Faculty Publications & Projects | Summer & Fall 2022

Check out the latest Arts faculty publications and projects from Summer/Fall 2022:


  • Philosophy Emeritus Professor Dr. Peter Raabe recently published an essay in the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Science No.1 2022 (Vol.6) pp. 142-179, titled “The Artificial Therapist (AT–version 1.0): Promises and Problems”. The paper was published by the World Scientific Publishing House LTD. through the auspices of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, China.

  • Modern Languages Department Head Alan Cameron published an open-ed article on The Province website about the current situation in Russia and the tensions caused by Vladimir Putin’s actions towards the unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

  • Criminology Associate Professor Dr. Hayli Millar co-presented with Dr. Satwinder Bains at UFV’s PD Day on the topic of the exploitation of international students and the importance of understanding the unique challenges international students face within and external to the University.

  • History Assistant Professor Ian Rocksborough-Smith got the lead publication for Reviews in History, about an important book on recent U.S. history, “Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership.”




  • Criminology Associate Professors Dr. Amanda McCormick and Dr. Irwin Cohen published a report on intimate partner violence. McCormick, A., Cohen, I., & Davies, G. (2022, September). “The Complexities of Investigating and Clearing Harassment Related Intimate Partner Violence Files.” University of the Fraser Valley: Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research.

  • Assistant Professor at the School of Culture, Media and Society and CHASI Faculty Associate Dr. Sarah Beaulieu has published a new article in Historical Archaeology. It focuses on the Morrissey Internment Camp, one of Canada’s 24 World War I internment camps, with the aim of using the material culture record at the camp as a point of access to examine the coping strategies prisoners of war adopted to help mitigate mental-health issues triggered by confinement.

  • English Associate Professor Dr. Prabhjot Parmar co-authored an article published in the Journal of Sikh and Punjab Studies titled “Kisan [Farmers’] Protests in Punjab 1907-2021: A Literary Lineage of Resistance.” Special Edition on Farmers’ Agitation, Journal of Sikh and Punjab Studies. 29.1 & 2, Spring/Fall 2022, 163-186.



  • Dr. Geetanjali Gill, Assistant Professor in Global Development Studies, Catherine Liao, Associate Professor in Nursing, and Sarah N’Gaiwa, Director of Albinism Royal Foundation Sierra Leone, presented their project, “Leaving No One Behind: Empowering Persons with Albinism, particularly women and girls in rural regions of Sierra Leone,” at the Foundation for Innovation and Transformation (FIT) Community of Practice on Gender on July 13, 2022. They have also been invited to present at the ‘Innovation, Research, and Knowledge Exchange session at the Ontario Council of International Cooperation Annual General Meeting, September 22, 2022.

 

Urgent Updates – November 18, 2021

Dear College of Arts faculty and staff,

Our office will be using this channel to communicate directly with all faculty members (permanent and sessional) and staff in the College of Arts about academic matters related to the flood as the situation continues to evolve.

We will also be communicating via the College of Arts website and social media @UFVArts.

For UFV-wide information, please visit UFV Urgent News and see emails from “UFV Info”. You can also sign-up for emergency notifications from UFV to your phone via text, email and voice message.

If you have questions or comments, please send them to Lisa.Matty@ufv.ca. She will redirect as appropriate and one of us, or your Department Head/School Director, will get back to you.

Latest updates as of November 18, 2021 – 9 AM

  • All classes – face-to-face and virtual – are CANCELLED for the remainder of this week (Wed. Nov. 17, Thurs. Nov. 18, and Fri. Nov. 19). All activities and events scheduled for these days are cancelled. Exams scheduled over these dates are postponed and will be rescheduled.
  • All assignments are to be paused this week (until Monday, November 22, at the earliest). This includes online quizzes and all other forms of assignments. Please remember that some students have been evacuated and/or do not have power or internet connectivity.
  • PASS system now monitored over the weekend with added options (“safety risk” and “situational”) in relation to the current situation: Please continue to refer students to PASS as needed. PASS will be monitored on the weekend until further notice. Referral categories have been added to address the current situation. Click here to access PASS.
  • UFV campuses in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission are safe and buildings remain open to faculty, staff, and students with very limited in-person services on campus including:
      • Libraries at the Chilliwack and Abbotsford campuses – open 8:30am to 6pm
      • Office of the Registrar front counter, Abbotsford and Chilliwack – open 9am to 4pm
      • Until further notice, building hours in Abbotsford and Chilliwack are from 7 am to 6 pm. Mission hours remain 8 am to 4 pm.
  • Food services will not be available.
  • The SUS Campus Connector shuttle bus will not be in service.
  • All other campus services will continue to be offered online until further notice.

 

Where can a BA degree lead you? Our inspiring convo with Dr. Corman

Dr. Michael Corman is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social, Cultural and Media Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley. Dr. Corman’s research and teaching interests include a variety of topics that intersect with the sociological study of health, illness, and society.

As students embark on their academic journey, it’s not always clear where their degree may lead them or what opportunities they’ll encounter along the way. To learn more about what a Bachelor of Arts degree can offer students, we spoke with Dr. Michael Corman, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UFV, about his intriguing career path.

Watch the full, unedited interview:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Is0TQaITdw[/embedyt]


What do you like the best about your work?

I love teaching. I love being in the classroom. I love seeing my student’s faces. I also love learning from my students. We have an extremely diverse student body here at UFV which is such a huge asset both as fellow students but also as academics and as professors.

I also love research. What I do for a living in terms of research is that I listen to people and I observe people. How cool is that?

What surprises you about your career?

One of the things, I guess is surprising is how diverse my job is. I teach, I work with medical doctors in Ireland, I publish and do research with nurses, I have students who are so interesting and come from different places and I can learn from their lived experiences. So the ever-changing-ness of what I do for a living.

I’ve taught Introduction to Sociology for almost thirteen years now and it’s never the same. I’m never ever bored.

What are the major factors that contributed to your career choice in sociology?

Social change and social justice

How have your personal values impacted your work?

I have been raised to think about social justice, to challenge inequalities and, of course, this is the underpinnings of sociology . . . to make change, to challenge social inequalities, to challenge power relations that benefit the few and the powerful. So, part of my own values made me align with what I do for a living right now, which is to teach sociology.

What is your preferred learning style and why?

I love to be able to put knowledge into practice. So experiential learning. I love listening to profs and reading content but also to be able to apply it.

In terms of my own teaching, putting content into practice is the major “so what” of what I try to do. Trying to teach my students “why does this matter to you.”

I try to engage both as a learner and as a teacher. I try to create an environment in my classroom that is less hierarchical and more conducive to collaboration and discussion so we can learn together.

What makes you feel successful in your work as a sociologist?

Once in a while, I’ll get emails from my students that say, “Mike, it’s your class that encouraged me to do a sociology degree or go on to my Masters or PhD.” And that brings one of the biggest joys to my life.

When did you know that you were good at what you do?

Generally, I think if you like or love what you do, sometimes you can be thought of being good at what you do. But getting feedback from my colleagues and my students to me was that moment where I was like, “I think I’m okay at this.”

So what are you reading right now?

Upstream Medicine. It’s geared towards making change beyond the clinic to making change in society.

Describe a place that impacted you and what was impactful about it?

Doha, Qatar. My first professorship. Being exposed to such diversity and difference. It really hit me in the face and really made me a better sociologist.

When you think of the future, what do you dream of?

I dream of a more equitable society. A society that challenges inequality, challenges racism, classism, sexism and ageism and all these different axes of inequalities that really we’re seeing today but have been underlying and present historically as well.

To me, what I do for a living is ever more important. I see and I hope for a more equitable world based on principles of social justice. A more generous way of organizing society.

February Success Stories

Seasonal Sociology announced as a 2021 PROSE Awards finalist

Social, Cultural & Media Studies (SCMS) Professor Emeritus Dr. Elizabeth Dennis recently co-authored a book chapter in Seasonal Sociology with colleague, Alison Thomas, from Douglas College. On January 21, Seasonal Sociology was announced as a 2021 PROSE Awards finalist in the Social Science Textbook category.

Read moreFebruary Success Stories

Enhancing resilience with a career mindset and ongoing reflection

Guest blog post by: Dr. Candy Ho

The recent CERIC Pulse Survey revealed that 84% of students and clients are perceiving the current pandemic period to be a stressor, while 16% see it as an opportunity. Adapting a career mindset can help students and clients navigate this time of uncertainty by taking stock of valuable skills, and knowledge; reflecting on ways they can leverage their talents to contribute meaningfully; and staying connected with new and current contacts who might be in the know of opportunities.

Being reflective also enhances one’s resilience. In my work with students I employ Nancy Schlossberg’s Transition Theory – specifically, the 4S Model – to inform my coaching questions:

Read moreEnhancing resilience with a career mindset and ongoing reflection

Working together to build peace

On October 29, students, staff, faculty and community members came together to discuss peacebuilding efforts locally and globally with area directors Cesar Flores and Lizzette Miranda from the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

“It’s very important to see faculty, students and people from the community interested in this big topic because there are realities that the world is facing,” said Flores.

Read moreWorking together to build peace

New School of Creative Arts has successfully launched

As of Friday, September 27, 2019, UFV College of Arts’ new School of Creative Arts (SoCA) has successfully launched.

The new cultural hub was featured in Academica Top Ten and The Abbotsford News. The school combines departments in theatre, visual arts, art history and media arts with the end goal of creating a centre for creative innovation in the Fraser Valley. Dr. Heather Davis-Fisch is the school’s new director. She was previously the department head for the theatre program from 2016-2019.

Read moreNew School of Creative Arts has successfully launched

Yvon Dandurand, Criminology and Criminal Justice Associate Professor writes UNODC Manual

Congratulations to Yvon Dandurand, Professor Emeritus Criminology and Criminal Justice, UFV and recent UFV graduate Jessica Jahn, who recently wrote the “UNODC Manual on the Prevention of Child Recruitment and Exploitation by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups: The Role of the Justice System”. The manual was also released during the Annual Session in Vienna of the United Nations Commission on Crime prevention and Criminal Justice.

Lieutenant Governor’s medal: Leanne Julian an advocate for Indigenous inclusivity

As Leanne Julian stood outside as part of a group of geography students listening to Mt. Lehman community members explain how they wanted to present their community it to the world, she could literally see her father’s home community, the Matsqui First Nation, not far in the distance.

But nobody else seemed to notice.

Read moreLieutenant Governor’s medal: Leanne Julian an advocate for Indigenous inclusivity

John Belec awarded the 2019 J. Alistair McVey Award for Teaching Excellence

Congratulations to John Belec, UFV Associate Professor in the Geography and Environment department. John was recently awarded the 2019 J. Alistair McVey Award for Teaching Excellence by the Canadian Association of Geographers.

“The purpose of the J. Alistair McVey Award for Teaching Excellence is to recognize a geography instructor known for the quality of their teaching. This is in recognition of the central importance of teaching excellence in geographic education. The recipient is intended to be a teacher in a university, college or secondary school in BC or Alberta. This award is named after Alistair McVey, a well-known and highly-respected geography instructor in the BC college system for more than 35 years” (CAG).

Read moreJohn Belec awarded the 2019 J. Alistair McVey Award for Teaching Excellence