The Faculty of Information & Media Studies (FIMS) at Western University is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about media, communications and information technologies. Across our various programs, we foster two key capacities in our students: the ability to think critically about the world in which we live, and the skill and confidence to make an intervention in the communities and lifeworlds we inhabit. To that end, we are proud to showcase the outstanding student and faculty work happening here at FIMS.
Highlights of creative and scholarly work from the 2023/2024 academic year:
Student-produced Promotional CAP Video
Students in the Creative Arts and Production (CAP) program worked with Toronto-based animator Mathew den Boer to develop a 30-second promo video. The students were involved in developing the concept and seeing the production through to the final product. The collaboration gave current students the chance to work directly with a professional creator and learn how promotional materials take shape behind the scenes.
Vinyl Artwork for MIT 3665
MIT students in Andrew Lewis’ Advanced Graphic Design course developed original vinyl artwork for a class assignment in Winter 2024.
Film Festival Critics Lab
Professor Nataleah Hunter-Young launched the inaugural FIMS Film Festival Critics Lab in Fall 2023. Current undergraduate and graduate students were eligible to apply to the Lab, which provided participants with funding to travel to Toronto to watch TIFF films of their choosing. Students were then expected to craft film reviews that were posted online.
Museum Diplomacy
Professor Sarah Smith co-edited the book Museum Diplomacy: How Cultural Institutions Shape Global Engagement, published in 2023.
Data preparation & ethics
LIS PhD candidate Pinar Barlas was featured in the most recent Inspiring Minds Showcase at Western University. Pinar studies data preparation and ethics, looking at how biases sneak their way into AI systems through underlying datasets.
MIT 3902 – Against the Grain
Students in Atle Kjosen’s MIT 3902 Alternative Media class showcased their creative work at an end-of-year media fair in Winter 2024.
The Usage and Impact of ICTS
Professor Shengnan Yang co-edited The Usage and Impact of ICTs During the COVID-19 Pandemic, published in 2023.
Love in the Dark
Media Studies PhD candidate Mackenzie Jessop was featured in the most recent Inspiring Minds Showcase at Western University. Mackenzie studies the construction of romance in American cinema as it relates to larger social, cultural, and historical ideas.