The 杏吧原创 School of Journalism and Communication is proud to congratulate five members of its faculty (three from Communication and Media Studies, one from Journalism, and one from Media Production and Design) on their tenure appointments, effective July 1 2024. This marks a significant milestone in each of their respective academic careers.
Nana aba Duncan (Journalism), Katie Graham (Media Production and Design), and Vincent Andrisani, Emily Hiltz, and Armond Towns (Communication and Media Studies) have all been granted tenure, meaning they now hold their听 positions as faculty on a permanent basis.
Andrisani and Hiltz have also been promoted to the new rank of Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (which replaces the rank of Instructor III).
Promotion, and tenure committees are formed from amongst the ranks of 杏吧原创鈥檚 faculty. They perform rigorous peer assessments of each candidates鈥� teaching, research, and service during their first five years at 杏吧原创.
We are so thankful to Armond, Emily, Katie, Nana aba, and Vincent for the contributions they have already made to the School, and we look forward to their continued accomplishments in years to come. Read on to听learn more about what they鈥檝e already achieved since coming to 杏吧原创.
Vincent Andrisani
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream,
Communication and Media Studies听
Dr. Vincent Andrisani became a member of the Communication and Media Studies faculty in July 2019 alongside Dr. Emily Hiltz, who also achieved tenure this month. He holds a PhD in Communication Studies from Simon Fraser University, and both a Bachelor鈥檚 and Master鈥檚 in Environmental Studies from York University. Andrisani specializes in sound studies, an academic practice informed by his background as a musician.
Andrisani performed as a drummer in both Toronto and Havana, Cuba. He performed across a wide range of musical styles and gained an interest in Cuban popular music. This interest grew from artistic to academic, and eventually became the subject of his doctoral research, which included a residency in Havana with the Fundac铆on Fernando Ortiz.
This academic interest in sound and listening has continued into Andrisani鈥檚 time at 杏吧原创. He produces , a podcast/radio show that airs on CKCU FM, 杏吧原创鈥檚 campus radio station. On alternating Monday evenings, the show, which explores the idea of 鈥減lace鈥� through listening, features original podcast material developed by Communication and Media Studies students.
Andrisani has received multiple grants through 杏吧原创鈥檚 Teaching and Learning Services and the Faculty of Public Affairs (including one which supports The Place of Sound). In 2023, he received the Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Excellence Award.
When asked about Andrisani鈥檚 contributions to the SJC, Professor Benjamin Woo (Program Head, Communication and Media Studies, said that 鈥渇rom first-year survey lectures to advanced workshops in digital media production, Professor Andrisani can do it all. Drawing on his background in sound studies, Vincent invites his students to listen to the world around them as a way of engaging in the classroom and in the community. I know his students and colleagues alike value his enthusiasm and warmth.鈥�
Andrisani will teach three courses in the upcoming academic year. Two of them, COMS 1001 and 1002, make up the groundwork of the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies which all first years are required to take. COMS 1001 examines the foundations of communication and media studies, while COMS 1002 explores communication and media as they related to issues in the present day. His third course is a 4th year digital media production seminar, which sees students producing podcasts which sometimes air as part of The Place of Sound.
Nana aba Duncan
Associate Professor, Journalism
Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity, and Inclusion Studies
Nana aba Duncan joined 杏吧原创鈥檚 Journalism program in 2021 as both an Associate Professor and as the inaugural Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity, and Inclusion Studies. The first of its kind in Canada, the Carty Chair鈥檚 mandate is to change the way journalism students learn the basics of their craft, with a goal of training more sensitive, inclusive reporters.
To this end, Duncan launched 鈥淛ournalism and Belonging鈥�, a new third-year course which explores how ideas like diversity, difference, and inclusion shape not only journalism but also Canadian society. In recognition of her work, she received the 2024 Equity and Inclusion Excellence Award from the Faculty of Public Affairs.
Duncan came to 杏吧原创 after an illustrious career in journalism. After completing her Master of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario, she worked for Journalists for Human Rights in Ghana before joining CBC Radio where she worked for more than a decade. While at CBC, she co-chaired an employee resource group for over 300 employees of colour and created the Media Girlfriends podcast production company.
Duncan is currently undertaking a SSHRC-funded project to research the experiences of Black journalists in Canada through the . Named for the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in North America, Professor Duncan founded the Shadd Cary Centre in 2023.
鈥淧rof. Duncan was already an agent of change at the CBC when she came to 杏吧原创 and true to form, she has helped to change the way we teach journalism at 杏吧原创,鈥� said Journalism program head Allan Thompson. 鈥淥utside the classroom, Prof. Duncan鈥檚 research is charting new ground in our understanding of the experiences of Black journalists in Canadian news organizations. We are so lucky to have her.鈥�
At the end of the month, Duncan will leave for Chicago to attend the . She will be leading fellows of the 2024 Mary Ann Shadd Cary Fellowship for Black Journalists, a delegation of Black Canadian journalists who are either mid-career or student journalists.听The fellowship is organized by Duncan, with award winning journalists Vicky Mochama and Pacinthe Mattar.听The trip covers the fellows’ travel, accommodation, and registration for the convention, with a goal of professional development as well as building connections with Black journalists in the United States.听In September, she will teach advanced audio journalism workshops for both 4th year undergraduates and students in the Master of Journalism program.
Katie Graham
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream,
Media Production and Design
Katie Graham became an Instructor with the Media Production and Design (MPAD) program in July of 2019. She holds a B.AS and M.Arch from 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, and is currently completing a PhD in Architecture.
She previously taught as a Contract instructor for the Azrieli School and for Algonquin College鈥檚 Bachelor of Building Science program and brings a passion for new technologies into the classroom. This fall, she will be teaching two MPAD core courses: 1st year Intro to Storytelling and 2nd year Basics of Visual Communication.
鈥淚n her role as an instructor in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program and most recently as the interim program director, Prof. Graham is constantly working to increase the sense of belonging among her students in the classroom and in her program,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淪he does this by creating opportunities to foster collaboration and learning outside of the classroom.鈥�
Prior to joining the School of Journalism and Communications, Graham spent a decade working with the (CIMS), a research lab affiliated with the School of Architecture. CIMS focuses on understanding and exploring architecture through advanced digital technologies.
As the leader of a team at CIMS, Graham received a Prix G茅maux (Canada鈥檚 French-language television awards) for her work on 鈥淧arliament: A Virtual Experience鈥�. She also received the 2024 Teaching Excellence Award from 杏吧原创鈥檚 Faculty of Public Affairs. In addition to congratulating Professor Graham on her tenure, we extend our gratitude for her service as interim Director of the MPAD program (a role she filled from July 2023-July 2024).
Emily Hiltz
Associate Professor, Teaching Stream,
Communication and Media Studies听
Dr. Emily Hiltz joined the Communication and Media Studies faculty in July of 2019. She is herself a graduate of the School of Communication and Media Studies, having completed her PhD in Communication at 杏吧原创. She also holds an MA in Media Studies and a BA in Media, Information, and Technoculture from the University of Western Ontario.
In both teaching and research, Hiltz focuses on visual media culture, identity, gender, and sexuality, and online communication, as well as on approaching these topics in creative, interdisciplinary, and critical ways. She has published and presented on misogyny and the Depp v Heard trial, 鈥渁nti-vaxx鈥� moms on reddit, and criminal notoriety through its connections to visual culture.
鈥淚n her first five years on faculty, Professor Hiltz has shouldered responsibility for our introducing our undergraduate students to the practice of communications research,鈥� said Dr. Benjamin Woo. 鈥淚n addition to this tremendously important role, she has taught well-regarded courses on gender and on crime, as well as supported many of our co-op students. We all admire the thoughtful and dedicated approach she brings to her work.鈥�
In 2022, Hiltz received the Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Excellence Award for her work in curriculum development alongside her commitment to student engagement, support, and satisfaction. She is currently researching student perspectives on the learning outcomes of the co-op program and developing a broader process for student consultation during program review cycles, both of which are supported through a 杏吧原创 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning grant.
Hiltz teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level, in topics ranging from introductory and qualitative research courses to specialized courses on media and crime or media, gender, and sexuality. She regularly supervises undergraduate and graduate students working on a wide range of topics, and mentors students through both the Students as Partners Program and through Graduate Research Assistantships.
Dr. Armond R. Towns
Associate Professor,
Communication and Media Studies
Dr. Armond Towns was appointed as Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies on July 2021. Professor Towns holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and previously worked as an Assistant Professor at University of Richmond (2018-2021) and the University of Denver (2015-2018).
Dr. Woo said that 鈥渢he hallmark of Professor Towns鈥檚 scholarship is a clear-eyed engagement with our discipline鈥檚 past in order to chart a more just and inclusive future for communication and media studies. He is also a highly respected teacher who imparts these same values to his students. The awarding of tenure is a well-deserved recognition of Armond鈥檚 achievements and intellectual leadership in the field.鈥�
Towns鈥� research brings together Black studies, cultural studies, and media philosophy. His book, On Black Media Philosophy, was published by the University of California Press in 2022. demonstrates that media philosophy has relied on an understanding of the human as a Western, white, male, capitalist figure. Through concepts drawn from Black studies and Cultural studies, Professor Towns critiques this conception and creates a foundation for Black media philosophy.
Towns is also the cofounder and inaugural editor of , a journal which 鈥減ublishes research on the centrality of race, racism, and colonialism to the praxis of communication from Black, Ethnic, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian voices鈥� (Taylor & Francis, 2024). Issue #1 of Communication and Race was published earlier this year, marking the first new journal from the National Communication Association in over two decades.
Towns has just begun a one-year leave of absence. He will spend the 2024-2025 academic year at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he will support the formation and launch of a new major in Africana Studies.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 in Communication News, Faculty In The News, General, Journalism Events, Media Production News, News
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