October 28-29, 2016

Film Screening
Intersections | Cross-sections Conference 2017, Ryerson University
“How the Niqab defeated the Harper Government in the 2015 General Election”
March 10-11, 2017

Documentary Showcase, Princess Twin Cinema
“Finding Mitzi”
April 23, 2014

Exhibition
Extension of the Self, DRIK Gallery, Dhaka
August 2007

Inside Out: Face of the Time
Zainul Gallery, Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University
July 2005

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
BA, Art History, McGill University
MA, Aural and Visual Cultures, Goldsmiths College University of London

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of expertise:
Sound technologies, digital cultures, Artificial Intelligence, gender and sexuality, media arts, feminist digital methods, media history

I am interested in the cultural narratives and histories that inform how we think about AI, as well as how these technologies construct gender and race in particular ways. My dissertation constructs a media genealogy that draws out points of resonance between voice interfaces (like Alexa) and early 20th century séances as feminized domestic technologies. I also examine media art practices that work with, and critique, AI applications.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA, Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies – University of Toronto
Honours BA, Drama – University of Waterloo

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Research Interest
Sports, sports media, performance studies

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Diploma with honours in journalism, 1993.
A degree in linguistics and journalism (PhD equivalent) with the dissertation on semantics of the Soviet media and propaganda, 1996.

Research
The current PhD dissertation is focused on the media conditions and cultural preconditions of post-truth. Post-truth is explored within the framework of media ecology and the political economy of communications with the application of Marshall McLuhan’s concept of figure/ground analysis. Trumpism, fake news, polarization, along with transformative processes in old, new media and mass consciousness, are also in the focus of the research.

Publications
Berger, Eva; Logan, Robert K.; Ringel, Anat; and Miroshnichenko, Andrey. (2019). “MEDIACY: A way to enrich media literacy.” Journal of Media Literacy Education, 11(3), 85 -90.

Samoilenko, Sergei A., and Miroshnichenko, Andrey. (2019). “Profiting From the ‘Trump Bump’: The Effects of Selling Negativity in the Media.” In: Chiluwa, Innocent E., & Samoilenko, Sergei A. (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Deception, Fake News, and Misinformation Online. Pp. 375-391.

Miroshnichenko, Andrey. (2018). “AI to Bypass Creativity. Will Robots Replace Journalists? (The Answer Is ‘Yes’).” Information, 9, 183.

Miroshnichenko, Andrey. (2016). “Extrapolating on McLuhan: How Media Environments of the Given, the Represented, and the Induced Shape and Reshape Our Sensorium.” Philosophies, 1(3), 170-189.

Miroshnichenko, Andrey. (2015). “Media Ecology as Ecology Contrariwise: Protecting Humans from an Environment.” Systema: connecting matter, life, culture and technology, Vol 3, No 1-2015, 89-104.

Additional Information
The author of “Human as media. The emancipation of authorship” (2013) and other books on media, politics and marketing.

Fulbright-Kennan scholar (2012-13). Media futurologist and expert with appearances in The New York Times, BBC, The Huffington Post, The Awl and other media outlets.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
I have a BA and an MA in Anglophone Studies from the Université de Nantes, France.

Research
My dissertation develops a history of Canadian LGBTQ2+ public access television, while exploring the ways in which affect circulated through these programs, as well as how these shows have been preserved through affective mobilizations. In particular, I argue that these programs and their archives mobilize queer feelings of belonging, circulate community affects, and mediate the experience of queer folks in Canada through the lens of a powerful–yet ephemeral and transitory–medium: television.

Additional Information
My research interests include queer and feminist media theory and history, television studies, archives, and alternative media. I am currently a student researcher for the SSHRC-funded project Archive/Counter-Archive, as well as a member of the Studio for Media Activism and Critical Thought’s Graduate Student Caucus at Ryerson. I also use experimental filmmaking to explore issues of space/place, loss, bodies, activism, and identity; my recent films deal with the disappearance of spaces for queer women in Toronto and the current opioid epidemic.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Stream:
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Expertise:
Media studies, Philosophy, Film Studies, Communication Studies, Aesthetics, Moral Philosophy, Marshall McLuhan, Stanley Kubrick, Philosophy of Technology, Television Studies, Philosophy of Identity, Media Ecology, Media Literacy, Continental Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy, Creative Writing

Research:
Blair Miller is a published Canadian scholar with extensive experience presenting at conferences. As a PhD candidate he uses philosophy to reveal moral aspects of McLuhan’s work—within a wide breadth of research interests at the intersection of philosophy, culture, and media technology, like AI and the broader role of technology in human identity.

Books:
Miller, Blair. space/self/world—Space and Identity in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Dio Press, 2022.

Young People and Social Media: Contemporary Children’s Digital Culture. Edited by Steve Gennaro and Blair Miller. Vernon Press, 2021.

Peer-Reviewed Articles:
Miller, Blair. “Human Identity Through the Ecoempathetic Looking Glass: Situating McLuhan in the Techno-Human Continuum.” The Journal of Communication and Media Studies 7 (1) (2022).

Miller, Blair. “Ghosting Us All: How Hollywood Obscures the Same Environmental Issues It Foregrounds.” AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 25 (September 2021).

Gennaro, Steve and Blair Miller. “Critical Social Media Literacy in the Googleburg Galaxy.” Media Literacy and Academic Research Vol. 3, No. 2 (December 2020).

Gennaro, Steve and Blair Miller. “Reliteration and Remixing the Self on Social Media.” Baudrillard Now Vol. 1, Issue 2 (Fall 2020).

Miller, Blair. “What You See Is Happening Right Now—Thermageddon and a Search For Tomorrow.” CineAction (70) (2006).

Miller, Blair. “. . .Simply Because You’re Near Me—Love, Chungking Express and In The Mood For Love.” CineAction (62) (2003).

Miller, Blair. “The Work of Interpretation: A Theoretical Defence of Film Theory and Criticism.” Kinema: A Journal of Film and Audiovisual Media. (Spring 1999).

LinkedIn Profile

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
PhD(c), Communication & Culture, York University (Expected, 2020)
Cert., Health Equity & Diversity, University of Toronto (2019)
M.A., Health and Aging, McMaster University (2012)
B.F.A., Integrated Media, OCAD University (2010)

Research
Dissertation: “Diverse perspectives on digital stories by former youth in foster care in Canada,” brynludlow.com

Additional Information
My dissertation research study addresses “Multidisciplinary perspectives on digital stories created by former youth in foster care in Canada”. With Skype, I used video elicitation and semi-structured interviewing with 35 individuals working in the arts, health care, and social services, across 10 countries, to find out “What makes a great story?” More broadly, my research and teaching interests are in applications of digital, arts-based methods, including: digital storytelling, body mapping, and human-centred design as a way to address health disparities among diverse and marginalized populations. I am an affiliated researcher at the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research at York University, the HeART Lab at the University of Toronto, and the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University.

brynludlow.com

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
BA, Media Studies, University of Guelph
Diploma, Public Relations, Humber College
MCM, McMaster University

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Research Interest
Media Industries Studies; Fan Studies; Fangirls; Marketing; Fan Conventions; Experiential Marketing.

Research
I have extensive experience in public relations and strategic communications, with a specialization in digital content and integrated marketing, including managing a variety of digital communications projects and social media throughout my career.
My research area is using data to drive public relations success, specifically in the area of fundraising.

Additional Information
I am currently a full time faculty member at Conestoga College in the Public Relations program.

I have presented my work various public relations and fundraising conferences in North America, including the World Public Relations Forum and the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
BA (Hons.), University of Toronto in English and Political Science
BA, York University, Communication Studies.
MA, Communication & Social Justice, University of Windsor
OGS-funded research assessed CBC coverage of the Canadian seal hunts from the perspectives of Inuit sealers and animal rights activists.

Research
Daniela’s research and teaching interests include the political economy of communication and culture, alternative and activist media, and communication for social justice. Currently, her research explores the impacts of deregulation and digitalization on campus-community radio stations in Canada. Her recent work “Another One Bites the Dust? The Transition from CHRY 105.5FM to VIBE105” was awarded the CRTC Prize for Excellence in Policy Research.

Additional Information
Before beginning her doctorate, Daniela was the News & Spoken Word Coordinator at CHRY 105.5FM/VIBE105, where she oversaw the creation and dissemination of critical, locally reflective talk-radio content, largely with a social justice orientation.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA, Cultural Analysis & Social Theory, Wilfrid Laurier University
BA, Digital Media & Journalism, Wilfrid Laurier University

Stream
Technology in Practice (TinP)

Areas of Research Interest
journalism, democracy, elections, citizenship, public opinion, newspapers, digital media, public sphere, surveillance capitalism, privacy

Research
I am interested in developing connections between the communicative landscape and the political/electoral process in Canada. My doctoral dissertation, “Trudeau Squared” entails a comparative analysis of the 1968 and 2019 federal elections, intended to illustrate how the technological or material qualities of communication mediums influence the ways that voters are politically informed.

Supervisory Committee
Anne MacLennan (Supervisor), Tokunbo Ojo, Jonathan Obar

Additional Information
York Writing Centre Instructor, 2020-
PhD Representative, Faculty of Graduate Studies Awards Committee, 2020-2022
York President, ComCult GSA, 2019-2020

E-mail: dvallesi@yorku.ca.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
BA in Music and Creative Writing – Dalhousie University
MA in Music and Culture – Carleton University

Research
I research contemporary opera fans focusing on the reception of Richard Wagner here in Toronto, aiming to bring together the field of musicology, fandom and media studies.

Areas of Expertise:
autistic meaning-making; cognitive semiotics; biosemiotics; critical autism studies; neurodiversity studies; semiotics

My research argues that autistic meaning-making is just as valid as non-autistic meaning-making. It brings Critical Autism and Neurodiversity Studies views and theories into Cognitive Semiotic and Biosemiotic theories, models, and frameworks that showcase how autistic meaning-making is created in similar ways as non-autistic meaning-making (as all human and meaning-making is) but through different embodied and cognitive experiences.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MSc in Conservation, University Hong Kong

Research
His research considers sociological aspects of heritage conservation in cities. This involves examining how notions of historic cultural values are formulated through conversation and debate.

Additional Information
George has worked as an urban planning consultant in Toronto and Vancouver.

PhD candidate in the joint program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA Visual Sociology—Goldsmiths, University of London
BA Sociology—Concordia University

Stream
Technology in Practice (TinP)

Areas of Research Interest
Climate Change; Algorithms; Misinformation; Disinformation

Research
Jackson Ainsworth is a 2nd-year PhD Student at York University in the Communication and Culture Program. He is currently conducting research on climate change mis and disinformation.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Honours BA Professional Writing (York)
MA Popular Music & Culture (University of Western Ontario)

Stream
Technology in Practice (TinP)

Areas of Research Interest
Identity, Podcasting, Race, Representation, Sound

Research
Jeff’s current research focuses on participatory cultures and digital technology, specifically dealing with identity and representation in Canadian minority podcasting and the use of sound as a primary epistemological tool for decolonizing historical narratives.

Supervisory Committee
MacLennan, Anne; Hadlaw, Jan; Ojo, Tokunbo

Presentations
Donison, J. (2018, December 13). The misconception of Lauryn Hill: Combatting
male spaces in hip hop. Future Communications Graduate Conference – 2018. Toronto, ON: York University.

Donison, J. (2019, March 9). Horror movies on wax: Examining violence in ‘90’s horrorcore rap. Intersections | Cross-sections Graduate Conference – 2019. Toronto, ON: Ryerson University.

Donison, J. (2019, November 9). “Who speaks for us, who represents us?”
Analyzing Canadian television vox pop practices. Two Days of Canada Conference: Canadian Screens – 2019. St. Catharines, ON: Brock University.

Publications
Donison, J. (2019, August 5). The Serial podcast and storytelling in the digital
age [Book review]. Digital Journalism. Retrieved from www.tandfonline.com

Donison, J. (2019, November). The race of sound: Listening, timbre, and vocality
in African American music [Book review]. Journal of Radio & Audio Media, 26(2).

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA, English 2014, University of Lethbridge
MA, Popular Culture 2011, Brock University
BA, Film & Video Studies 2006, University of Regina

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Research Interest 
Media Industries Studies; Fan Studies; Fangirls; Marketing; Fan Conventions; Experiential Marketing.

Research
Jessica’s current research considers the use of fan practices in the marketing of Hollywood studios with a particular focus on the mini-major Lionsgate and its blockbuster film aimed at teen fangirls, The Hunger Games. The research grows out of Jessica’s previous work on the position blockbuster sequels occupy in Hollywood as an industry and the role of fanfiction in the publication industry.

Supervisory Committee
Moore, Paul S. (Supervisor); MacLennan, Anne F.; Coulter, Natalie

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Stream:
Politics and Policy (P&P)

Areas of Expertise:
Critical media literacy; game studies; creative pedagogy and development; teacher education

Research:
Julianna Kowlessar is a PhD student in the joint Communication & Culture program at York and Toronto Metropolitan Universities. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology, an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, summa cum laude, and an MA in Communication & Culture from York University. Her research centres on the benefits of teaching critical media literacy education in K-12 Toronto classrooms and using games as forms of pedagogy. The research Julianna conducted for her master’s thesis explored how pre-service teachers understand and approach the subject of critical media literacy to discover practical and unique methods of teaching it to their future students.

Outside of academia, Julianna is an electric guitarist, an avid sports fan, and enjoys baking and engaging in challenging activities that inspire her to explore and develop new physical and intellectual strengths.

LinkedIn Profile

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Areas of Expertise

Diverse and Community Economies, Gift Economy, Rural Women, Autoethnography, Storytelling, Abuse Prevention Education, Critical Pedagogies, Feminist Communication, Women’s Empowerment, Decolonial Futures, Neoliberalism, Transnational Women’s Solidarities, Care, Research Creation

Describe your research

Kacie uses an intersectional feminist lens to study women’s empowerment in rural communities. She specifically looks at women’s social enterprises as community economies and examines what social enterprises can look like in rural extractive geographies. Kacie studies how handmade gifts are passed down through generations and the stories that are part of these gifts. She currently looks at women’s economies in rural Appalachian America, Nova Scotia, and the Bahamas.

She is a member of the Community Economies Research Network, Women, Gender, and Social Justice, Rural Women’s Studies Association, and the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation

Additional information
Kacie has a background in community organizing and abuse prevention. She is professionally trained with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and YWCA to work with survivors of intimate partner violence and other forms of abuse. She has created an abuse prevention curriculum to help a rural Pennsylvania county. She is also the Co-Founder of the social enterprise, Wildflower Enterprises.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
BA, Communication, Media and Culture Studies, Brock University.
MA, Popular Culture, Brock University.

Stream
Politics and Policy (P&P)

Areas of Research Interest
Digitization; Cultural Industries; Creative Labour; Music/ians

Research
Kait’s dissertation is an in-depth examination of the political, economic, and social conditions within which contemporary Canadian musicians work. Using a cultural industries approach alongside a political economy of communication and culture, she assesses the extent to which access to digital distribution, marketplace, and microfunding platforms (including Bandcamp, Patreon, and TuneCore) has changed or reshaped musician labour in Canada. Overall, the dissertation traces American and Canadian music industry responses to digitization over the past 20 years; it analyzes the policies and platforms that have subsequently emerged; and through in-depth interviews with Canadian musicians, it explores the successes and challenges they experience as they labour in this new terrain.

Publications and Presentations
Kribs, K. 2020. “Same As It Ever Was: The Canadian and American Music Industries’ Response to Digitization and The Circulation of Piracy Panic Narratives.” Stream: Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication 12(1): 53–69. journals.sfu.ca

Kribs, K. 2017. “Independent (Net)Work: Microfunding and Musician Labour in Digitally Networked Capitalism.” In M.P. Thomas, J. House and L. March (Eds.), Symposium Proceedings: GLRC Graduate Student Symposium 2016, 47–56. Toronto: Global Labour Research Centre, York University.
glrc.apps01.yorku.ca (.pdf)

Kribs, K. 2017. “The Artist-as-Intermediary: Musician Labour in The Digitally Networked era.” In S. Jankowski & M.G. Lao (Eds.), ISCS Conference Proceedings: Re:Turns, 1–10. Toronto: eTOPIA. etopia.journals.yorku.ca

Presentations
July 2021 From Piracy Panic to Value Gaps: On Making, Moving and Monetizing Music in the Platform Era, for the International Association of Media and Communication Research Conference
, United States International University-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.

May 2021 ‘Our Band is a Bandcamp Band’: Making Music and Earning a Living in the Platform Ere for the Communication and Cultural Policy in the Age of the Platform Conference, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

October 2020 ‘There’s Literally No Financial Reward in It’: On Digitization and Musician Labour in Canada for the New Voices in Work and Labour Studies Workshop Series, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

June 2019 The Intermediary’s Invisible Hand: Content Aggregation, TuneCore and Emerging Musicians for the Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies Annual Meeting, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA in Disability Studies, Brock University (2021)
BA honours in Child and Youth Studies, Brock University (2018)

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Expertise
Disability studies, social media, education, youth cultures, fan studies, queer studies, social justice, popular culture, digital media

Research

Kristen is a 2nd-year PhD student whose dissertation will explore the use of social media as a tool for connection and  community building by disabled youth. Disability justice and practices from disability arts and culture inform her work,  as well as research-creation methods, collaboration with participants, and dialogical approaches to interviewing. She is also interested in topics such as fan studies, queer culture, media representations of marginalized communities, and pop culture in general.

Additional Information
Teaching assistant at YorkU and research assistant at Toronto Metropolitan University;
Ontario Director with National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS);

Publications & Presentations

– “Authenticity or over-sharing? Understanding the storytelling culture of Tiktok and its influence on young people” —  Conference presentation at Canadian Sociological Association Conference (upcoming)

– “Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe: The Netflix-ification of the “weird kid” and how society treats misfits” Conference presentation at IS|CS Graduate Conference: Becoming You(th) (upcoming)

– Tollan, K., Jezrawi, R., Underwood, K. & Janus, M. (2023). A review on early intervention systems. Current  Developmental Disorders Reports. Springer.

– Tollan, K. (2022). Exploring the development of disability identity by young creators on Instagram. Review of  Disability Studies: An International Journal Special Issue on Film & Media, 17(4),  https://rdsjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1103

– “Carmilla (The Webseries): A sapphic stake through the heart of the “bury your gays” trope” Paper presenter,  Romancing the Gothic Conference — September 3, 2022

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA Communication and New Media, McMaster University – OGS funded research for “The Use of Internet Technologies by Canadian Musicians”.

Areas of Research Interest
Canadian Music Industry, the dichotomy between record labels and independent artists, public music funding in Canada, and concert ticketing platforms.

Additional Information
Lisa La Rocca is currently Director of Operations at independent record label Sonic Unyon Records in Hamilton, which includes producing Hamilton’s Supercrawl festival, and many other live music and cultural events year-round.

Conference presentations
Independent Music and Space: A Study of Independent Musicians and Their Local Music Communities. Screen: Communication Graduate Caucus Conference (Carleton University, 2014)

Has the Independent Musician Been Empowered? Analyzing the Use of Internet Technologies for Music Promotion. TEM 2014: Annual Conference of the Canadian Communication Association (Brock University, 2014)

Supercrawl, a Case Study: The Growth of a Music and Arts Street Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. Colloquium on Urban Arts Festivals in Canada. (McGill University, 2014)

Areas of Expertise:
Periodical Studies, Victorian Art and Culture, Visual Culture, Digital Humanities, Data Visualization, Personography Research, Social Networks, Communication and Media Studies, Material Culture Studies, Pre-Raphaelite Art, The British Arts and Crafts Movement,  Women’s Creative Labour, Archival Theory, Museum Studies

Marion is a Ph.D. student researching women’s creative labour in the British Arts and Crafts movement. She uses digital humanities  approaches, like data visualization, to query, analyze, and model trends and networks within this group of women art workers.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
BSc, Psychology and Exceptionality in Human Learning, University of Toronto MEd, Brock University

Areas of Research Interest
Politics of representation, Asian studies, online “space”, and surveillance.

Research
Her PhD research looks at gender-based violence and rape culture in the context of social media and if/how it affects the ways that issues of sexual violence and assault are framed in mainstream media.

Supervisory Committee
Bailey, Steve; Moore, Paul; Langlois, Ganaele

Additional Information
Mary Grace was co-chair of ComCult’s annual Intersections | Cross-Sections Conference and Art Exhibit in 2016 and has recently completed summer-long Education Specialist internship with the Shanti Uganda Society, working with midwives on improving maternal and infant health programs in Luwero District, Uganda.

Awards and Distinctions
Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Doctoral (2016, 2017)
York University International Internship Award (2016)
Brock University Master of Education Research Fellowship (2011)

Publications and Presentations
Book Review, “Joseph M. Reagle Jr: Reading the Comments: Likers, Haters, and Manipulators at the Bottom of the Web,” International Journal of Communication Vol. 10 (2016).
Presentation with Chris Alton, “Villain Fandom: The Romanticization of KIlgrave in Jessica Jones,” Film Studies Association of Canada Annual Conference, Calgary, AB, June 2016.
Presentation, “Crisis in Broadcasting: An Examination of the CBC’s Response to Jian Ghomeshi,” BEA 2016 Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 2016.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Stream:
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Expertise:
photography, visual arts, social media

Research:
The main focus of my current research examines the power of imagery as public pedagogy, with a particular interest in hegemonic biases visually embedded within photographs and illustrations published in the media, social and otherwise. By examining the impact recent technological and social developments have had on our use of photography to communicate, educate, and activate the public, my research aims to challenge those who abuse its power of persuasion and champion new visual literacy praxis.

Website
LinkedIn

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Master of Arts, Communication & Culture, York University and Ryerson University
Bachelor of Arts with Honors, Communication, Culture, and Information Technology (CCIT), University of Toronto

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

Areas of Research Interest
Philosophy of language, surveillance, critical theory, poststructuralism, posthumanism, technopolitics, mediation

Research
Currently: understanding the industrialization of language in the internet age, its concomitant technopolitics, and recombining philosophies of language and technology (drawing from German idealism and French poststructuralism) to address this techno-lingual confluence.

Nicholas’ master’s thesis focused on protocols of language surveillance, databasing, and patterns of neurological entrainment among Apple and Samsung smartphone users. His analysis of the above fell within a framework of Deleuzian societies of control and post-Operaist theories of immaterial labour and language.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences with a Major in Criminology and a Minor in Sociology.

Research
My research interests sit at the intersections of race and technology. Particularly, I am interested in studying the ways in which the Black Canadians have used technology to create and sustain their identity in relationship with the rest of the Black diaspora.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
MA, University of Toronto
BA, New College of Florida

Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)

PhD candidate in the joint program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Master of Arts, Communication & Culture, York University and Ryerson University
Bachelor of Arts with Honors, Culture and Expression, York University

Stream
Technology in Practice (TinP)

Areas of Research Interest
Privacy, Surveillance, Media Ecology, Media Archaeology, Sound Studies

Research
Stephen J. Neville is a SSHRC-funded PhD student and former recipient of a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s award. His master’s research on privacy and surveillance issues of smart speaker technology was awarded the 2019 Beaverbrook Prize by the Canadian Communication Association. As a research associate at the Infoscape Lab at Ryerson University he uses qualitative and digital methods to approach issues of political communication on social media platforms. His dissertation explores smart assistants (e.g. Alexa, Siri) through a genealogy of sonic interfaces and other assistive platforms.

Publications:
Neville, S. J. 2020. “Eavesmining: A Critical Audit of the Amazon Echo and Alexa Conditions of Use.” Surveillance and Society 18 (3): 343–56. doi.org.
Elmer, G., S. J. Neville & A. Burton. 2020. “Zoom-bombings disrupt online events with racist and misogynist language.” The Conversation. theconversation.com

Presentations:
November 2019 Digital Citizenship Cultures: Canadian Adversarial Politics, Poster Session for Rubix Research Festival, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
June 2019 Surveillance and Big Data on the Home Front for Canadian Communication Association, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
March 2019 Listening In: The Domestication of Voice-controlled Technology for University of Amsterdam, Department of Media Studies, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
March 2019 Listening In: The Domestication of Voice-controlled Technology for Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Stream:
Politics and Policy (P&P) | Technology in Practice (TinP)

Areas of Expertise:
International Relations, Geopolitics, Cross-cultural Communication, Cultural Diplomacy, Global Business, International Trade, Business Practices, Entrepreneurship, Behavioral Psychology, Cross-cultural Psychology, Security Studies, Global Markets, Market Trends, Economic Development, Digital Diplomacy, Social Media Influence, Corporate Governance, Public Policy, International Governance, and others.

Research:
Doctoral research argues that an intricate interplay exists within global business among online communication, cultural awareness, psychology, and conditioned human behaviour.

Website
LinkedIn

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Bachelor of Applied Science (Aerospace Engineering)
Masters in Engineering (Civil – Energy systems specialist)

Research
I want to know how to fight the formidable force that anti-science advocates have become. The climate change deniers have set us back decades and our children are now more likely of dying from famine than making it to old age. Anti Vaxxers have brought back measles and endanger those who are immunocompromised. The anti-science discourse is a danger to a democratic society. My interests lie in understanding and combating it.

Additional Information
Board member – Annex Residents’ Association
Chair – Annex Residents’ Association -Parks, Trees, and Environment committee

Founder of “Why Should I Care?” – a NFP dedicated to increasing civic participation in politics

Founder of “Plateshare” – new initiative to reduce landfill by providing plates and forks in various locations and encouraging party hosts to borrow instead of use disposable

Publications
Book Chapters
2014 T. Chu, M. Ragowska, M. Richardson, “The Importance of District Energy in Building Resilient Cities”, Canada: Becoming a Sustainable Energy Superpower, Ed. C. Bowman, R. Marceau, pp 169-186, Canadian Academy of Engineers,

T. Chu, S. Yee, “How District Energy Systems can be used to Reduce Infrastructure Costs and Environmental Burdens”, Sustainability Appraisal:`Quantitative Methods and Mathematical Techniques for Environmental Performance Evaluation, Ed. Erechtchoukova et al, pp 195-211, Springer-Verlag,

Conference Papers
T. Chu, S. Chen, A. Mayoral Baños, R. Hartani, “Increasing Renewable Energy Penetration Through Strategic Deployment of IoT Devices”, Proceedings of IEEE Canada Electrical Power and Energy Conference 2018, IEEE Press.

Non- referred Publications
2014 T Chu, “Municipal Planning for Severe Weather: District Energy can be part of  the Solution”, District Energy Magazine, 2014, Q2, p 69

PhD candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture

Degrees
Honours HBA in English and French Language and Literature (University of Western Ontario)
MA Cinema and Media Studies (York)

Research
Her PHD Thesis examines one of the first English Canadian film magazines, Take One (1966-1979), through the lens of the exclusionary politics of cultural nationalism.  Wendy has over 25 years of experience in broadcasting and independent production. Her latest project, which she is co-producing with Barbara Evans from York U, is Bee Queens: Collaborating with the Hive, a documentary exploring the bee as a source of inspiration for Canadian artists.   Wendy is also cofounder /Lead Programmer and Executive Director of the Oakville Festivals of Film and Art, which runs the Oakville Film Festival, now in its eighth year.

Additional Information
Wendy has also worked in the broadcasting industry and independent production for 25+ years, having been on the launch team for Diginet PrideVision TV(OUTtv),  as well as stints at TVOntario and The Weather Network. She has also produced many documentary/film/TV series that have aired on TV networks worldwide, and launched award-winning educational websites such as www.spiesintheshadows.com, which is being used in schools across Canada and internationally.

Areas of Expertise:
Chinese diaspora; new media; identity; popular culture; intercultural communication

I am a doctoral student of Communication and Culture at York University with an MA in Communication from the University of Ottawa  and a BA in the same field from Simon Fraser University.

My doctoral research project will be a digital ethnographic study on the online consumption pattern of Chinese international students in Canada and its influences on their identity negotiation between Canadian and Chinese cultures, especially during the global pandemic. I will focus on YouTube and the Chinese video-sharing website Bilibili as the main subjects and explore how students react to the rising anti-Asian racism.