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... to M.E. Luka, PhD Candidate in Communication Studies, on winning the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship! « more » Dates to RememberFind out more ...NewsDepartment of Communication Studies Deeply Saddened by Passing of Fr. Marc Gervais, S.J.March 29th, 2012
Whether rubbing shoulders with cinema nobility in Cannes, France, smoothly impressing on the tennis court, or wowing students in class with his extensive film knowledge, charm, humour and sense of style, Father Gervais confounded the image of a Jesuit priest. He was born in Sherbrooke, Que., in 1929, the second child of Sylvia Mullins and Superior Court Justice Césaire Gervais. He was raised in a thoroughly bilingual household, where he was first introduced to the world of movies. In 1950, Father Gervais graduated with a bachelor of arts from Loyola College, one of Concordia’s founding institutions. He then started the 13-year program to become a Jesuit and was ordained in 1963. Along the way, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Drama at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1960. He added “doctor” to his titles when he completed his PhD in film aesthetics at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1979. In 1967, Father Gervais joined Loyola College’s fledgling communication arts program, now the Department of Communication Studies, and stayed until his retirement in 2003. He continued to teach film and religion at Concordia for the next several years. It was in the 1960s, when Father Gervais honed his understanding of cinema, that he became a regular at the Cannes Film Festival. Indeed, he took part each May for nearly 40 years. In his courses, which covered Alfred Hitchcock, silent-era Hollywood, 1920s Germany, John Ford and many others, Father Gervais brought a wealth of knowledge as well as his particular style and wit. “Marc had a special way of communicating with students. He loved what he was doing, he loved being around students, and that came back to him in droves,” says Don Taddeo, BA 67, a former communication studies colleague who remained friends with Father Gervais. The two also served together on the Loyola Alumni Association board of directors. “He was a pillar of the early communication arts program, and a humanist in every way,” Taddeo adds. Father Gervais maintained at least one flaw, Taddeo recalls with a chuckle. “He wasn’t always on time in submitting his marks — because when they were due at the beginning of May, Marc was hanging out in Cannes.” Although his film expertise was vast and he wrote a scholarly book on Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1973, Father Gervais held a special place for the late Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman.  “He is a figure in cinema who revealed to us that film can be a voice in culture, like any great art,” Father Gervais told Concordia’s Thursday Report in 1999, the year he published Ingmar Bergman: Magician and Prophet (McGill-Queen’s University Press). Father Gervais played important roles outside the classroom as well. He helped establish the Lonergan University College (1975) and Loyola Jesuit Institute for Studies in International Peace (1988) at Concordia. From 1981 to 1986, he was a member of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. He also consulted on several Catholic-themed films including Agnes of God (1985), The Mission (1986) and Black Robe (1991). Father Gervais is survived by his brother, P. André Gervais, L BA 64, former chair of Concordia’s Board of Governors, and his sister, Constance M. Moisan. Anyone wishing to contribute to the Marc Gervais Prize in Communication Studies in Father Gervais’ memory may contact Maggie Borowiec at 514-848-2424, ext. 2093, or email hidden; JavaScript is required. Gifts can also be made securely online. Under “Gift Information” and “I would like to support,” choose Marc Gervais Prize in Communication Studies. Information for the services for Father Marc Gervais: Wakes When: Wednesday, March 28 from 7 to 9 p.m., wake service at 8 p.m. When: Thursday, March 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral Mass When: Friday, March 30 at 11 a.m. A reception will follow at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre, Loyola Campus Burial Concordia recently lost two other members of the community: Morrel Bachynski and Father Stanley P. Drummond. Related links: A Conversation with Pierre EvenMarch 5th, 2012
Pierre Even is the producer of numerous critically acclaimed feature films such as C.R.A.Z.Y., Une vie qui commence, Café de Flore and Rebelle. Even’s productions have been winners of many prestigious awards and prizes, including Rebelle‘s recent win at the Berlin International Film Festival 2012 (Silver Bear Award, Best Actress for Rachel Mwanza). Even owns and works out of the Montréal production company, Item 7. Our ‘conversation’ with Pierre Even will be facilitated by another distinguished alumni, Brendan Kelly, CBC Radio and The Gazette. This event takes place in CJ 1.114 and there will be a reception in Pierre Even’s honour, in the Atrium, immediately following the ‘conversation’. We are very excited about Pierre’s visit and urge you to join us in ‘conversation’. A Conversation with Pierre EvenFriday, March 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM Loyola Campus Concordia Research Chair Launches Book on Subliminal Messaging ControversyFebruary 22nd, 2012
For communications professor Charles Acland, the idea of subliminal influence indicates an “extraordinary faith in the power of even the most fleeting words, sounds and images to shape our unconscious.” In Swift Viewing: The Popular Life of Subliminal Influence, Acland, a professor and research chair in Concordia’s Department of Communication Studies, traces the evolution of subliminal influence from a concept in experimental psychology to a mainstream belief about what he calls “our vulnerability to manipulation in an age of media clutter.” Since theories of subliminal influence first found their way into mainstream culture in the late 1950s, public opinion surveys have shown that up to 70 per cent of respondents think that advertisers use subliminal techniques, whether the message is to buy a particular product or to confirm to a certain way of thinking. For Acland, the idea of subliminal influence, regardless of its existence or direct effectiveness, indicates an “extraordinary faith in the power of even the most fleeting words, sounds and images to shape our unconscious.” By providing a broad survey of examples ranging from Marshall McLuhan’s media theories to representations of mind control in sci-fi movies, Acland examines the subliminal as “both a product of and balm for information overload.” In so doing, he creates what acclaimed author Fred Turner calls a “much-needed and frighteningly contemporary history.” Through the historical sweep of Swift Viewing, Acland shows that the concept of subliminal influence has its origins as far back as the late 1800s. His detailed chapter on the tachistoscope, a tool used to quickly slide images past a viewer’s eye to measure the length of exposure necessary for perception, demonstrates that we have had “a fascination with the rapid arrival and departure of texts” for more than a century. By tracing this fascination through its mainstream adoption and subsequent debunking that there are any actual effects, and following its continued traction in everything from presidential campaigns to episodes of TV’s Family Guy, Acland proves that this concept has staying power and is specifically connected to the way we understand our audiovisual surroundings. Ultimately, Acland shows that the continued engagement with the concept is one way “individuals share scepticism about their environment,” a scepticism prompted by the daily barrage of information that defines present-day media culture. Related links: Swift Viewing (Duke University Press) Peter van Wyck Short Listed for Canada Prize in Social SciencesFebruary 9th, 2012
“On behalf of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, I want to congratulate the 18 authors shortlisted for The Canada Prize, which recognizes outstanding scholarly works in the social sciences and humanities, and their thoughtful contribution to society,” said Graham Carr, president of CFHSS. “We are proud to support exceptional French and English authors who shed new light on intriguing topics ranging from Bethune to women and Canada’s cultural history to the artistry of Tom Thomson and Jean-Paul Riopelle.” The four prizes are each valued at $2,500 and will be presented at a special award ceremony on Friday, March 30, 2012 at the Musée des beaux-arts in Montreal. The nominees are chosen from works supported by CFHSS’s Awards to Scholarly Publications Program and winners are selected by a jury of scholars from across the country. Shortlisted Titles for the Canada PrizesCanada Prize in the HumanitiesFISHER, Susan R. Boys and Girls in No Man's Land: English-Canadian Children and the First World War (UTP) Canada Prize in the Social SciencesHENDERSON, Stuart. Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s (UTP) Prix du Canada en sciences humainesBROUILLETTE, Marc André Spatialité textuelle dans la poésie contemporaine (Éditions Nota bene) Prix du Canada en sciences socialesBLAIS, Agnès Une ONG en Rusie post-soviétique (PUL) More Information: Alison Hebbs Representing more than 85,000 researchers in 79 scholarly associations, 79 universities and colleges, and 5 affiliates, the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is the national voice for the university research and learning community in these disciplines. Media Gallery Opens New Exhibition – Feb 10 to April 13January 30th, 2012
Fanciful: Small Media Momentscurated by Kim Sawchuk and Rae Staseson Featuring the work of Margaret Murphy, Emily Pelstring, Kelly Thompson and Karen Trask, this exhibition plays with our notion of scale and challenges us to reconsider intimacy, domestic display and the role of whimsy in communication. The artists all use a combination of old technologies in conjunction with new media, in highly unique ways, to create surprising connections. February 10th – April 13th, 2012 Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday 9:00 – 4:45pm and Friday 9:00 – 12:45pm For additional information please call Rae Staseson at 514-848-2424 x2535 or x2555. PhD Candidate in Communication Studies Earns Prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate ScholarshipDecember 7th, 2011by Karen Herland 
M.E. Luka receives the notice that she is one of this year’s Vanier scholars. | Image courtesy of M.E. Luka “There are those moments when you put things beside each other, and you know they fit together, but you have to really look closely, because you’re not sure how,” says M.E. Luka. She’s reflecting on the path that has led her to earn Concordia’s most recent Vanier Scholarship, one of 166 allocated this year across Canada. “In a funny way, this [PhD] project connects all the different parts of my life.” Given that Luka has studied fine arts, communications and education, and has worked as a television producer, arts fundraiser and teacher, common threads are not obvious. But then, her experience does reflect the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship criteria, which balance academic excellence and research rigour against leadership, community engagement and outreach. Luka came to Concordia’s Department of Communication Studies two years ago to research the potential and role of digital media in the development of arts, cultural community and cultural citizenship. Her decision to return to school came when the CBC cut funding for Artspots, a television and Internet program she founded and produced at the network’s Halifax studios from 1997 to 2008. The program developed from a mandate to establish community ties. “It was an opportunity to really create partnerships at a deep level,” adds Luka who worked with artists, curators, arts administrators and gallery directors. Through Artspots, Luka produced 1,200 short videos featuring 300 artists from across the country. In the process, she produced 10 documentaries. Luka had not intended to create the definitive catalogue of contemporary art production by Canadians for Canadians. When Artspots ended, Luka realized it was time to explore another centre of creative production and Montreal beckoned. Using Artspots as a starting point, Luka plans to study the relationship between new media production and the creation of online or digital communities. “Concordia is exactly the right place for this research,” she says, pointing to the Faculty’s equal commitments to production and theoretical knowledge, with particular expertise in the arts and television. Luka is interested in the specificity of different communities and audiences, rejecting the notion of a single, broad audience. “Media is about personal networks, about what makes life interesting.” She sees possibility for creativity and community formation through collaboration between artists, producers and audiences. It’s a kind of relationship-building that moves far beyond simply creating a Facebook page and waiting for a response. “That seems fairly instrumental,” says Luka. “I want to ask how do you crack that open? Think more broadly and deeply?” Already the Vanier is having an impact. Luka recently spent a week in Porto, Portugal at the joint University of Texas at Austin University of Porto Gary Chapman International School on Digital Transformation. A small group of researchers spent intensive 13-hour plus days discussing citizenship in the digital era. “This is one of the great outcomes of receiving the Vanier – having the resources to meet face-to-face with others doing research in similar areas” she says. Source: Concordia Now Limited Term Appointments – 2012December 6th, 2011CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY Faculty of Arts and Science The Department of Communication Studies invites applications for 4 limited-term appointments in the following areas: Media Production (two positions); Media Criticism, Policy, and Public Discourse (one position); and Communication/Media History, Critical Theory, and Media Futures(one position). Media Production (2 positions): we are looking for one individual who will teach intermediate 16mm film, advanced intermedia or advanced video, and foundation courses in film/video; We are looking for another individual who will teach advanced intermedia or advanced video, foundation courses in film/video and foundation courses in sound production. Successful candidates will have an appropriate advanced terminal degree, an active creative practice and portfolio, prior teaching experience and the ability to teach within a Humanities context. Media Criticism, Policy, and Public Discourse: the successful candidate will teach one section of Media Criticism (core foundation course), and courses at the 300 and 400 level such as: Media Institutions and Policies, Media Policy in Canada, Visual Communication, Definitions of Media and Technology I, and Sexuality and Public Discourse. The successful candidate must have a PhD in Communication Studies or a cognate field (or be very near to completion), and prior teaching experience in a Humanities context. Communication/Media History, Critical Theory, and Media Futures: The successful candidate will teach both sections of the core foundation course History of Communication and Media, and courses at the 300 and 400 levels such as: Media and Cultural Theory, Media and New Technology, Perspectives on the Information Society, and Media Forecast. The successful candidate must have a PhD in Communication Studies or a cognate field (or be very near to completion), and prior teaching experience in a Humanities context. Applications should consist of a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching philosophy, and evidence of teaching effectiveness. Candidates should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent directly to: Prof. Rae Staseson, Chair Phone: (514) 848-2424 ext. 2555 These positions are subject to budgetary approval and department/unit need. Individuals holding limited-term appointments may be reappointed, given continued funding and need, as well as satisfactory job performance. Together, initial appointments and subsequent reappointments may not exceed 36 months or a span of three consecutive years. They are normally at the rank of Lecturer or Assistant Professor, beginning August 15, 2012 and ending May 31, 2013. Successful candidates will normally be expected to teach three courses per semester. All inquiries should be directed to Professor Rae Staseson at Review of applications will begin as they are received and will continue until the required positions have been filled. All applications must reach departments no later than March 1, 2012. Electronic applications will not be accepted All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. Concordia University is committed to employment equity. Information SessionNovember 22nd, 2011The Departments of Communication Studies and Loyola Campus The event aims to introduce students to the different For more information you may call the Department CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR (TIER 1)October 31st, 2011
For more information see: New Funding For Seven Professors Midi Onodera’s Vidoodles: Intimate Cinema at the Media GallerySeptember 16th, 2011
Onodera’s exhibition features two mediaworks: Tabletop Viewables (2011) is a multi-screen miniature cinema installation, and her 2009 Movie of the Week will be presented on an interactive touchscreen. The Media Gallery exhibits the dynamic creative media work produced in Communication Studies as well as hosting innovative exhibitions by local, national and international media artists. Midi Onodera’s Vidoodles: Intimate Cinema opens on Thursday Sept 15 2011, with a public reception from 16:30-18:30. The exhibition runs from September 15–December 9th and the Media Gallery hours are: Monday-Thursday 9:00 to 4:45 and Fridays 9:00 to 12:45. Details about the artist and the exhibition can be found at: http://mobilemediagallery.org/exhibitions/. The Media Gallery is located on the Loyola Campus, CJ Building, Room 1.419. For further information contact: Rae Staseson, Chair of Communication Studies or Monika Kin Gagnon
FACULTY members awarded more than 2.5 million in research fundingSeptember 7th, 2011Congratulations to our fulltime faculty, who in the last 1.5 years, have successfully received external research funding for research, research-creation, and media arts from agencies including SSHRC, FQRSC, NCE Grand, CFI, CIHR, Canada Council, CALQ, and the Reynard Program, among others. Internal research projects and initiatives have also been awarded from numerous programs through the Vice-President Research and Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Arts and Science. Through these various competitive awards, Communication Studies Faculty are developing innovative scholarly and creative projects that are making major contributions to communication studies, cultural studies, media studies and the fine arts. New faculty members join Communication Studies:September 7th, 2011Dr. Mia Consalvo has recently joined Communication Studies as an Associate Professor and she is the author of Cheating: Gaining Advantage of Videogames. Consalvo is currently writing a book about Japan’s influence on the videogame industry and game culture. She has published her work in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Games & Culture, Game Studies, Convergence, and many other journals. She has presented her work at professional as well as academic conferences including regular presentations at the Game Developers Conference. Consalvo is the President of the Association of Internet Researchers, and has held positions at MIT, Ohio University, Chubu University in Japan and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Krista Geneviève Lynes is an Assistant Professor and she holds a PhD in History of Consciousness from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and held a previous position at the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has appeared in the journals Third Text and Signs. A book chapter will appear this fall in Space (Re)Solutions: Intervention and Research in Visual Culture (Peter Mörtenböck & Helge Mooshammer, Eds.), and her book, tentatively entitled Experimental Media, Transnational Circuits: Prismatic Visions and Feminism without Guarantees is forthcoming with Palgrave. Remembering our Colleague and Friend: William Lambert “Scot” GardinerJune 22nd, 2011
He passed away on the night of June 15 at his home, his “electronic cottage,” in Hudson. For the past several years he had been struggling with health problems, and it appeared that he was winning this battle. Clearly this was not meant to be. Scot first began work at Concordia (then Sir George Williams) in 1965, in the Psychology Department. After publishing a very successful textbook (Psychology: A Story of a Search, 1970), he “retired.” In 1984, in the wake of a fifteen-year sojourn to think-tanks, alternative communities, and beaches, Scot returned to Concordia, this time to the Department of Communication Studies. As his many devoted students will attest, he cared passionately about teaching, about access to education, and the free and democratic exchange of ideas. His openness and generosity to both students and colleagues was as much his signature as his boundless curiosity, warm-hearted spirit, and his big, joyful laugh. We invite you to share with us your thoughts and reminiscences about Scot. Please send them in to: email hidden; JavaScript is required The Department will host a memorial gathering for him on October 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the Loyola Chapel and you will be welcome to join us. Marc Gervais Prize in Communication StudiesApril 5th, 2011
Paying tribute to a great educatorThe Department of Communication Studies will pay tribute to a great teacher and a wonderful friend with the creation of the Marc Gervais Prize in Communication Studies—an annual $2000 award to be given to graduating BA students to support existing or future projects. Students will compete for the award based on academic achievements and the quality and potential of their projects. A fundraising appeal has already begun to ensure the sustainability of the prize and we call on all alumni and friends to contribute. Our aim is to raise enough funds to create an endowment that will secure this award in perpetuity.
Media Gallery: Marconi’s Ruins, an exhibition by Michael Longford and Robert PrenovaultJanuary 27th, 2011 The small community of Marconi Towers, located a few kilometers south of Glace Bay in Cape Breton, is home to what remains of the first commercial transatlantic wireless station established by Guglielmo Marconi and the Marconi Company of Canada in 1907. Linked to its sister station in Clifden, Ireland the Glace Bay Station was the first in what would eventually become a global communications network and a Canadian landmark in the early history of wireless telegraphy and radio. The station remained in operation to the end of the Second World War, after which the property and buildings were sold to Russell Cunningham. To this day, the site is privately owned by the Cunningham family who still occupy the Station Manager’s home and maintain what is left of the Condenser House, the only original Marconi station structures left in the world today. Through a mix of photography, sculpture, and original artifacts, Longford and Prenovault explore what remains and has been lost of the industrial infrastructure – the condenser house, coal fired generators, towers supporting huge antennae arrays, spark transmitters and banks of vacuum tubes – required to send the pulse of energy translated into the dots and dashes that made up the language invented by Samuel Morse. In its day, the powerful station could be seen and heard for miles around. Today it is silent, hidden from view by the surrounding forest as the remaining structures fall in on themselves slowly deteriorating over time. http://www.marconiruins.ca/ Artist Biographies Michael Longford is the Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University. He is a Co-Director of the Mobile Media Lab (MML), which is made up of an interdisciplinary research team exploring wireless communications, rich media content development for mobile technologies, and locative media practices. He is also a co-editor of the recent publication, The Wireless Spectrum: The Politics, Practices and Poetics of Mobile Media (2010), and a co-editor for the Visual Communication Journal published by Sage. Robert Prenovault is an artist and designer whose practice is strongly informed by materials, processes, technologies and the role they play in the interface between human beings, the build environment, and the natural world. Over a period of four decades he has exhibited, produced artist books, and done performance and installation work across Canada. As a member of the Mobile Media Lab (MML), his creative practice is currently focused on the integration of traditional techniques with digital technologies.  Marconi’s Ruins Michael Longford & Robert Prenovault Media Gallery Gallery Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:00 AM – 4:45 PM | ||
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Father Marc Gervais, S.J. (Society of Jesus), a celebrated film scholar and much-cherished Concordia professor for four decades, passed away March 25, 2012, at the René Goupil Jesuit Infirmary in Pickering, Ont. He was 82.
Modern consumers of mass media have long been swayed by the notion that secret, invisible messages are embedded in everything from radio commercials to Hollywood blockbusters. With his new book, Charles Acland takes an in-depth look at the complex history of subliminal influence, and questions what the lasting implications may be for our information-saturated modern world.
February 8, 2012 – Ottawa, Canada – The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the short list of nominees for the Canada Prizes in the Humanities and the Canada Prizes in the Social Sciences. Awarded annually to one work in French and one in English in each category, the prizes are a benchmark for outstanding scholarly work in the humanities and social sciences.
