Monsters, Monsters Everywhere - Lessons in Popular Culture Continued
Not surprisingly, one of my favourite topics in Popular Culture is monsters, and in particular zombies. Zombies are everywhere - Netflix, movie theatres, video games, books, comics. I even watched The Cured, a 2017 Irish horror film about reintegrating zombies into society after a plague swept across Europe, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this week while I was in self-isolation… during a global, viral pandemic… that has swept its way across several continents… um, sh*t didn’t that happen in World War Z? Or was it I Am Legend? Or The Walking Dead?
Just kidding! But the similarities are eery, don’t you think? Read on for more…
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Lessons in Popular Culture Continued - What We Learn From Romantic Comedies
Ready to learn how to date? What to look to for in a partner? Or how to keep a man happy? Ames & Burcon (2016) argue that we learn this from romantic comedies, which have increasingly moved towards and embraced their place in the world of self-help.
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Just the Right "Temperature": Measuring the Success of Dancehall Icon Sean Paul
A few weeks ago, I presented some of my ongoing research at the the 15th Annual Communication Graduate Caucus (CGC) Conference at Carleton University. Under the theme of “Beyond Boundaries”, the conference sought to explore the ways that communication and media cross social, political, technical, and cultural boundaries. My research project advocates for a move beyond the purely quantitative metrics for assessing success in the music industry, and considered the longevity of Sean Paul’s career, his performances, his collaborations, the frequency with which he releases new songs, his lyrical relevance, his social media following and interventions, and his general recognizability. My presentation at the CGC Conference focused on one aspect of this research project - Sean Paul’s collaborations.
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Taking an Entrepreneurial Approach to your Academic and Professional Career
The workshop, “Taking an entrepreneurial approach to your academic and professional career” , aimed to get participants thinking about how to differentiate themselves in today’s workforce - whether it be as graduate students, academics, or future communications professionals. With countless online and offline options for networking, a pressing concern in the workforce about underemployment and a lack of job opportunities for Ph.D students, it’s not surprising that this topic has also been addressed recently by the University of Ottawa’s Graduate Students’ Association (GSAED) - see below - and was highlighted at the APTPUO’s (in)visible conference last Fall on a Panel entitled “PhD Students Confront a Challenging Future”.
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Human Connection & Health - A Workshop
Health and human connection go hand-in-hand – whether connecting with your body, with others or with yourself. This workshop, delivered during the University of Ottawa’s Wellness Week in January 2020, develops a better understanding how health and physical activity can be integrated with our goals, our relationships and our overall mindset
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