Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Professors Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano and Jana Vizmuller-Zocco, of the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics, have co-edited a new volume titled Social Media: Implications for the University published by Aracne Editrice in Rome, Italy as part of the series on Social Theory, Communication and Media Studies.
Jana Vizmuller-Zocco
The objective of the volume is to offer a balanced critical reflection on the role of social media in the workings of the engaged university by analyzing, critiquing and exploring the rich ideological and pragmatic relationships ensuing from the intersection between social media and academic life. Using both established methodologies of scientific research and novel approaches, the content highlights the ways in which social media may be applied to research, teaching, and university administration (in particular recruitment and retention).
Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano,
The book is the result of completely revised and reworked papers presented at the First Annual International Conference titled “Social Media: Implications for the University” held at York University from May 3 to 5, 2013. The contributions reflect common themes, dealing with the intersection between social media and the university taking account of a wide range of academic and theoretical perspectives.
The most distinctive features of the volume are the following:
- It deals critically with social media and university research, teaching and administration, focusing overwhelmingly on the Canadian perspective.
- Its contributions challenge received definitions of knowledge production and reception.
- Its theoretical impact is focused in the fact that it treats head-on the challenges implicit in the use of digital economy in academic life and offers balanced analyses.
- The contribution to scholarship is not only theoretical but also practical in that the volume offers feasible, innovative solutions to questions of pedagogy as they relate to social media.
The volume contains contributions by the following faculty:
- Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano and Jana Vizmuller-Zocco (York University)
- David Toews (York University)
- Bob Hanke (York Univerity)
- Roger Ulrich (Dartmouth College)
- Aleksandar Lukac (York University)
- Amy Thurlow and Brent King (Mount Saint Vincent University)
- Mike Nantais and Jackie Kirk (Brandon University)
- Mark Bauerlein (Emory University)
- Heather Lotherington, Mary Pat O’Meara and Krista Jensen (York University)
- Laura D’Amelio (York University)
The research backing the book was supported by a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada Connection Grant.