Gordon Gow is 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. From 2003-2006 he was lecturer in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, where he was Director of the Graduate Programme in Media and Communications Regulation and Policy.
Awards, Grants, and Commissions
Kule Institute for Advanced Study (2019-2020). Research Team Grant. Community-based Leadership in Digital Media and Technology
Government of Canada, Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program. Faculty Mobility Grant (2019). Canadian-Caribbean Partnership in Support of a Joint Education and Training Initiative in Agricultural Extension
McCalla Professor (2016-2017). Joint Education and Training Initiative in Technology Stewardship and Digital Leadership
SSHRC Partnership Development Grant (2012-2015). Partnership development to explore innovative uses of low cost communication technology for knowledge mobilization in agricultural communities of practice. (Principal Investigator)
Kule Institute for Advanced Study (2011-2012). Environmentally sustainable farming practices through a technology-enhanced community of practice approach (Principal Investigator)
SSHRC Standard Research Grant (2008-2011). Emergency Alerting at Canadian Post-Secondary Educational Institutions (Principal Investigator)
International Development Research Centre (2008-2010). Real-time Biosurveillance Project: Sri Lanka and India. (Co-investigator)
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 2004 Contributions Programme, Prepaid Mobile Phones and Privacy Rights (2004-2006)
International Telecommunications Union, Strategy and Policy Unit, Privacy and Ubiquitous Network Societies Workshop (2005)
European Commission, Digital Business Ecosystem Project, Regulatory Issues Working Group (2004-2006)
Dr. Gow's research and teaching interests revolve around the social impact of digital media and technology. He has been leading collaborative research projects in digital leadership and literacy through his technology stewardship initiative with Canadian and international partners. His 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, he has longstanding interest in the field of media ecology, with a focus on the work of Marshall McLuhan, Harold Innis, and the Toronto School of Communication. Dr. Gow maintains a collection of books, recordings, and other hard to find published material by and about Canadian (Edmonton-born) communication theorist Marshall McLuhan.
I teach graduate courses on the social impact of digital communications, looking at a variety of topics including 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 with the Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the University of Alberta, where I teach INT D "Science, Innovation, and Leadership."
Dr. Gow would like to hear from graduate students interested in the social impact of communications, technology and society, digital leadership, digital outreach and engagement, political economy of communication, or media ecology.
Current and emerging issues in communications and technology will be explored with an emphasis on providing professionals with an advanced understanding of current developments in the field informed by historical and critical theoretical perspectives. Restricted to MACT students. Students may not receive credit for both EXT 505 and COMM 505. Prerequisites: COMM 502 and COMM 503 or consent of the Department.
Winter Term 2021Investigation of the nature and use of evidence and models of scientific inquiry as they apply to theory and research in leadership. Students will work in teams to conduct an interdisciplinary leadership project that involves designing an innovative solution to a collectively identified problem. Prerequisite: 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 Science]
Winter Term 2021