Faculty
Professor Anne F. MacLennan is York University Graduate Program Director of the joint program in Communication and Culture. She joined the Communication Studies Program at York University in 2003 and has over twenty years experience teaching communication studies, media studies, history, methodology and other interdisciplinary topics. She is currently co-PI on a SSHRC Insight Grant with Prof. Michael Windover of Carleton University, entitled Seeing, Selling and Situating Radio in Canada 1922-1956.” Among her current research projects are a book on early Canadian radio programming and completion of work on her SSHRC funded three-year research project entitled, “Remembering Radio: The Canadian Radio Audience in the 1930s”. Anne MacLennan was a presented with a York University-Wide Teaching Award in 2006. She is working on a follow up study on the field placement course in Communication Studies at York University as part of one of the Provost’s AIF projects. She also researches the impact of media on a variety of interdisciplinary fields including labour, women and social welfare.
Professor Paul S. Moore is Ryerson University Graduate Program Director for the joint program in Communication and Culture. He studies the history of the mass market and urban modernity in North America. Overall, his work argues that amusement and leisure help constitute modern publics by providing spaces, rhetorics and logics for collective gathering. His previous project was a social history of the first decade of movie-going in Toronto and the midWest USA, tracing how the novelty of film became a mass practice through showmanship, regulation, and promotion. A new project, collaborating with Prof. Sandra Gabriele, examines the development of the weekend newspaper in the 1890s as a cultural technology animating modernity, central to the institutionalization of mass society.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Desanka Djonin is at York University in her fourth year and majoring in Dance and History. She has an extensive background in ballet and commercialized Serbian folk dancing, which has inspired her to research the cultural developments of the Serbian community and its folk dance groups in Southern Ontario.
Erica Melamed is a 4th year student in Communication Studies and History. Since entering York, she has worked on the Learning with Laptops project under Professor Barbara Crow. She has been published in the Communication Studies’ student journal Impressions 2014 as well as winning the Reva Orlicky Award in the Communication Studies Department this past year. Since Fall 20013, she has been researching on the project Protesting Poverty under Professor MacLennan.
Iiman Darman is a third year York University undergraduate majoring in Kinesiology. She eventually plans to pursue a PhD in this field. Iiman is passionate about sharing her knowledge of physical health and she has been involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters, Toronto. This is her first year working for Professor MacLennan. The First Person Plural project allows Iiman to explore Canadian radio history and to chart its transformation.
Jake Morrow is currently pursuing his Honours BA in Canadian Studies at York University’s Glendon College with an emphasis on Canadian cultural identity. He is also working towards a minor in English with a focus on the practice of writing. Jake has been working with Professor MacLennan since 2014.
Jesse Lash currently studies at the Schulich School of Business at York University. He is triple-specializing in Entrepreneurial Studies, Strategic Management and Responsible Business. Jesse has been working under Professor MacLennan since the fall of 2013 and he has worked on several of Professor MacLennan’s research projects.
Jonathan Seni is a third year York University student studying bio-medical science with an interest in cellular biology. Jonathan is an executive board member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. After graduation, he intends to go on to medical school. He has been working with Professor MacLennan since 2014.
Katie O’Connor is a recent Honours Graduate of the Communication Studies Program at York University. She also holds a diploma in Print-Journalism from Sheridan College. This September, she will be beginning her Master’s Degree in The Joint Graduate Program, Communication and Culture at York and Ryerson Universities. She has been working for Professor MacLennan since December 2012.
Laurie Ha is a third year York University undergraduate student majoring in social science. She is incredibly interested in many aspects in social sciences such as economics, sociology and law. Laurie was a participant in the ACE coop program in 2010 where she first started assisting Prof. McLennan with Remembering Radio. She has worked on multiple projects researching and working on collecting archival documents, transcribing interviews, researching leads, creating contact sheets, constructing presentation materials, and making calls to contact potential participants for the study.
Maleeha Maleeha is a third year York University undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Science. She is interested in learning about various fields in health care. She has successfully completed a co-op position at York’s School of Nursing. After garduation Maleeha plans to continue on to medical school in hopes of pursuing a career in health care. Maleeha joined Professor MacLennan’s research team in May 2015.
Roman Melnyk is in his last year of undergraduate studies at York University double majoring in Psychology and Biology. At the moment Roman’s academic interests include researching the effects of malnutrition and physical activity on development in Canadian children. In the future Roman plans on pursuing a career in health care, in particularly dentistry or audiology. Roman has worked with Professor Anne MacLennan for over two years.
Saad Malik is a BA graduate of 2015 in Philosophy and Criminology. He will be pursuing an MSc at the London School of Economics in fall 2015. Saad has an interest in business and professional ethics. This is Saad’s first summer working for Anne MacLennan.
Sakani Yogeswaran is a second year undergraduate student pursuing a double major in History and Political Science at York University’s Glendon Campus. She has been a research assistant for Professor MacLennan since December 2014. An avid fan of all things television-related, she enjoys discovering the history behind the Canadian media landscape. Sakani plans on attending law school after graduation.
Sarah Marshall is a recent graduate of York University where she completed a degree in Social Science with a concentration in Culture and Equity Studies. Her research interests include global political economy, critical race theory and identity politics. She intends to pursue a Master of Arts in Socio-legal Studies and Refugee Studies. Sarah joined Professor MacLennan’s research team in October 2014.
Stephen Kowalski is a fourth year Communication Studies student at York University, having transferred from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2012. Stephen’s academic interests include critical analysis of the methods and the effects of intersections between technology and culture. His writing primarily focuses on digital technology’s impact on the music and film industries. Throughout his academic career, Stephen has been involved in extra-curricular programs such as sitting on the Executive Council of the Communication Studies Student’s Association as well as operating as the Production Manager of Radio Laurier. Stephen will be pursuing a Masters of Arts in Communication Studies. The First Person Plural Project is Stephen’s first experience working with Anne MacLennan.
Yosef Finkel is a third year York university undergraduate student majoring/minoring in Law and Society and Philosophy. Yosef has received an entrance scholarship to York University and has been able to sustain that scholarship yearly due to his high GPA. Yosef plans to go to law school in the future. To accomplish this goal, he has received a summer internship at a criminal law firm, he has joined and started several clubs in and outside of York, and has worked hard throughout the academic year to maintain a solid GPA. Yosef started working for Professor MacLennan in the summer of 2015 to further develop his research skills.
