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MA candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture
Degrees
Specialized Honors Major Law & Society
Specialized Honours Major Communication
Additional Information
2019 Communications Intern Government of Canada-Minister of Crown Lands & Indigenous Relations
2018 Planning Assistant Toronto Transit Commission
2018 Human Resource Clerk Ministry of Government & Consumer Services
2017 Planning Assistant Toronto Transit Commission
2016 Assistant to the Director March of Dimes-Stakeholder Relations
2012 Library Clerk, Legal Law Library Intern Stickman Elliot LLB, Law Library
2011 Administrative Assistant Ontario Civilian Police Commission (Volunteer)
2010 York Region Student Advisory Board Representative,Ministry of Education
Alanna Quinn
André McLean
Andrew Greer
Awni Kalkat
Awo Dirie
MA candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture
Degrees
BA Information and Communications Studies—University of New Brunswick, Saint John
Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)
Areas of Research Interest
Virtual Influencers, Political Economy, Social Media
Research
My SSHRC-funded research focuses on virtual influencers, CGI characters used as a replacement for traditional influencers. Key questions include: how virtual influencers affect the influencers economy, and how social media users feel about them.
Stream
Politics and Policy (P&P)
Areas of Expertise
Canadian broadcasting policy; broadcasting history; Canadian media history; cultural identity; national identity; nationalism; collective memory; music studies; media and culture; politics and policy; live music; live performance; audience; media engagement
Research
Christine Rose Cooling is a second-year MA student in Communication & Culture at York University and Toronto Metropolitan
University. She previously completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Media Studies at York University, where she
was awarded the Governor General’s Silver Medal at convocation.
Christine's current SSHRC- and OGS-funded MA thesis entitled, "Requiem for a Century? Canadian Broadcasting Policy, Online Streaming Service Regulation, and Cultural Sovereignty in the Digital Age," is focused on the history of Canadian broadcasting from the 1920s to the 2020s and the didactic relationship between historical and contemporary cultural policy, as well as the political-cultural work of articulating Canadian nationalism with cultural policy.
Christine has published in the Journal of Radio & Audio Media, the Canadian Journal for the Academic Mind, Popular Music & Society,
and Rock Music Studies, and has presented at many conferences nationally and internationally.
Cristina Pietrantonio
Dylan Alsop
Emily Blyth
Enna Kim
Areas of Expertise:
Feminist studies; fan studies; media and culture; gender studies; critical race theory
My thesis examines how race and gender have shaped the reception of K-pop in North America looking at BTS and their fans, ARMY, as a case study.
MA candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture.
Stream
Media and Culture (M&C)
Areas of Expertise
Humour, stand-up comedy, political economy of media, cultural studies, Asian (diaspora).
Research
My current research examines the use of humour in stand-up comedy to combat anti-Asian racism in North America during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am thankful for the support from SSHRC, the Province of Ontario, and York University in making my research possible.
Gabrielle Boodhoo
Griffin Martell
Isabella Lyne
Isidora Ateljevic
Justin Maharaj
Kiersten Depina
MA candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture
Degrees
Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto
Bachelor of Education, University of Toronto
Areas of Research Interest
Cultural studies; hybridized identities; critical race theory; intersectionality; social media; gender studies; education; social movements; diaspora studies.
Research
My thesis will explore the intersection of race, gender, religion, class, and status within the context of hip-hop music in North America. It will consider the implications of hip-hop music as a tool for activism as well as for bridging gaps in the North-American Muslim woman's multiple identities.
Leanna Durdle
Leigh Wilson-Mattson
Leina Amatsuji-Berry
Lisa Marie Spagnuolo
Madison Generoux
MA candidate in the Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture
Degrees
Bachelor degree in Science of Communication. UNAM
Research
After many years of minimum participation in Canadian politics, the Hispanic Community in Toronto is starting a movement to participate actively and directly in politics in three levels of power. From volunteers to candidates, this visible minority is eager to be more visible and to get more representation. This movement is not being reflected in mainstream media, only in ethnic media. It is necessary to create an alternative product, such as a short documentary, to record this movement.
Additional Information
Isabel Inclan has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years, in both Mexico and in Canada. She is a collaborator with New Canadian Media. She worked as a Press Office coordinator at the Consulate-General of Mexico in Toronto for seven years (2007-2014). In 2017, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, and in collaboration with the Institute for Creative Exchange, Isabel produced the short video “Canada 150-150 Mexicans,” which portrays Mexicans who are contributing to the development of Canada. The video was screened at seven events in Toronto and Ottawa. In 2016, she organized the first forum of Hispanic journalists at Glendon College with the support of Professor Alejandro Zamora. In 2015, Isabel was honoured as one of the “10 most influential Hispanic Canadians”, an annual award presented by the Canadian Hispanic Alliance.
Mark Profiti
Maura Hanley
McKenzie White
Patrick Dawson
Paula Beck
Perrye-Delphine Séraphin
Quinn MacNeil
Seung Woo Baek
Simoni Vani
Sisi Wei
Sohaila Khaliqyar
Stedman Tabiri
Suzanne Cheriton
Temilade Adebiyi
Tyler Sinclair
Alejando Mayoral Banos
Alex Chalk
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.
Ali Mehboob Hirji
Amy Siegel
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
Anna Young
Anneka Bosse
Autumn Mayes
Aviva Weizman
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).
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.
Chelsea Russell
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.
Daryoush Ayvaizin Kari
David Zinman
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.
Dilli Edingo
Elisa Arca Jarque
Elizabeth Edwards
Elizaveta Poliakova
Ellouise Mgeachie
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.
Fizza Mir
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.
Giovanna Cioffi
Grayson Richards
Hanako Smith
Immony Men
Irina Kovalenko
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
Johanna Fraser
Joshua Augustino
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 Canadian classrooms, using games and other media as forms of pedagogy to develop students’ aptitude in this area.
Julianna’s master’s research explored how pre-service teachers understand and approach the subject of critical media literacy to
discover practical and unique teaching methods for teaching it to their future students. Her doctoral work will build on this as she
investigates and develops creative educational methods to foster media literacy competence amongst Canadian elementary students.
Outside academia, Julianna is an electric guitarist. She is also an avid sports fan and enjoys baking and engaging in challenging activities that inspire her to explore and develop new physical and intellectual strengths.
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.
Keah Hansen
Kennedy Jawoko
Ketzia Sherman
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 and digital cultures, youth cultures, fandom studies, pop culture, social justice
Research
Kristen is a 4th-year PhD candidate whose dissertation will explore the use of social media as a tool for connection and community-building by disabled young adults. Disability justice frameworks and practices from disability arts and culture inform her work, as well as the research-creation method of photo-voice. Her lived experience as a disabled and neurodivergent queer woman drives her passion for this research. She is also explores other topics outside of her dissertation including fandom studies, queer culture, media representations of marginalized communities, and pop culture in general.
Kristen is a teaching and research assistant at York and TMU and is fuelled by delivery iced coffees. She lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her study buddies, Smudge, Rory and Sailor. Outside of academia she spends her time journaling and engaging in other creative activities and trying to rebuild a habit of reading for fun!
Kuan Yun Wang
Latifa Abdin
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)
Mahmood Ahmadi-Afzadi
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.
Mary-Ann Boateng
Matthew Poulter
Michael Marlatt
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.
Mohammad Aldhahri
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.
Olawale Oluwatayo
Patricia Marcoccia
Paula Todd
Rawan Al-Wakeal
Richard Rosenbaum
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)
Ryan Legassicke
Samantha Whatley
Sara Bimo
Sarah Smithies
Shahbaz Khayambashi
Shila Khayambashi
Sophia Melanson
Srijan Batra
Stephanie Mackenzie-Smith
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.
Tamar Faber
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
Victoria Fleming
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.
Xuan Au Duong
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.
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The York & Toronto Metropolitan University Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education.