Andrisani and Hiltz have also been promoted to the new rank of Associate Professor, Teaching Stream (which replaces the rank of Instructor III).<\/p>\n
Promotion, and tenure committees are formed from amongst the ranks of Carleton\u2019s faculty. They perform rigorous peer assessments of each candidates\u2019 teaching, research, and service during their first five years at Carleton.<\/p>\n
We are so thankful to Armond, Emily, Katie, Nana aba, and Vincent for the contributions they have already made to the School, and we look forward to their continued accomplishments in years to come. Read on to\u00a0learn more about what they\u2019ve already achieved since coming to Carleton.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dr. Vincent Andrisani<\/a> became a member of the Communication and Media Studies faculty in July 2019 alongside Dr. Emily Hiltz, who also achieved tenure this month. He holds a PhD in Communication Studies from Simon Fraser University, and both a Bachelor\u2019s and Master\u2019s in Environmental Studies from York University. Andrisani specializes in sound studies, an academic practice informed by his background as a musician.<\/p>\n Andrisani performed as a drummer in both Toronto and Havana, Cuba. He performed across a wide range of musical styles and gained an interest in Cuban popular music. This interest grew from artistic to academic, and eventually became the subject of his doctoral research, which included a residency in Havana with the Fundac\u00edon Fernando Ortiz.<\/p>\n This academic interest in sound and listening has continued into Andrisani\u2019s time at Carleton. He produces The Place of Sound<\/em><\/a>, a podcast\/radio show that airs on CKCU FM, Carleton\u2019s campus radio station. On alternating Monday evenings, the show, which explores the idea of \u201cplace\u201d through listening, features original podcast material developed by Communication and Media Studies students.<\/p>\n Andrisani has received multiple grants through Carleton\u2019s Teaching and Learning Services and the Faculty of Public Affairs (including one which supports The Place of Sound<\/em>). In 2023, he received the Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Excellence Award<\/a>.<\/p>\n When asked about Andrisani\u2019s contributions to the SJC, Professor Benjamin Woo (Program Head, Communication and Media Studies, said that \u201cfrom first-year survey lectures to advanced workshops in digital media production, Professor Andrisani can do it all. Drawing on his background in sound studies, Vincent invites his students to listen to the world around them as a way of engaging in the classroom and in the community. I know his students and colleagues alike value his enthusiasm and warmth.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrisani will teach three courses in the upcoming academic year. Two of them, COMS 1001 and 1002, make up the groundwork of the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies which all first years are required to take. COMS 1001 examines the foundations of communication and media studies, while COMS 1002 explores communication and media as they related to issues in the present day. His third course is a 4th<\/sup> year digital media production seminar, which sees students producing podcasts which sometimes air as part of The Place of Sound<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nana aba Duncan<\/a> joined Carleton\u2019s Journalism program in 2021 as both an Associate Professor and as the inaugural Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity, and Inclusion Studies. The first of its kind in Canada, the Carty Chair\u2019s mandate is to change the way journalism students learn the basics of their craft, with a goal of training more sensitive, inclusive reporters.<\/p>\n To this end, Duncan launched \u201cJournalism and Belonging\u201d, a new third-year course which explores how ideas like diversity, difference, and inclusion shape not only journalism but also Canadian society. In recognition of her work, she received the 2024 Equity and Inclusion Excellence Award<\/a> from the Faculty of Public Affairs.<\/p>\n Duncan came to Carleton after an illustrious career in journalism. After completing her Master of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario, she worked for Journalists for Human Rights in Ghana before joining CBC Radio where she worked for more than a decade. While at CBC, she co-chaired an employee resource group for over 300 employees of colour and created the Media Girlfriends podcast production company.<\/p>\n Duncan is currently undertaking a SSHRC-funded project to research the experiences of Black journalists in Canada through the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging<\/a>. Named for the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in North America, Professor Duncan founded the Shadd Cary Centre in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cProf. Duncan was already an agent of change at the CBC when she came to Carleton and true to form, she has helped to change the way we teach journalism at Carleton,\u201d said Journalism program head Allan Thompson. \u201cOutside the classroom, Prof. Duncan\u2019s research is charting new ground in our understanding of the experiences of Black journalists in Canadian news organizations. We are so lucky to have her.\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of the month, Duncan will leave for Chicago to attend the 2024 convention of the National Association of Black Journalists<\/a>. She will be leading fellows of the 2024 Mary Ann Shadd Cary Fellowship for Black Journalists, a delegation of Black Canadian journalists who are either mid-career or student journalists.\u00a0The fellowship is organized by Duncan, with award winning journalists Vicky Mochama and Pacinthe Mattar.\u00a0The trip covers the fellows’ travel, accommodation, and registration for the convention, with a goal of professional development as well as building connections with Black journalists in the United States.\u00a0In September, she will teach advanced audio journalism workshops for both 4th<\/sup> year undergraduates and students in the Master of Journalism program.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Katie Graham<\/a> became an Instructor with the Media Production and Design (MPAD) program in July of 2019. She holds a B.AS and M.Arch from Carleton University\u2019s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, and is currently completing a PhD in Architecture.<\/p>\n She previously taught as a Contract instructor for the Azrieli School and for Algonquin College\u2019s Bachelor of Building Science program and brings a passion for new technologies into the classroom. This fall, she will be teaching two MPAD core courses: 1st<\/sup> year Intro to Storytelling and 2nd<\/sup> year Basics of Visual Communication.<\/p>\n \u201cIn her role as an instructor in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program and most recently as the interim program director, Prof. Graham is constantly working to increase the sense of belonging among her students in the classroom and in her program,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cShe does this by creating opportunities to foster collaboration and learning outside of the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to joining the School of Journalism and Communications, Graham spent a decade working with the Carleton Immersive Media Studio<\/a> (CIMS), a research lab affiliated with the School of Architecture. CIMS focuses on understanding and exploring architecture through advanced digital technologies.<\/p>\n As the leader of a team at CIMS, Graham received a Prix G\u00e9maux (Canada\u2019s French-language television awards) for her work on \u201cParliament: A Virtual Experience\u201d<\/a>. She also received the 2024 Teaching Excellence Award<\/a> from Carleton\u2019s Faculty of Public Affairs. In addition to congratulating Professor Graham on her tenure, we extend our gratitude for her service as interim Director of the MPAD program (a role she filled from July 2023-July 2024).<\/p>\n Dr. Emily Hiltz<\/a> joined the Communication and Media Studies faculty in July of 2019. She is herself a graduate of the School of Communication and Media Studies, having completed her PhD in Communication at Carleton. She also holds an MA in Media Studies and a BA in Media, Information, and Technoculture from the University of Western Ontario.<\/p>\n In both teaching and research, Hiltz focuses on visual media culture, identity, gender, and sexuality, and online communication, as well as on approaching these topics in creative, interdisciplinary, and critical ways. She has published and presented on misogyny and the Depp v Heard trial, \u201canti-vaxx\u201d moms on reddit, and criminal notoriety through its connections to visual culture.<\/p>\n \u201cIn her first five years on faculty, Professor Hiltz has shouldered responsibility for our introducing our undergraduate students to the practice of communications research,\u201d said Dr. Benjamin Woo. \u201cIn addition to this tremendously important role, she has taught well-regarded courses on gender and on crime, as well as supported many of our co-op students. We all admire the thoughtful and dedicated approach she brings to her work.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022, Hiltz received the Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Excellence Award<\/a> for her work in curriculum development alongside her commitment to student engagement, support, and satisfaction. She is currently researching student perspectives on the learning outcomes of the co-op program and developing a broader process for student consultation during program review cycles, both of which are supported through a Carleton Scholarship of Teaching and Learning grant<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hiltz teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level, in topics ranging from introductory and qualitative research courses to specialized courses on media and crime or media, gender, and sexuality. She regularly supervises undergraduate and graduate students working on a wide range of topics, and mentors students through both the Students as Partners Program and through Graduate Research Assistantships.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dr. Armond Towns<\/a> was appointed as Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies on July 2021. Professor Towns holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and previously worked as an Assistant Professor at University of Richmond (2018-2021) and the University of Denver (2015-2018).<\/p>\n Dr. Woo said that \u201cthe hallmark of Professor Towns\u2019s scholarship is a clear-eyed engagement with our discipline\u2019s past in order to chart a more just and inclusive future for communication and media studies. He is also a highly respected teacher who imparts these same values to his students. The awarding of tenure is a well-deserved recognition of Armond\u2019s achievements and intellectual leadership in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Towns\u2019 research brings together Black studies, cultural studies, and media philosophy.<\/a> His book, On Black Media Philosophy<\/em>, was published by the University of California Press in 2022. On Black Media Philosophy<\/em><\/a> demonstrates that media philosophy has relied on an understanding of the human as a Western, white, male, capitalist figure. Through concepts drawn from Black studies and Cultural studies, Professor Towns critiques this conception and creates a foundation for Black media philosophy.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/sjc\/wp-content\/uploads\/vincent-andrisani-400x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\nVincent Andrisani<\/strong><\/a>
\nAssociate Professor, Teaching Stream,
\n<\/strong>Communication and Media Studies<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/sjc\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nana-aba-Duncan-400x300.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nNana aba Duncan<\/strong><\/a>
\nAssociate Professor, <\/strong>Journalism<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity, and Inclusion Studies<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/sjc\/wp-content\/uploads\/Katie-Graham-scaled_400x300_acf_cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKatie Graham<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream,
\n<\/strong>Media Production and Design<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/sjc\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emily-Hiltz-3598-400x265.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEmily Hiltz<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Associate Professor, Teaching Stream,
\n<\/strong>Communication and Media Studies<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/sjc\/wp-content\/uploads\/armond-towns_400x300_acf_cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDr. Armond R. Towns<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Associate Professor,
\n<\/strong>Communication and Media Studies<\/strong><\/h3>\n