No. 548 - March 4, 2026

  • Coming Events:

    - In Conversation with: Sarah E.K. Smith
    - The Telenovela Archives: Screening of 'Central Station'
    - Whose 'Evidence' Counts? Practicing Knowledge Justice through Citation
    - 9/11, COVID, and the ICE-Age: Reflections on 21st Century Border Security
    - AI is a morbid symptom of interregnum
    - FIMS Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy Drop-In
    - Hot Topics: Smouldering Scholarship in FIMS
    - FIMS TA Pizza & Pedagogy

  • Important Dates:

    - Friday, March 13, 2026 - Meeting of the Senate (Great Hall, 1:30 PM)
    - Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, 2026 - March Break (Ontario public school system)

  • News & Announcements:

    - LIS students invited to Accessible Reading Symposium

  • Awards & Accomplishments:

    - Amanda Grzyb
    - Tracy Moore (MA'00, Journalism)
    - Lilian Nguyen (MLIS'26)

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Anabel Quan-Haase
    - Sananda Sahoo
    - Anita Slominska (PhD'22, HIS)
    - Jinman Zhang (PhD'24, Media Studies)

  • In the Media:

    - Katie Esmonde
    - Amanda Grzyb
    - Keir Keightley

  • Activities of Note:

    - Juan Andrés Bello

  • News from the FIMS Grad Library:

    - Upcoming Events at the Library
    - Make of the Month

  • News from Western Libraries:

    - Upcoming Research Skills Workshops

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events

In Conversation with... Sarah E.K. Smith
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Scholars Lab, Weldon Library (ground floor)
Everyone is welcome, no registration required. Hosted by Western Libraries.
Associate Professor Sarah Smith will feature first in this series of conversation with faculty discussing their latest books. Professor Smith will be discussing her most recent book, Trading on Art: Cultural Diplomacy and Free Trade in North America.

The Telenovela Archives: Screening of 'Central Station'
Saturday, March 7, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
FIMS & Nursing Building
Register now.
Tour of the Telenovela Archives Exhibition begins at 6:00 p.m. with the screening at 7:00 p.m.
Description: This is a great moment for Brazilian cinema, with back-to-back nominations for the Oscars: last year, ‘I’m Still Here’ won the award to Best International film, and this year ‘The Secret Agent’ is a big contender in several categories, including Best Picture. As a tribute to Brazilian cinema, we’re presenting a screening of ‘Central Station’ a very successful and influential film, which won several awards a few years ago (Golden Globes, BAFTA, LA Film Critics Association, among others), and was also nominated for the Oscars. Fernanda Montenegro, who plays the main role, is one of the pioneers of Brazilian cinema and television.

The screening is presented as part of 'The Telenovela Archives', a travelling exhibition on the history of Latin American TV series that in currently on view at Western University.

Whose 'Evidence' Counts? Practicing Knowledge Justice through Citation
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Online
This session qualifies as a Future Prof credit towards the Western Certificate in University Teaching & Learning.
Description: This workshop invites researchers to critically reflect on how citation and referencing practices can perpetuate systemic oppression and epistemic injustice. Throughout, we will examine the political nature of citation, including how it shapes authority, reinforces social inequalities, and determines whose knowledge is recognized or erased. Drawing on concepts of knowledge justice, we'll explore how citations can silence, marginalize, or eliminate diverse ways of knowing, and consider how these choices shape the future of scholarship (continue reading). 

9/11, COVID, and the ICE-Age: Reflections on 21st Century Border Security
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Scholar's Lab, Weldon Library
Presented by Professor Ben Muller, King's University College. Hosted as part of the Starling Centre Speaker Series.
Description: In this talk, Ben Muller asks: How has the escalated reliance on biometrics, apps, and digital technologies altered the management of borders and the bodies that cross them? What does it mean to say we live in a biometric state? How are borders more visceral and deadly, while also virtual? How do we understand the contention that contemporary border security is algorithmic (continue reading)?

AI is a morbid symptom of the interregnum
Friday, March 20, 2026
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom Webinar
Register now.
Presented by Dan McQuillan, Senior Lecturer in Critical AI at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Co-hosted by the Starling Centre for Just Technologies and Just Societies and the FIMS Rogers Chair.
Abstract: Let us begin from the contradiction that is AI. What does it mean that a technology which is functionally incapable of delivering on its claims continues to be the site of massive financial and strategic investment? This question can be fruitfully answered by treating AI as a diagnostic whose failings shed a light on underlying structural transformations (continue reading).

FIMS Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy Drop-In
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
4th Floor Lunchroom
Please join us for the final Winter 2026 FIMS Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy drop-in session! Through the year, we've been holding these casual, drop-in morning sessions designed to get us talking about teaching - and they've gone really well: connecting colleagues and kick-starting conversations about teaching strategies. Over coffee and pastries, we chat about classroom challenges and share 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? Swing by and let us know how the term went.

Hot Topics: Smouldering Scholarship in FIMS
Friday, March 27, 2026
Time TBA
Location TBA
Join FIMS graduate students in all disciplines as they present hot topics: the simmering, smouldering, or downright scorching issues faced at the intersection of media studies, library and information science, and health information science. The conference will provide a window into work that aims to address, redress, or reshape the landscape of our information environments. Stay tuned for more details to come.

FIMS TA Pizza and Pedagogy - Professionalization
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
FNB 4110. Please RSVP
FIMS TAs are invited to grab a slice and a seat to talk about professionalization. Want some tips? Have questions? Join us! Attendance of this session counts towards the FIMS TA Professionalization Program.


Important Dates

- Friday, March 13, 2026 - Meeting of the Senate (Great Hall, 1:30 PM)
- Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, 2026 - March Break (Ontario public school system)


News & Announcements

LIS students invited to attend Accessible Reading Symposium
FIMS library students are invited to attend the Accessible Reading Symposium, a free, virtual, bilingual, two-day event on March 11 and 12. The event is designed to help library staff (present and future) and readers with print disabilities learn about accessible reading in Canada. The symposium will feature presentations and demonstrations. Visit their website for more information and to register.


Awards & Accomplishments

Professor Amanda Grzyb was among 30 people who were newly appointed to the Order of Ontario by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on February 17, 2026. Professor Grzyb's work as a leading genocide scholar, including her work on the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project and her collaboration with Holocaust survivor Max Eisen to write his memoir, are cited as factors leading to her appointment. Beyond scholarly contributions, "Professor Grzyb advances social justice through education, homelessness initiatives and mentorship in ethical, community-based research."

Tracy Moore, MA'00 (Journalism) was also named to the Order of Ontario in recognition of her career as "a celebrated Canadian broadcaster and advocate, renowned for her powerful voice on equity and inclusion." Moore is currently a host and producer for CityTV in Toronto, an co-created the award-winning Ending Racism: What Will it Take? 

Lilian Nguyen (MLIS'26) has received the Vickery Bowles Award for Intellectual Freedom for her submission "Upholding the Right to Read: Policy Responses to Book Banning in Canadian Libraries." The award is given by the Canadian Urban Libraries Council to recognize an MLIS student who "demonstrates knowledge, commitment, and passion to upholding democractic values and intellectual freemdon within public libraries." Lilian received her award over Freedom to Read Week (Feb 22-28, 2026).


Publications & Presentations

Professor Anabel Quan-Haase and Jinman Zhang (PhD'24, Media Studies) published the following article:

Zhang, J., & Quan-Haase, A. (2026). Digital Resilience in Social Media Feminist Activism: Reactance Theory Applied to Weibo and Zhihu. Media and Communication, 14, Article 11402. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.11402

FIMS Postdoctoral Associate Sananda Sahoo published the following chapter:

Sahoo, S. (2026). A Critical Political Economy of Campaign Deepfakes in Indian Elections. In: Raghunath, P. (ed) Critical Political Economy and Southern Approaches to AI. Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-14090-6_4

Anita Slominska (PhD'22, HIS) published her doctoral dissertation as a new book titled Other Endings: Organ Transplantation and the Burdens of Hope (McGill-Queen's University Press). The original dissertation, supervised by Professor Susan Knabe, is titled The Hepatic Happening: Confronting Waitlist Death in Liver Transplantation and is a narrative-based investigation of waitlist death that draws on Anita's own experience losing her sister to liver disease over 20 years ago.


In the Media

Assistant Professor Katie Esmonde was a guest on CBC Radio's London Morning with Andrew Brown on February 23 for a segment titled "How Olympic hockey brings people together."

Professor Amanda Grzyb was included in an article titled "Seven Western alumni, one prof appointed to Order of Ontario," published by Western News on February 18. Professor Grzyb was also a guest on CBC Radio's London Morning with Andrew Brown for a segment titled "Western prof receives Order of Ontario for global community action" on February 19 to discuss her appointment and the work it recognizes.

Associate Professor Keir Keightley was interviewed on CBC Radio Noon Quebec on March 3 for a segment titled "What is Rock and Roll? And who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame?" 


Activities of Note

Assistant Professor Juan Andrés Bello will teach a workshop on Visual Research for Documentaries at LIFT (Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto) on March 24 and 26. Register to participate.


News from the FIMS Grad Library

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/)

Board Game Night at the Library

Graduate students, faculty and staff are invited to unwind and connect over an evening of board games at the library. Enjoy a variety of classic and modern games, along with pizza and refreshments. Please RSVP by email fimslib@uwo.ca.

Thursday, March 5, 2026
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
FIMS Graduate Library

ELIP Zine Workshop

ELIP is hosting a zine workshop! As part of Volume 8: Unquiet Stacks, ELIP authors and all other FIMS students are invited to create a zine. All materials will be provided. There will be two sessions; please come to either or both.

Thursday, March 12, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM and 5:00 PM - 6:30PM
FIMS Graduate Library 3020E 

Make of the Month – March – Stickers

Join us for this month’s Make of the Month, where we’ll be learning how to design and create custom stickers using the Cricut! Drop into the library and we’ll walk you through the basics of sticker design, cutting, and finishing. Ask at the service desk all month long!

For our online MLIS students, you can still participate! Fill out this form and we’ll make your stickers for you and mail them to you, free of charge!

If you run into technical difficulties or have any questions, email us at fimslib@uwo.ca.


News from Western Libraries

Upcoming Research Skills Workshops hosted by Western Libraries. From data collection to publishing, get expert help at all stages of the research cycle with free workshops.

To find more upcoming Western Library events and workshops visit the Western Libraries Events page. Western Libraries has also launched a new newsletter which brings you timely updates on services, programs, and resources at Western libraries—designed to support your academic work, if you'd like to subscribe, please visit: Western Libraries Newsletter. If you have questions about workshops, please email rsclib@uwo.ca.



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 next issue of the FIMS Bulletin will be published on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Please submit any items by noon on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.