Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture | Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS)

91��ɫ graduate students find innovative solutions to contemporary challenges

vinish — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 18:48:00 +0000

Driven by their passions, 91��ɫ graduate students materialize their innovative ideas into reality. Committed to the public good, these outstanding scholars address pressing issues of today that range from decolonizing education to solving global health crises. Keep an eye out for these change agents who will make a positive impact in academia as well as public and business sectors in our communities.

– Doctoral Student, Social & Political Thought

Jefford takes on the imperative work of decolonizing education through the funds of knowledge theory, which promotes student and community-centred participation. “The funds of knowledge works both ways, students and their communities have knowledge which is welcomed and included in the classroom learning, and the teacher can learn from students as well,” explains Jefford.

Conducting research in the Jane and Finch area, Jefford aims to support diverse students with their music learning.  She is also working on professional development with Camérise, a project that seeks to support French as a Second Language teacher retention and inclusion. This critical work has the potential to create positive change in the community by advocating for the diversity, equity and inclusion of marginalized voices.

_{Munjeera Jefford}

– Doctoral Student, Communication & Culture

Marlatt is conducting work on the lived experience of students and alumni of North American Moving Image Archival Education Programs who identify as having a disability, or chronic illness or are neurodivergent. The research covers topics of admissions, campus services, training/internships and career prospects post-graduation. Marlatt is working with programs at TMU, NYU, UCLA and The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation on the project.

“I'm really just looking at getting more disability inclusion in conversations,” shares Marlatt. “Right now, disability, chronic illness and neurodiversity are quite underrepresented in the archival field especially on the staff side and on the archivist side.”

_{Michael Marlatt}

– Doctoral Student, Gender, Feminist & Women's Studies

Nader is the editor-in-chief of Zan Times, a women-led newsroom that covers human rights violations in Afghanistan with a focus on women, LGBTQI people and environmental issues. Since August 2021, Zahra Nader has been constantly involved in covering the situation of women in Afghanistan. Nader’s research highlights a troubling absence of Afghan women in the country’s history. She emphasizes that without having this knowledge accessible, generations of Afghan women are negatively impacted, and the cycle of oppression continues.

Nader’s research was inspired by her own life experience, “Western media somehow portrayed Afghan women as a victim, but the women who are fighting daily to get their basic human rights, I don't see them as a victim I see them as a fighter.”

_{Zahra Nader}

– Doctoral Student, Nursing (now Alumni)

Ramesh Perumal's dissertation assesses the impact of mentorship and social support on the career advancement of internationally educated nurses (IEN) compared to Canada Educated Nurses. He accentuates that after graduating and obtaining their license, internationally educated nurses still have to navigate challenges in the workforce such as understanding the nuances of communication and the Healthcare System.

“The findings of my study would shed light on the value of establishing mentorship programs and social support networks and workplaces, which will actually enable internationally educated nurses to do well in the profession,” says Perumal.

_{Ramesh V Perumal}

– Doctoral Student, Psychology

Qasim's overall program of research looks at faith-based models of psychology/counselling, as well as working with immigrant and migrant (specifically Syrian refugees) communities. This innovative study investigates how Islamic faith might be used as a coping mechanism, and as a way to manage mental health, mental illness, and everyday stressors.

This community-forward research can create positive impacts both within and outside academia. The findings from the study can be used by teachers to create an Islamic psychology curriculum or mental health workbooks. Additionally, the research can help non-Muslim clinicians to better adapt their theories to make their therapies more culturally appropriate.

_{Kashmala Qasim}

– Doctoral Student, Political Science

Weldon's cutting-edge research investigates political strategies that can improve global cooperation around emerging health threats, including zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and draws lessons from global governance of other major issues such as climate change and biodiversity management. AMR is a process where medicines like antibiotics and antivirals stop working against infectious diseases. Weldon posits that the problem with AMR is that these medicines will stop working and solutions must be identified in order to conserve the existing stock of effective antimicrobials while innovating new ones to replenish that clean stock.

_{Isaac Weldon}

Professor Anne MacLennan receives 2022-2023 FGS Teaching Award

vinish — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 20:45:48 +0000

This year’s Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Teaching Award recipient is Professor Anne MacLennan from the Graduate Programs in Communication & Culture, History and Interdisciplinary Studies. The award, which is bestowed annually on a member of FGS, recognizes teaching and supervisory excellence, as well as scholarly, professional and teaching developments and initiatives in the graduate program and curriculum development.

Vice-Provost Academic, Lyndon Martin, presented the award on March 2^nd at the Faculty Council, praising MacLennan’s passion for educating. “I would like to extend my personal thanks and gratitude for your many contributions to graduate education, and in particular the excellent teaching and mentorship you have provided to our community.”

Letters of nomination applauded MacLennan’s pedagogical style, with many of her students noting her exceptional way of teaching them to push their own thinking and to work collaboratively to build ideas. The referees recalled her techniques and approaches that positively changed their relation to graduate study and enhanced their skill proficiency in various dissemination formats from grant writing to syllabus design to conference presentations, to articles, to the dissertation.

“It is wonderful to be honoured with the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Faculty Teaching Award,” shares MacLennan. “Working with our graduate students at 91��ɫ is a very rewarding experience. Their research and work makes positive changes in the world and contributes tremendously to research. I enjoy being part of their journeys!”

Also in attendance was Dean and Associate Vice-Provost Graduate, Thomas Loebel, who also commended MacLennan’s exemplary work.

_{Anne MacLennan}

“I think that the heart of Dr. MacLennan’s highly effective and award-winning teaching is that she rivals even the best of clinicians at teaching students over the course of their degrees, both from work inside and outside the classroom – which is also to say, with a wealth of scholarly material and experiential development, but also as an interlocutor anywhere – how to locate the source of their confidence as scholar-people and to build it rightly and ethically with others.”

MacLennan is teaching her 40th distinct course in 2023 and over the years has supervised more than 30 MA and 6 PhD students to completion, as well as one postdoctoral fellow. With over twenty years of experience teaching communication studies, media studies, history, methodology and other interdisciplinary topics, she helps all students in the program whenever they need support, ranging from scholarship and award applications to thesis and dissertation proposals. Moreover, when MacLennan was the GPD of Communication and Culture, she led the program’s restructuring of the curriculum to incorporate professional development opportunities into formal courses, permitting skills-based approaches to flourish while facilitating opportunities for interdisciplinary growth amongst students.

_{Zoom capture of FGS Council meeting with Vice-Provost Academic Lyndon Martin, Dean & Associate Vice-Provost Graduate Thomas Loebel and Professor Anne MacLennan}

Outside the classroom, MacLennan continues to be an inspiration to her students, contributing widely to the academic community. She has been published in many recognized journals and has given 125 presentations at conferences. Additionally, MacLennan served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Radio & Audio Media from 2017 to 2021. Her current work, a book manuscript in progress, is a study of the program listings of seven cities across Canada during the 1930s to explain the distinct element of local non-network radio and the changes across the country as national network radio is put in place in stages.

Previously, MacLennan has been awarded the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (Tenure/Tenure-Track Stream) for 2020-21 and the University-Wide Teaching Award in 2006.

MacLennan inherently represents the FGS Teaching Award's dedication to substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level at 91��ɫ.

Learn more about FGS’ Faculty Teaching Award | yorku.ca/gradstudies/faculty-staff/academic-affairs/teaching-award/