Communication studies internet studies social media political economy of communication community and international development
I am a Professor of Communication and Academic Director of the Master of Arts in Communications and Technology (MACT program) in the Media Technology Studies unit at the University of Alberta. Prior to joining the University of Alberta in 2006, I was a Lecturer in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics where I was Director of the Graduate Programme in Media and Communications Regulation and Policy.
My research and teaching interests revolve around the social impact of digital media and technology. I have been leading collaborative research projects in digital leadership and literacy through a technology stewardship initiative with Canadian and international partners. My expertise extends to a range of areas including communication for development; community informatics; political economy of communication; communication policy and regulation; science and technology studies.
In addition, I have a longstanding interest in the field of media ecology, with a focus on the work of Marshall McLuhan, Harold Innis, and others associated with the Toronto School of Communication. I also maintain a collection of books, recordings, and other hard-to-find published material by and about Marshall McLuhan, who was born in Edmonton.
I teach graduate courses on the social impact of digital communications, looking at a variety of topics including the social construction of technology, contemporary issues in social media, online communities, digital leadership and transformation, community informatics and ICT for Development.
I am also an Adjunct Professor in the Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the University of Alberta, where I teach a course on social innovation.
I would like to hear from graduate students interested in the social impact of communications, technology and society, digital leadership, digital outreach and engagement, the political economy of communication, or media ecology.
I am pleased to be working with the Arts Resource Centre at the University of Alberta on a new initiative using Mastodon to establish a decentralized social media infrastructure for supporting research on community-based alternatives to big tech. Please get in touch if you are interested in knowing more about it.
Advanced seminar on qualitative and quantitative approaches for conducting research in communications and technology. This course provides students with in depth study of research design and guides them in preparation for commencing their culminating project. Offered by asynchronous Internet communication. Restricted to MACT course-based students. Prerequisite: COMM 501 or consent of the department.
Fall Term 2021This course will explore complex local and global wicked problems that require interdisciplinary leadership solutions. Students will explore novel, ecological approaches to leadership to develop innovation strategies that contribute toward solving these complex problems. Pre- or corequisite: INT D 301. Counts toward the Certificate in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies offered by the School of Business in collaboration with the Peter Lougheed Leadership College. [Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences]
Winter Term 2022Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of the instructor. Note: Consult the Department for any additional prerequisites. Course may be taken more than once if topic(s) vary.
Winter Term 2022