It’s 2009: The early internet days. Poptropica and Club Penguin are booming, Microsoft released Windows 7, and Disney XD hit cable services. But then came social media, along with a lasting novelty that prompted an ineffable sense of enthusiasm to the extent that it is now an inextricable component of[Read More…]
Tag: communication
Soundtracks, Chinese queer culture, and Swedish news algorithms: McGill graduate students present their research
The Spring Student Speaker Series wrapped up with its recent March Session on March 17. Three graduate students in the Department of Art History & Communication Studies (AHCS) presented brief summaries of their research in Arts 260 as well as on Zoom. The hybrid event included a half-hour talk from[Read More…]
A secure campus requires open communication
On the morning of Sept. 14, several campus buildings were evacuated and morning classes were cancelled as police responded to a suspicious package in the McCall MacBain Arts Building. Four days later, two men were stabbed just steps away from campus on Sherbrooke Street, and one of them later died.[Read More…]
Communication through Facebook is no longer ethical
In early 2018, The New York Times reported on a leak of close to 50 million Facebook users’ data—the most significant breach of data privacy at the company ever. According to a cache of documents, Facebook user data had been improperly disclosed to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting corporation which used[Read More…]
SSMU’s legislative council passes motion on communication practices
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held their second legislative council meeting of the Fall 2020 semester on Sept. 24. With the online semester in full swing and COVID-19 safety measures continuing to affect in-person meetings, SSMU met via Zoom to debate and vote on the approval of five[Read More…]
McGill’s mixed communication regarding the S/U option was quick, but not careful
It’s a small disclaimer on every McGill course syllabus: “In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the university’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.” This year’s cohort of students finally fell prey to the mysterious “extraordinary circumstances” when on March 20, the McGill[Read More…]
McGill should communicate quickly but carefully about COVID-19
Over the course of the last week, the McGill community has been informed through a series of emails from the administration about how the university is addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 13, the Quebec government announced that all schools in the province would be closing for two weeks. Following[Read More…]
Dean Buddle talks Reddit, podcasting, and student outreach
Q&A with Professor Christopher Buddle
Make new friends and keep the old: How students stay in touch despite distance
University is an opportune time to make new friends—but sometimes, this comes at the expense of staying in touch with the old. Friendships naturally change over time, as distance and extracurriculars lead to new, and sometimes divergent, paths. It is already challenging for students to find time to catch up[Read More…]
The Village Effect: How face to face contact can make us healthier, happier, and smarter
On Nov. 24, McGill’s Department of Psychology hosted Canadian psychologist, journalist, and broadcaster Susan Pinker, who delivered this year’s Macnamara Lecture in McGill’s McIntyre Medical Building. Pinker spoke about her latest book, The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact can Make us Healthier, in which she underlines the importance of face-to-face social[Read More…]