No. 480 - February 9, 2022

  • Coming Events:

    - Indigenous Data Governance and Research Ethics
    - Reflections on Black Queerness: Joy, History and Significance
    - Seeing Human Rights - Video Activism as a Proxy Profession

  • Important Dates:

    - Thursday, February 17, 2022 - Meeting of the Senate (1:30 pm)
    - Monday, February 21, 2022 - Family Day holiday (FIMS offices closed)
    - Monday, February 21, 2022 - Friday, February 25, 2022 - Spring Reading Week 

  • News & Announcements:

    - Welcoming Adriana Alas to FIMS as a postdoctoral scholar
    - In Memoriam: Carole Faber

  • Awards & Accomplishments:

    - Lauren Halsey (MLIS'16) 

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Anabel Quan-Haase
    - Charlotte Nau
    - Sharon Sliwinski
    - Luke Stark
    - Jinman Zhang

  • In the Media:

    - Erika Casupanan (BA'11)
    - Norma Coates
    - David Guignion

  • Additional Activities of Note:

    - Amanda Grzyb in conversation with Trupa Trupa's Grzegorz Kwiatkowski
    - Luke Stark in NYU's Co-Opting AI series and McGill's AI in the City symposium 

  • News from the FIMS Graduate Library:

    - Change to Library Hours
    - Working in the Knowledge Management Field: A Discussion with Sarah Morrison (Monday, March 7)
    - Textures of Your Pandemic Experience: a FIMS Graduate Community Zine Project (Wednesday, March 2)

  • News from Western Libraries:

    - Western's OER Grant Program - Apply now!

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events


Indigenous Data Governance and Research Ethics
Friday, February 11, 2022
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Zoom
Presented by Jennifer Walker, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health, Laurentian University, as part of the 2021/2022 Sociology Colloquium Series by the Department of Sociology and co-sponsored by the Department of Indigenous Studies.
This event is open to the public. RSVP to socevent@uwo.ca for the Zoom link.
Abstract: Indigenous Peoples have the right to control the collection, ownership, dissemination and use of their data. This includes the right to utilize Indigenous data in ways that are reflective and respectful of Indigenous worldviews and research paradigms. By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to consider Indigenous perspectives and the impact of colonization on Indigenous Peoples’ health, describe key Indigenous data governance principles to support Indigenous research practices, and highlight examples of ethical research relationships with Indigenous partners.
Speaker Bio: Jennifer Walker is a Haudenosaunee member of Six Nations of the Grand River with a Ph.D in Community Health Services (Epidemiology) from the University of Calgary. She is an Associate Professor at McMaster University in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, & Impact. Dr. Walker’s work focuses largely on Indigenous community-engaged health research using large health services databases through her work as a Core Scientist and Indigenous Health Lead at ICES in Ontario and through the Health Data Research Network Canada.

Reflections on Black Queerness: Joy, History and Significance
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Zoom (by registration)
Presented by Marisa Rosa Grant as part of Western's Black History Month Speaker Series. Co-hosted by FIMS and the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
All are welcome to attend. Register here.
Abstract: Western's EDI Office and the Faculty of Information and Media Studies are thrilled to share Performer Marisa Rosa Grant with our campus and community. Black queer joy and liberation are pivotal pieces of black History. Grant will share their personal stories of blackness and queerness along with the stories of black queer pioneers that have paved the way. 
Speaker Bio: Grant is an event planner focused on creating spaces for Black queer and trans folks. They are the founder and creator of, STRAPPED, Pour Choices: A Queer Wine tour, Strapped House, and many more events to come. Aside from hosting show-stopping events, Grant is also a workshop facilitator and events consultant. Their goal is to always make spaces inclusive to queer people of colour.

Seeing Human Rights - Video Activism as a Proxy Profession
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Zoom
Presented by FIMS Guest Speaker Sandra Ristovska, Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder.
Everyone is welcome. To register, contact Karen Kueneman at kueneman@uwo.ca.
Synopsis: As video becomes an important tool to expose injustice, Seeing Human Rights (MIT Press, 2021) examines how human rights organizations seek to professionalize video activism through video production, verification standards, and training. The result, it argues, is a proxy profession that helps legitimize video’s potential to serve distinct policy functions while brokering human rights voices in journalism, the law, and political advocacy.
Speaker Bio: Sandra Ristovska is Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the College of Media, Communication, and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research, informed by her experiences as a documentary filmmaker, focuses on the interplay between images and human rights, particularly in institutional and legal contexts (continue reading).


Important Dates


- Thursday, February 17, 2022 - Meeting of the Senate (1:30 pm)
- Monday, February 21, 2022 - Family Day holiday (FIMS offices closed)
- Monday, February 21, 2022 - Friday, February 25, 2022 - Spring Reading Week 


News & Announcements


Welcoming Adriana Alas to FIMS as a postdoctoral scholar
Adriana Alas (El Colegio de Michoacán in Mexico) will begin a multi-year appointment as a postdoctoral scholar at Western University in March 2022, working collaboratively with Associate Professor Amanda Grzyb and the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador team. For more on Alas and her research, read the FIMS news piece "Researcher from El Salvador to join FIMS as Postdoctoral Scholar" published on February 7, 2022. 

In Memoriam: Carole Faber
The FIMS community was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emerita Carole Farber, a cherished colleague and a founding member of the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. Her important contributions to curriculum, research, and interdisciplinary scholarship within FIMS, which remain seen today, are detailed here. 


Awards & Accomplishments


Lauren Halsey (MLIS'16) was featured in the City of Thunder Bay's Employee Spotlight for her work during the pandemic and as an associate archivist in the city's Archives, Records & Privacy Department. Read "Feature employee spotlight: Lauren Halsey" here. 


Publications & Presentations


Professor Anabel Quan-Haase and Media Studies PhD students Charlotte Nau and Jinman Zhang co-published the following article:
Nau, C., Zhang, J., Quan-Haase, A. & Mendes, K. (2022). Vernacular practices in digital feminist activism on Twitter: Deconstructing affect and emotion in the #MeToo movement. Feminist Media Studies, 22(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2022.2027496 

Assistant Professor Luke Stark published the following article in a special issue (Technology Ethics in Action: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives) of the Journal of Social Computing:
L, Stark. (2021). Apologos: A Lightweight Design Method for Sociotechnical Inquiry. Journal of Social Computing, 2(4), 297-308. doi: 10.23919/JSC.2021.0028.

Professor Sharon Sliwinski published the following article in a special issue of Journalism:
Sliwinski, S. (2022). The acoustics of civil resistance: Summoning the spirit of the law with a smartphone. Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849211060606 


In the Media


MIT graduate Erika Casupanan (BA'11) was profiled in the Western Gazette article, "Western alumna Erika Casupanan wins Survivor" for her reality show win, published on January 27, 2022. 

Associate Professor Norma Coates was interviewed about the controversy surrounding Spotify by CBC Afternoon Drive on February 7, 2022, "Spotify and Joe Rogan vs. Neil Young," and CHED Mid-Morning on February 8, 2022, "Musicians boycotting Spotify and why the effort may be missing the mark."

Media Studies PhD candidate David Guignion discussed misinformation as it relates to the trucking convoy movement by CBC London Morning on January 28, 2022, "What motivates pandemic protesters?, "The Tom McConnell Show on January 28, 2022, and CBC News: The National on January 30, 2022, "What’s driving the protest convoy, and will it change anything?" 


Additional Activities of Note


Amanda Grzyb in conversation with Trupa Trupa's Grzegorz Kwiatkowski
Associate Professor Amanda Grzyb co-hosted a conversation with Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, "Confronting Hate: Artistic Responses to History, Genocide and Rising-Right Wing Nationalism" with City Lights Bookshop in London, Ontario on January 26, 2022. Kwiatkowski is a Polish poet, musician, and lead singer of the internationally acclaimed art-rock band Trupa Trupa. The recording of the conversation can be watched here. 

Luke Stark in NYU's Co-Opting AI series and McGill's AI in the City symposium 
Assistant Professor Luke Stark participated in a panel discussion on February 3, 2022 as part of the Co-Opting AI: Public Conversations About Design, Inequality, and Technology series, hosted by New York University’s Institute for Public Knowledge (IPK) on the topic of "Personality." A recording of the event can be watched here. 

Stark will also participate in a panel on Public Trust and AI at a symposium on AI in the City: Building Civic Engagement and Public Trust on February 10, 2022, hosted by McGill University’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Montréal. This conference is open to the public. For more information, visit the symposium site here.


News from the FIMS Graduate Library


Change to Library Hours
Based on your feedback, we are increasing the number of open library hours, as well as opening the meeting rooms. The library is now open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and meeting rooms are open for single occupancy use during open hours. Our Virtual Service Desk will still run from 10am to 2pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you have any questions or your needs fall outside of these hours, please contact us at fimslib@uwo.ca.

Working in the Knowledge Management Field: A Discussion with Sarah Morrison
Monday, March 7, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Join us for a discussion with Sarah Morrison, a graduate of FIMS' MLIS program, as she talks about her experiences working in the knowledge management (KM) field and the practical application of KM concepts. Sarah will also share her tips on finding employment within the field. New to KMt? No problem! All are welcome to learn more about what the field entails and the opportunities available within it.

Email fimslib@uwo.ca to register and to submit questions that you’d like Sarah to address in the workshop. A Zoom link will be sent to you before the event.

Textures of Your Pandemic Experience: a FIMS Graduate Community Zine Project
Wednesday, March 2, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Join us to create a collaborative zine which captures our experiences as we’re moving through these times. The theme can be interpreted as the texture of your space, your mind, the world, whatever it has meant to feel your way through existence during this pandemic. An initial workshop will be held to jumpstart the project on the above date. The workshop will cover a short history and introduction to zines and provide resources for the creation of your own pages. It’ll be followed by sessions where everyone can create together (dates to come).

Email fimslib@uwo.ca to register for this workshop. A Zoom link will be sent to you before the event.


News from Western Libraries


Western's OER Grant Program - Apply now!
Western Libraries, in partnership with the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Information Technology Resource Centre (ITRC) and Western Research’s Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, is excited to announce that applications are now open for the Open Educational Resources Grant and Support Program. Apply now here.

What is it? Instructors who want to create, adapt, or adopt an open educational resource (OER) for use in one or more courses in 2023-24 can now apply for up to $7,500 in grant funding plus in-kind supports.
Who can apply? Western instructors, including instructors of co-curricular learning opportunities.
What's the deadline? March 13 at 11:59 pm. EST.

For more information about the OER Grant and Support Program and the application process, sign up for the information session on February 22 at 1:30 pm.
Interested applicants who need help identifying open educational resources prior to completing an application can also attend our workshop on Finding and Evaluating OER on February 24 at 1:30 pm.

Questions? Email the Research and Scholarly Communication team for assistance.


Next Issue


The Grad Bulletin is your source for news, announcements, and events pertaining to FIMS graduate programs. Submissions from the FIMS community are always welcome and may be sent via e-mail to fims-communications@uwo.ca.

The next issue of the Grad Bulletin will be published on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. The deadline for submissions is noon on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.