No. 543 - November 19, 2025

  • Coming Events:

    - A Street Sign as Lightning Rod for Black History: Plantation Road, London, Canada
    - How Right-Wing Populism Came to Canada: Lessons for Journalism in the Rise of the Freedom Convoy
    - Vulnerbro: Documenting the Tender Edges of Masculinity
    - FIMS TA Pizza & Pedagogy - Mental Health
    - Master of Media in Journalism & Communication Open House
    - Beyond the Interface: AI Chatbots, Informal Care, and Digital Health Risks in the Western Balkans
    - FIMS Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy - Drop-In Session 
    - Notes From The Minefield - Andrew Lewis Solo Exhibition
    - Dying for Something: Notes for the Study of Modern Martyrdom in an Authoritarian Age
    - Save the Date: FIMS Faculty Lunch & Learn - "Our Pedagogy in the Age of AI"

  • Important Dates:

    - Thursday, November 20, 2025 - Board of Governors (10 AM - 12 PM, WIRB)
    - Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - Western's Winter Market 2025 (10 AM - 6 PM, Schmeichel Building)

  • News & Announcements:

    - ELIP submissions now open
    - Nominations open for Spirit of Librarianship and Fantastic FIMS awards

  • Awards & Accomplishments:

    - Danica Facca
    - Yetunde Owolabi
    - Niel Scobie
    - Meghan Voll

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Alanna Acchione
    - Daniel Arauz Nunez
    - Alissa Centivany
    - Giada Ferrucci
    - Erin Isings
    - Joanna Redden
    - Sarah E.K. Smith
    - Aditi Vashistha
    - Andre Wolmer de Melo

  • In the Media:

    - Hannah Alper (BA'25, MACS)
    - Sarah Cornwell (PhD'25, LIS)
    - Dena Haile
    - Selma Purac
    - Anabel Quan-Haase
    - Sarah E.K. Smith
    - Vanessa Trocchi (MHIS'24)

  • News from the FIMS Grad Library:

    - New Book Highlights
    - Upcoming Events at the Library
    - Make of the Month

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events

A Street Sign as Lightning Rod for Black History: Plantation Road, London, Canada
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
12:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Attend in person: FNB 4130
Attend online: Register on Zoom
Presented by Basil Chiasson as part of the FIMS Seminar Series 2025/26.
Abstract: This presentation examines the street sign as an example of media in public space whose mnemonic power establishes conditions for struggles over the meaning of the past and the impact of the past on the present. A street named Plantation Road in the suburb of London, Ontario known as Oakridge has become a contested site in recent years after several Londoners have created online petitions to change the name (read more).

How Right-Wing Populism Came to Canada: Lessons for Journalism in the Rise of the Freedom Convoy
Thursday, November 20, 2025
4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Attend in person: FNB 4130
Attend online: Zoom link
Presented by Media Studies PhD candidate Alanna Acchione as part of the 2025/26 Mediations Lecture Series.
Abstract: In December of 2021, some hard right wing activists used social media to organize a demonstration in Ottawa against vaccine mandates, less than 100 participants showed up, and it was ignored. A month later, some of the same individuals helped organize what would become known as the "Freedom Convoy," which became a major news story and transformed Canadian politics. What had changed? There is no evidence that the politics of the organizers had suddenly gained more adherents (read more).

Vulnerbro: Documenting the Tender Edges of Masculinity
Thursday, November 20, 2025
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Central Library, 251 Dundas St.
Presented by Treena Orchard, Western University, as part of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy's Connecting Research to the Public Good: 2025 Annual Fall Lecture Series (co-organized by Alissa Centivany).
Description: This talk traces the emergence of Dr. Orchard‘s sexual and cultural interest in men as partners, figures to learn from, and fascinating literary fodder. Specifically, it unpacks the rhizomic connections about men and masculinity between her previous book about dating apps and what she is discovering about men, dating, and masculinity, as she gathers data for her new book called Vulnerbro (read more).

TA Pizza & Pedagogy - Mental Health
Wednesday, November 26
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Attend in person: FNB 4130 (Register)
Attend online: for Zoom link, check your Western email or contact spurac2@uwo.ca 
FIMS TAs are invited to grab a slice and a seat to talk about navigating mental health issues both as a student and as a TA. Want some tips? Have questions? Join us! Attendance of this session counts towards the FIMS TA Professionalization Program.

Master of Media in Journalism & Communication Open House
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Attend in person: FNB 3050
Attend online: Zoom link
Description: Undergraduate students from across campus are invited to attend the MMJC Open House to learn more about the program and where it can take you. Learn about Canada's most innovative communications and journalism master's program from faculty, staff and current students.

Beyond the Interface: AI Chatbots, Informal Care, and Digital Health Risks in the Western Balkans
Thursday, November 27, 2025
4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Attend in person: FNB 4130
Attend online: Zoom link
Presented by Melihate Limani, PhD student in Health Information Science, as part of the FIMS Mediations Lecture Series 2025/26. All are welcome.
Abstract: AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT are increasingly used to access medical advice. In the Western Balkans, a region marked by high rates of selfmedication, low trust in health institutions, and limited digital health literacy, these tools are becoming available without clear safeguards (read more).

Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy Drop-In Session
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
4th Floor Lunchroom
FIMS faculty are invited to ring in the winter by talking about teaching! The goal is to offer a relaxed space for colleagues to connect over coffee and pastries while discussing teaching strategies, exploring classroom challenges, and sharing what's been working. Seeking advice? Unsure about an assessment? Excited by a new strategy you're trying out? Looking to exchange ideas? Or, maybe you just want to caffeinate while chatting about teaching? Please drop by! This is the final drop-in of 2025 but sessions will resume in the new year. 

Notes From The Minefield - Andrew Lewis Solo Exhibition Opening Reception
December 4, 2025
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
TAP Centre for Creativity (203 Dundas St)
Notes From The Mindfield presents a new series of artworks by FIMS instructor Andrew Lewis that explores the psychological and social effects on our current era—an era that is simultaneously affected by the wake of the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence. The series reflects the artist's unfolding observations and evolving ideas around the complexity of today's shifting mental and societal landscape. The exhibition will present over 250 drawings, paintings, sculptures and wearables from the new 2025 series. The exhibit runs until January 10, 2026.

Dying for Something: Notes for the Study of Modern Martyrdom in an Authoritarian Age
Friday, December 5, 2025
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Kresge Building, K106
Presented by Marisol López Menéndez, New School for Social Research, Iberoamerican University, Mexico City. 
Co-sponsored by the FIMS Rogers Chair and the Centre for Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction (as part of their speaker series), the Department of Languages and Cultures, the Department of Sociology, and the Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism.

Save the Date: FIMS Faculty Lunch & Learn - "Our Pedagogy in the Age of AI"
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Stay tuned for full details (TBA).


Important Dates

- Thursday, November 20, 2025 - Board of Governors (10 AM - 12 PM, WIRB)
- Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - Western's Winter Market 2025 (10 AM - 6 PM, Schmeichel Building)


News & Announcements

ELIP submissions now open
The Emerging Library and Information Perspective (ELIP) — Western’s student-run, peer-reviewed journal will accept submissions from November 15 to December 19 and be open to all LIS Graduate students, as well as alumni who have received their degrees within the last three years. This year, we are introducing the theme: “Unquiet Stacks: Refusal, Resistance, and Radical Futures”

Libraries and information work are caught in the crosscurrents of change: political pressure, new technologies, growing inequities, and renewed calls for Justice. This issue is about the friction between what is and what could be – those moments when we choose not to stay quiet. We can’t wait to shape this next collection with you!

Nominations open for Spirit of Librarianship and Fantastic FIMS awards
Nominations for the Spirit of Librarianship and Fantastic FIMS awards, presented by the MLISSC each term, are now open. You have until November 30 at midnight to submit nominations for these awards. To nominate someone, reply to the email you received in your Western email account. To view previous winners visit the web pages for the Spirit of Librarianship and Fantastic FIMS awards.


Awards & Accomplishments

Health Information Science PhD candidate Danica Facca successfully defended her thesis titled Markets, Menstruation, and Margins: Interdisciplinary Explorations of Femtech and Menstrual Justice with Trans and Nonbinary People in Canada and the United States, on November 6.

HIS PhD student Yetunde Owolabi has been selected for this year's Western Black Leadership University Experience (Western B.L.U.E.) Program, recognizing her leadership skills and commitment to equity-driven community engagement.

Media Studies PhD candidate Niel Scobie defended his thesis titled Mapping Diasporic Flows: The Development of Toronto's Early Rap Music Scene: 1979-89, on November 10.

Media Studies PhD candidate Meghan Voll was selected to be featured in the Inspiring Minds graduate student research showcase, based on her submission titled "Relations Not Relationships: Connecting Value and Values on Mobile Dating Apps." Students who are featured in the showcase also receive original artwork related to their research which can be seen on the profile page. Featured students are selected randomly, and all FIMS submissions are included in the Inspiring Minds collection in Scholarship@Western.


Publications & Presentations

Hannah Alper (BA'25, MACS) authored an article titled, "Why Gen Z is Addicted to Location Sharing," published in Maclean's on November 3.

LIS PhD candidate Daniel Arauz Nunez attended the Inaugural Media Theory Conference at The Centre for Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto on Nov 7-8. He presented his paper, "Adolph Jonas and the Nervous System: Understanding of Early Media Studies Through the Hypersensitive Subject."

Assistant Professor Alissa Centivany and Associate Professor Joanna Redden, on behalf of the Starling Centre, co-hosted a full-day "Workshop on Canadian AI Governance" in Ottawa on November 18. Alanna Acchione (Media Studies PhD) and Aditi Vashistha (LIS PhD) also presented at the workshop.

Additionally, Professor Centivany presented as part of a panel on "Research and Policy," hosted by the Rotman Institute on November 13.

Lastly, Centivany presented "A Call for Punk Pragmatism in Canadian AI Governance" at the CIFAR Taiwan Canada Frontiers of Science Symposium, Banff, AB, October 26-29, 2025.

FIMS Postdoctoral Associate Giada Ferrucci was invited to present a paper titled "Remembering to Resist: The Role of Memory Work in Political Mobilization and Solidarity Movements" for the “Memory and social movements in democratic crises Conference” - Scuola Normale Superiore on November 13-14, 2025 in Florence, Italy. 

Assistant Professor Erin Isings co-authored an article titled "From nerve-racking to welcome: How mindfulness helps people engage with feedback to improve," published in The Conversation on November 5.

The Walrus published an excerpt of Associate Professor Sarah E.K. Smith's most recent book (Trading on Art) in an article titled "The Wild Protest Art That Free Trade Inspired," on November 6.

Media Studies PhD candidate Andre Wolmer de Melo co-authored a paper titled "Climate justice in the Amazon: analysis of Instituto Socioambiental communication as COP30 approaches," in organicom in November. Abstract: The 30th COP, held in Belém in 2025, has brought new impetus to the discussion on climate justice in the Amazon and Brazil. COP will need to identify solutions that benefit segments of the world’s population that suffer the impacts of extreme events. This article analyzes, through the communication practices of ISA, an NGO with over 30 years of experience, how the perspective of climate justice can be incorporated into communication about the Amazon. 


In the Media

Hannah Alper (BA'25, MACS) was a guest on The Last Show with David Cooper podcast for an episode titled "Hannah Alper: Why Gen Z Location Shares," which aired on November 6.

Sarah Cornwell (PhD'25, LIS) is quoted in an article titled "Anabada market shows sustainability doesn't have to be expensive," published in the Gazette on November 14.

HIS Coordinator Dena Haile was featured in an article about ongoing research titled, "Western researchers explore how to boost brainpower without moving a muscle," published in Western News on November 10.

Assistant Professor Selma Purac is quoted in an article titled "How Toy Promotions Took Over '80s Cartoons," published by History.com on October 24.

Professor Anabel Quan-Haase and Vanessa Trocchi (MHIS'24) were featured as experts on an episode of TVO Today's Big if True, titled "PCOS Misinformation," which aired on November 16. The information they discussed was based on master's research done by Vanessa when she was an MHIS student.

Professor Quan-Haase also provided expert insight for an article titled "How to nurture your long-distance friendships," published in the Globe and Mail on November 9.

Lastly, Quan-Haase spoke with Marcia Young on CBC Listen's Just Asking on November 15, providing expertise for a segment titled "Advice on long-distance relationships (and friendships!)."

Associate Professor Sarah E.K. Smith and her research were discussed in an article titled "Cultural Diplomacy for Ontario: New Horizons," published in Open Canada on November 7. The article provides a discussion of cultural diplomacy research and recap of the discussion Professor Smith participated in hosted by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on 16 September 2025. The event was organized, in part, by Western University.


News from the FIMS Grad Library

New Book Highlights

This highlight features some of the new books available at the FIMS Graduate Library. Special thanks to Student Library Assistant, Michaela McBryde, for their work in compiling this list.

Check out the new books here: https://lib.fims.uwo.ca/2025/11/14/new-book-highlights-fall-2025/ 

Upcoming Events at the Library

The FGL hosts workshops, lectures, and community events each term to support graduate teaching, learning, and research. Events are posted to our website (https://lib.fims.uwo.ca/events/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fimsgradlib/)

Fall into Reading with Judith Butler

Fall is here, the perfect season to get cozy with a good book. And what better way to begin than by diving into the timely work of Judith Butler, one of the most influential thinkers of our time!

Join us for the first FIMS Grad Library Book Club event where we read and discuss a single (and short!) chapter from Butler’s latest book, Who’s Afraid of Gender?

Reading: Chapter 3 – Contemporary Attacks on Gender in the United States: Censorship and Rights-Stripping (pp. 93–111), in Butler, J. (2024). Who’s Afraid of Gender?

The reading is available as an eBook through OMNI, and printed copies are also available for pick-up at the FIMS Grad Library for those who prefer reading on paper.

This session invites open conversation about the real-world consequences of anti-gender censorship. In this one-hour discussion, we will explore together:

  • How “gender” became politicized as “ideology”
  • The rise of anti-gender rhetoric in the U.S. education system
  • How censorship and legislation framed around “gender ideology” impact youth and their learning and health

Everyone is welcome whether you identify as queer, a person of colour, an educator, a student, or simply someone who believes in LGBTQIA+ rights, social justice, youth empowerment, and intellectual freedom.

Come read, share and connect! We’re excited to hear your questions, ideas, and thoughts. Together, we’ll make this book club into a space where everyone’s voice matters and solidarity grows.

Thursday, November 27, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm
FIMS Grad Library, Reading Room

Year-End Game Night @ FIMS Graduate Library

Winter is here—and we’ve got the perfect cure for the cold-weather blues: a cozy night of games, pizza, and good company.
🎲 Board Games
From Settlers of Catan to Monopoly to classic card games, we’ve got something for everyone. Feel free to bring your own favourites too!
🎮Video Games
Chill out in the FIMS Media Lounge with a mix of modern and retro video games.
🏁 Mario Kart Tournament @ 6 PM
Race for the win and take home a trophy + fun prizes! No experience needed, just bring your competitive spirit!

🍕 Free Pizza, Snacks & Soda
To help us order enough, please RSVP to fimslib@uwo.ca if you’re planning to attend.
Open to all FIMS faculty, students and staff.

Wednesday, December 3, 2025
5:00pm-8:00pm
FIMS Grad Library

Tetris Highscore Leaderboard: October 24 – November 21

Think you've got what it takes to top the leaderboard? From October 24 to November 21, drop by the FGL media lounge to play Tetris and log your highest scores on the leaderboard. It’s a low-pressure, high-fun competition where the top three players will walk away with prizes. Whether you're a seasoned player or just learning the ropes, we invite you to join in the fun!

FGL Lunch Hour Movies & Television

Every Tuesday and Friday at noon from now until December, the FIMS Graduate Library is screening films in the media lounge. Showing soon:

Friday, November 21 @ 12pm, 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Tuesday, November 25 @ 12pm, Inside Out (2015)
Friday, November 28 @ 12pm, Good Will Hunting (1998)
Tuesday, December 2 @ 12pm, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Make of the Month – November – 3D Printing

3D printing is an increasingly common feature in public and academic libraries, supporting everything from creative programming to hands-on learning. This month’s Make of the Month is a chance to gain practical experience with this versatile technology.

As future library professionals, understanding how 3D printing works, and how to guide others in using it, can be an asset in your career. But it’s also just plain cool. If you need some inspiration, check out thingiverse.com for ideas on what to print.

Drop in anytime during November to explore the process, ask questions, and create your own small print. All materials are provided.


Next Issue


The FIMS 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 final Fall 2025 issue of the FIMS Bulletin will be published on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Please submit any items by noon on Tuesday, December 2.