School of Journalism and Communication Co-Directors Liam Young & Allan Thompson.

杏吧原创 University鈥檚 School of Journalism and Communication made changes to both its governance structure and its leadership team effective July 1. Associate Professor Liam Cole Young has been appointed to a five-year term as Co-Director and Program Head, Communication and Media Studies, succeeding Prof. Benjamin Woo. Associate Professor Allan Thompson will continue to serve as Co-Director and Program Head, Journalism, for an additional three-year term following a two-year interim appointment. The changes were announced by Brenda O’Neill, Dean of the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs.

Woo鈥檚 two-year term as Associate Director and Program Head for Communication and Media Studies was marked by several highly successful initiatives. He carried forward important work from his previous role as the Faculty of Public and Global Affair鈥檚 Associate Dean, Equity and Inclusion, in advancing EDID initiatives within COMS. These included the creation of an Anti-Oppressive Frameworks requirement for B.CoMS students which launched last year, and the recruitment and appointment of M. Remi Yergeau, Canada Research Chair in Critical Disability Studies and Communication.

Prof. Benjamin Woo served as Associate Director and Program Head, Communication and Media Studies, from 2023-2025.

Curriculum development was another of Woo鈥檚 priorities. He supported the development of three new degree concentrations in B.CoMS (launching in 2026-27) in Government and Professional Communication, Media and Entertainment Industries, and Public Engagement and Civic Culture. These concentrations are designed to provide students with a new tool to tailor their degree experience towards a specific area of interest or career growth. Woo additionally helped develop new practice-based courses for B.CoMS such as and . He worked with the COMS graduate committee to develop a new comprehensive exam process for the Ph.D. in Communication program. These curricular efforts culminated in Woo鈥檚 year-long leadership of the 2024-25 COMS cyclical program review.

Woo was instrumental in establishing SJC鈥檚 new governance framework, which involved the creation of the Co-Director roles that Young and Thompson have taken up. 鈥淏en鈥檚 leadership provided a steady hand during a period of transition at 杏吧原创, and I鈥檓 grateful for his considered and principled approach to the job,鈥� said Young, 鈥淚 have learned a lot from Ben over the years, and particularly appreciated his mentorship and advice in my time as Undergraduate Supervisor. I know that his commitment to COMS as a program and as a discipline was felt by everyone who worked with him during his term as Associate Director.鈥�

Prof. Liam Young begins a five-year term as Co-Director and Program Head, Communication and Media Studies.

Liam Cole Young is an associate professor of communication and media studies who joined the School of Journalism and Communication in 2016. He completed his doctorate at Western University鈥檚 faculty of Information and Media Studies and taught there and at Trent University before coming to 杏吧原创. He has also held visiting appointments at Bauhaus-University-Weimar in Germany, and Aarhus University in Denmark.

Young is a scholar of media history and theory and author of (AUP, 2017). He is presently working on two major projects. The first traces global histories of salt as an 鈥渆lemental鈥� medium of culture and civilization. The second situates the recent legalization and mainstreaming of sports gambling within longer histories of datafication, financialization, and speculation. The two projects, like all of Young鈥檚 scholarship, are linked by a commitment to understanding media not just as senders or receivers of information, but as basic infrastructures that organize time, space and experience.

Over the last decade, Young has taught broadly across the COMS program in areas such as sports media, sound studies, mobile media, digital media industries, and approaches to communication research. He served as Undergraduate Supervisor of B.CoMS in 2024-25, which prepares him well to make the transition into SJC leadership.

鈥淯niversities are special places with long histories and important public mandates. They are part of the fabric that stitches communities together, and their unique governance structure is perhaps the least appreciated aspect of how that happens. I have been lucky throughout my career to learn from colleagues committed to faculty self-governance, and I take on this new role in the same spirit.鈥�

Like all sectors, Communication and Media are being rapidly transformed by technological and social change. Young sees mapping these changes and determining how the COMS program can continue to help students navigate them as key priorities moving forward. 鈥溾�楾he internet鈥� as we have understood it for the last two decades is over. A decreasing number of platforms control not only the apps we use but also the basic hardware and infrastructure on which they operate. Computation is now planetary in scale. Politics, culture, and economics move at different rhythms and take on different shapes. Artificial Intelligence is all the rage right now but it鈥檚 not at all clear what is truly transformational and what is hype. Our program has always been about helping students wrestle with the conceptual and practical implications of such changes, and I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing how faculty and students work together to explore such challenges in coming years.鈥�

Prof. Allan Thompson will continue serving as Co-Director and Program Head, Journalism for an additional three year term.

Allan Thompson has been the head of 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 journalism program since 2020 and stepped into the Director role in 2023.

He joined 杏吧原创 in 2003 after 17 years as a reporter with the Toronto Star, Canada鈥檚 largest circulation daily newspaper. In his career with The Star, Thompson covered immigration policy, then worked for a decade as a political reporter on Parliament Hill, travelling frequently on reporting assignments around the world. At 杏吧原创 he has published an edited collection called , The Canadian Reporter: News Writing and Reporting with colleagues Catherine McKercher and Carman Cumming, and the edited collection . He also established the Rwanda Initiative media development project that fostered independent media in post-genocide Rwanda.

Since his appointment as Journalism program head in 2020, Thompson鈥檚 primary focus has been implementing the journalism program鈥檚 equity, diversity and inclusion action plan and ramping up the journalism program鈥檚 research activity, public outreach and internships. A major milestone this past year has been the launch of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Certificate in Journalism in Indigenous Communities, a new one-year journalism skills certificate to be delivered on the ground in Indigenous communities to break down barriers and give Indigenous learners a chance to explore a career in journalism without leaving home.

鈥淚 know it sounds clich茅, but it continues to be an honour to lead 杏吧原创鈥檚 journalism program at such a critical time for the profession,鈥� Thompson said.

鈥淏ut I want to stress that there is an important distinction between 鈥榯he news industry鈥� as we now know it, and journalism — journalism as the backbone of an open, democratic society. We still can, and we must, work to save the latter, to save journalism, even if we can鈥檛 save every aspect of the news industry as we currently know it. That industry is going to change and be replaced by something else 鈥� and in the lifetime of our students. Our mission right now is to prepare them for that challenge.鈥�

This leadership transition also marks a shift in the School鈥檚 governance structure. For many years, the School of Journalism and Communication has been led by a Director and an Associate Director, with the office of Director alternating between Journalism and Communication and Media Studies during each leadership term.

Moving forward, these positions will both hold the title of Co-Director and Program Head. This change has been made to better align with how the School is led day-to-day, as the Co-Directors function as equals and not in a hierarchy that may have been suggested by the previous titles. It also reflects the spirit of collegiality and collaboration with which the School of Journalism and Communication operates.

April 1 2025

OTTAWA, ON 鈥� 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Bachelor of Media Production and Design (BMPD) MPAD: 4000 Capstone Project is a year-long experiential learning course that allows MPAD students to practice and demonstrate the skills and tools learned in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program.

Students have worked with community organizations and partners to produce multimedia projects and expand their digital and media storytelling skills. Working with community and industry partners, students developed a digital media product that tells a story about the partner organization. During this academic year, students brainstormed, ideated, and planned projects that fulfilled their partner鈥檚 needs and executed these projects by the end of the winter term for their final exhibition. The projects showcase student鈥檚 skills in areas like app design, video, graphic design, AR storytelling, and website development.

One of the student groups is working with the 杏吧原创 Wellness Centre to build a mental health app titled, Raven鈥檚 Wellnest. Student Maryam says, 鈥淥ur goal with this app is to give students a space where wellness and productivity work hand in hand. We know university life can be overwhelming, so we鈥檙e creating a tool that not only helps students stay organized, but also prioritizes their mental health 鈥� because you can鈥檛 thrive academically if you鈥檙e not taking care of yourself first. Our app is designed to be that gentle support, right in your pocket.”

Another group of students is working on a digital archive of the watching territory exhibition in Dunton Tower and enhancing the archive through Augmented Reality (AR) in partnership with surveillART: care-laboratory for disruptive exhibitionism. Students in this group have said, 鈥淥ur main goal with our capstone project is to expand the artworks beyond the confines of the exhibition, breaking through spatial boundaries to exist beyond its walls.鈥�

In partnership with Re: Climate, students created a campaign called ‘Sustainabull,’ reflected on their work: 鈥淭hrough a social media campaign and two documentaries, we set out to educate, spread awareness, and empower people to spot greenwashing and challenge deceptive marketing.鈥�.听

The exhibition title, Gateways: to the future, was chosen by the students in the class, to represent the fact that the exhibition is a gateway for students as they complete the BMPD program and head towards their future.

Dr. St茅fy McKnight, the instructor of MPAD 4000 says 鈥淭his year we have a constellation of projects that look at pressing political and social issues such as decolonization, climate change, community arts advocacy, equity in journalism, hate, and the polycrisis. I am so proud of our students and their ability to tell these stories in ethical, care-full, and interactive ways. They should be very proud of the work they鈥檝e done and what they have accomplished over the last eight months. I can鈥檛 wait to see where they are heading next!鈥�.听

Students exhibiting work are:听

The exhibition will be held in Richcraft Hall, on 杏吧原创 University campus.

Date: April 10^th, 2025, at 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Location: Richcraft Hall Room 4114 and 4115, 杏吧原创 University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6

For more information, contact Hailey David, a featured group member.

Zines created by students in the “Comics and Cartooning” mini-course.

Every spring, 杏吧原创 University invites Grade 8-11 students living in and around Ottawa to get a glimpse into what it鈥檚 like to be a university student as part of the Mini-Courses Program, and the School of Journalism and Communication is always excited to participate. This year, from April 29 to May 4, 2024, SJC hosted a series of engaging mini courses designed to immerse students in various aspects of media production and communication.

Facilitated by faculty and staff from across Media Production & Design, Communication & Media Studies, and Journalism, SJC鈥檚 2024 mini-course lineup included courses in documentary filmmaking, visual storytelling, comics, and 3D design, each providing a unique learning experience that left a lasting impact on participants and faculty alike.

Direct Your Own Mini-Documentary: Foundations in Visual Storytelling

In the “Direct Your Own Mini-Documentary鈥� course, 26 students from grades 8-10 were guided through the process of producing, editing, and directing their own mini-documentaries (two to two-and-a-half minutes in length).

BMPD instructor Caroline O’Neill, who co-taught this mini-course with Randy Bowler.

Led by Caroline O鈥橬eill (Instructor, BMPD) and Randy Bowler (SJC鈥檚 Digital Media Technologist), the students worked in small groups to create documentaries exploring topics such as returning to sports after an injury, the benefits of pets, and evolving reading habits. The hands-on approach encouraged students to think visually, resulting in an exciting exhibition where proud parents watched their children鈥檚 creations.

“The students we worked with came in ready to learn, have fun, and work,鈥� said Caroline O鈥橬eill. 鈥淢ost had never met each other before, but they were all able to bring lovely storytelling out of each other.”

The students鈥� visual thinking started right away, as they thought about what, where, and how they could film their subjects. Students also quickly developed a sense of camaraderie, with many excited to show parents not only their own work but also that of their peers.

Comics and Cartooning

Comics and cartooning took center stage in this course, led by Prof. Benjamin Woo (COMS) and Communication PhD student Kate Fedchun. 19 students from grades 8-10 spent their week diving deep into the history and cultural impact of comics. They explored different styles and forms of comics, ultimately creating their own mini-comics and zines.

Students hard at work on their zines.

The course included drawing exercises and a unique 鈥渢ournament鈥� where students applied comic definitions to various artifacts. The highlight was a mini-con / zine festival, where students proudly displayed their work to their parents.

Woo found it rewarding to get to walk high schoolers through making their own physical media product: “At a time when so much of young people鈥檚 lives is digitally mediated, simple things like drawing with a pen and paper, folding a little booklet of your stories, and communicating directly to an audience with no platforms or advertisers getting involved can feel a little subversive.鈥�

Visual Storytelling and Digital Tools

Prof. Katie Graham (BMPD)鈥檚 “Visual Storytelling and Digital Tools” course introduced 20 students from grades 8-10 to the principles of visual communication. Students explored how images can be used to communicate, and created compelling visual storytelling pieces using various technologies.

Through activities such as making 鈥渢errible posters鈥� to understand design principles, they learned about composition, visual hierarchy, color theory, and typography. By the end of the week, they had produced a range of digital media projects, including photographs, stop-motion animations, and interactive stories.

Graham emphasized the importance of experiential learning in her teaching approach, incorporating elements from the first and second-year core BMPD courses. A lot of the lessons taught in 鈥淰isual Storytelling and Digital Tools鈥� were directly adapted from key principles that students learn in the Media Production & Design program.

History of 3D

The “History of 3D” course, taught by Prof. St茅fy McKnight (BMPD), introduced 14 students from grades 8-9 to 3D design. The students learned the history and principles of 3D creation, experimented with 3D software, and created their own 3D printed models.

“History of 3D” students created custom succulent pots as part of the mini-course.

The course mimicked a university arts-based format, with morning lectures and afternoon practice sessions. Each student produced several 3D printed items, including a succulent pot, and gained a deeper understanding of the medium.

McKnight noted, “Teaching 3D printing to 8th and 9th graders is very fun since they already have a general understanding of the medium. What they learned over the week is how to talk about their work and know the historical and political context of the objects they are designing.”

Some more of the custom succulent pots created by students.

The School of Journalism and Communication鈥檚 2024 mini-courses offered young students a valuable platform to explore and develop their creative skills in media production and communication. These immersive courses provided practical experience and a deeper appreciation for storytelling, visual communication, and 3D design, planting a seed for them to become part of the next generation of media professionals and creative thinkers.

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 4^th 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 4^th 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: 1^st year Intro to Storytelling and 2^nd 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.

鈥淢ost online virtual environments offer users the ability to customize their avatar – the character that represents them within the environment and is seen by other users. Yet, many character customization interfaces impose problematic constraints, limiting on how users can present themselves online,鈥� McArthur said.

McArthur鈥檚 previous work has challenged research on avatars. Namely, research that focuses on how users chose to represent themselves in games and virtual environments without studying how those same users had navigated the affordances 鈥� the choices available 鈥� in the avatar customization interface itself.

鈥淭he constraints can lead to social exclusion, which describes the processes by which certain user groups are systematically marginalized,鈥� McArthur said.

This project is in part inspired by McArthur鈥檚 early research on avatars in the workplace that he conducted more than a decade ago. It takes into account recent advancements in computer graphics as well as the increased uptake in virtual reality (VR) social environments.

杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Media Production and Design (MPAD) program is set to host a groundbreaking webinars series that will explore the role of digital storytelling.

Professor Katie Graham

Negotiating Digital Space for Culturally-diverse Storytelling is a seven-part webinar series running from June 9 to July 28 that will explore the multi-faceted concept of storytelling and how digital technology is expanding the storytelling toolkit. The series is co-created by MPAD professor, Katie Graham, who was awarded a SSHRC Connection grant for the project.

鈥淭he grant will allow us to curate a diverse cast of speakers and hire BMPD and Algonquin students to help promote the event through digital storytelling on the web and social media,鈥� Graham said.

Graham partnered with Dr. Pallavi Swaranjali on the project, a professor in Algonquin College鈥檚 School of Media and Design. Graham and Swaranjali began their PhD studies together, each looking at storytelling in architecture from different perspectives.

鈥淎lthough we wanted to work together in the past, this webinar series will be the first opportunity for us to bring our different storytelling perspectives together,鈥� Graham said.

Negotiating Digital Space aims to explore how digital and traditional storytelling are interwoven through various themes relating to storytelling. The series will be broken into seven sessions. Each session is set to include two professionals presenting on common theme 鈥� such as documentaries, screens, soundscapes, immersive storytelling, translation, pluralities, materiality, and authorship.

鈥淭he goal and hope of the webinar series is to foster lively discussion that questions how we think of storytelling and the digital 鈥� looking at it both critically and exploratory,鈥� Graham said.

The project is running in partnership with The Canadian Centre of Mindful Habitats, a non-profit organization that engages in thoughtful conversations regarding mindfulness in areas including storytelling and digital technology.

Graham said she hopes the series will evolve into something more because there is a lot of research to be done.

鈥淲hile digital tools bring new ways to tell stories and remove limitations of access, a multitude of ethical and technical issues arise 鈥� such as those of ownership, appropriation, inclusion, and dissemination,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e hope to develop Negotiating Digital Spaces into a journal publication and further research into how traditional and digital storytelling interweave.鈥�

More information on how to register will be available shortly. Keep an eye on our website for updates, or follow @BMPD_CU on Twitter.

Photo 漏 Rick Colbourne. Indigenous youth from northern communities and BMPD students will work together in the Indigenous Youth Stories Project to create multimedia narratives that 鈥渁rticulate their shared vision of a sustainable future.鈥�

Media Production and Design professor Dr. St茅fy McKnight is helping to lead an Indigenous Youth Stories Project that connects young people from northern Indigenous communities with BMPD students from the School of Journalism and Communication and other student collaborators in co-creating multimedia narratives that explore issues related to global sustainable development.

Using software like Esri StoryMaps and Adobe Creative Cloud, the BMPD students will mentor the other students and Indigenous youth in using new software and technologies to share their stories and experiences.

This important initiative will give BMPD students the opportunity to learn skills in community-based research, mentorship, workshop leading, and collaborative research methodologies. More importantly, Dr. McKnight and the BMPD students will work to support Indigenous communities 鈥� specifically Indigenous youth in the sharing of their stories in ways that centre Indigenous sovereignty,听knowledge mobilization and Indigenous agency.

鈥淢ultimedia storytelling can be a source of empowerment for Indigenous youth, and a collaborative co-creation process with post-secondary students can serve as a platform for mutual understanding, respect, and healing, and ultimately contributes to reconciliation,鈥� states the .

鈥淭he complementary skills and experiences of this team will allow us to engage youth from northern Indigenous communities to work (virtually) with 杏吧原创 students from multiple disciplines to articulate their shared vision of a sustainable future,鈥� the website notes. 鈥淭heir multimedia stories will be uploaded to a curated website that will be linked to other initiatives that amplify youth voices across the north.鈥�

Dr. St茅fy McKnight, Dr. Rick Colbourne and Dr. Kim Matheson are among the 杏吧原创 teachers and researchers leading a collaborative Indigenous Youth Stories Project involving BMPD students and Indigenous youth in creating multimedia narratives exploring sustainability.

The project is led by Sprott School of Business professor Dr. Rick Colbourne 鈥� who is also 杏吧原创鈥檚 Associate Dean, Equity and Inclusive Communities 鈥� and 杏吧原创 neuroscience professor Dr. Kim Matheson, Culture & Gender Mental Health听Research Chair jointly held at 杏吧原创 and The Royal鈥檚 Institute of Mental Health听Research.

Dr. Colbourne, an Algonquin Anishinaabe member of the Mattawa/North Bay Algonquin First Nation, has deep relationships with communities across Canada and has been working extensively with Indigenous economic development agencies. Dr. Matheson has been working with First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario as part of a SSHRC Partnership Grant she leads to support communities to create the conditions for their youth to flourish.

Dr. McKnight teaches students a wide range of digital storytelling techniques, and her research provides insights into contemporary instances of settler colonialism and white supremacy in Canada. Her scholarly work takes the form of performance, multi-media interventions, online curatorial projects, 3D printing, installation, video, and live streaming. Her creative research projects have been exhibited at galleries in Stratford, Kingston, North Bay and elsewhere.

The storytelling project will take shape within a holistic perspective using a Two-Eyed Seeing framework or Etuaptmumk. Etuaptmumk recognizes the importance of diverse knowledge systems rooted in different spaces and places and grounded in local perspectives, languages, understandings, ways of knowing and being. This includes recognizing commonalities and variations in Indigenous knowledge and methods (reflecting many cultures, treaties, geographical regions), as well as the variations in Western world views (disciplinary paradigms).

The Indigenous Youth Stories Project is being undertaken in partnership with Indigenous Works, which supports a network of Indigenous communities developing a holistic approach to economic development that includes social and environmental responsibility; the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario and its First Nations-led Regional Youth Leadership Council; and the Arctic Youth Network, a network of young entrepreneurs forging a competitive northern economy that prioritizes sustainable development built on Indigenous values.

The project has received support from 杏吧原创鈥檚 Multidisciplinary Research Catalyst Fund.

鈥淵outh During COVID-19鈥� has been selected to be shown at the Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories (FIVARS) this October. The virtual reality short features stories by MPAD students Brendan Currie-O鈥橞rien, Eddie Benhin, Everett Rama, Jada Rodgers, Liam Arp, Shirley Hu, Yuchen Hu, and Xinpeng Liu.

The film began as a class project for ITEC 3100: Immersive Storytelling 鈥� a required course in the third year of the Media Production and Design program. This project represented a unique opportunity to help BMPD students create and share their own COVID-19 experiences, leveraging the storytelling affordances of VR. The course was taught by Bahng, an internationally recognized digital media storyteller whose own VR films have been featured at many prestigious film festivals around the world.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on mental health issues in North American university students, including increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression,鈥� Bahng said. 鈥淐reating their autobiographical stories about the COVID-19 pandemic could allow people to indirectly experience undergraduate students鈥� experiences of COVID-19 and the effects of isolation on their daily lives. The resultant works can serve as a historical archive that contains personal feelings and ideas related to the pandemic experiences of university students.鈥�

This year鈥檚 festival is a hybrid event with the in-person screenings October 15^th 鈥� 17^th and the virtual event from October 22^nd to November 2^nd.

To view the trailer for Youth During Covid-19, visit

For more information about the festival, visit

For many years, Bahng has been working with new media storytelling projects and received recognition worldwide, including at film and art festivals (FIVARS, BIAF, TSFM, ANIMAZE, SIMA, and NDC) and academic conferences and symposia (ISEA, ArtsIT, ICIDS, TEI, and SIGCHI). During her PhD studies at Monash University in Australia, she produced three cinematic virtual reality (VR) projects to explore how cinematic VR can elicit self-reflection in sociocultural contexts. Her doctoral thesis was awarded the Mollie Holman award for the best thesis of the year.

As a media practitioner and researcher, Bahng has been investigating how media practice and creation can generate academic knowledge through practice-based research and research creation. She is particularly interested in the roles of self-reflection and subjectivity in non-fiction storytelling through digital media in the post-truth era. At 杏吧原创 she will explore effective ways of using digital media to tell and share personal, subjective stories but for sociocultural impact.

Bahng has been working on research projects with Dr, Vicky McArthur, Program Director of BMPD. By collaborating with BMPD students, she is currently investigating how VR could be an effective tool to tell stories about COVID-19, especially for university students. In addition, Bahng is designing a mobile self-care application with AtionLab Inc. for young adults who live alone. She aims to build a digital platform for one-person households to share their ideas and stories, build healthy habits and create a sense of community within a safe distance.