Equity, ecology, culture: 2024 Conference on Communication Ethics
Register now for the fourth annual Conference on Communication Ethics (free to attend).
Whether writing a media release, planning an event or telling a story, communication professionals have an ethical duty to their subjects and their audience. Words have an impact beyond direct influence and stories can change the way we view the world based on how they make people feel.
Each year, the School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads University hosts a free virtual conference where communication professionals come together to hear expert ideas and talk through the ethical implications of communicators’ work.
This year, conference themes include Indigenous professional communication, generative AI and instructional design, Indigenous methodologies and film practices, ethical storytelling, free expression and campus cultures, social equity and environmentalism, ethical journalism and more.
Fourth Annual Conference on Communication Ethics
WHEN: February 21 - 22, 2024, 9 a.m. — 4 p.m. PDT daily
WHERE: Virtual event
REGISTER to attend (free)
Your free registration gets you into any session or panel throughout the conference.
Conference preview — February 21
Keynote: Conversation on communication ethics
Join artist, community educator and Elder Butch Dick (Yux’wey’lupton) and Director, Indigenous Education, Russell Johnston (Sungilawakan), as they explore the power of place, the role of traditional knowledge and the significance of storying, as a means of connection to our collective humanity, and how ethical communication can be shaped by such connections.
Generative AI and classroom design
Associate Director Ken Jeffery and Instructional Designer Donna-Marie Hamilton from the Center for Teaching and Educational Technologies at RRU discuss the ethical considerations of bringing new technologies into the classroom.
What do care ethics mean for cultural policy and practice?
Deniz Ünsal, asst. prof. in the School of Communication and Culture at RRU and Taiwo Afolabi, assoc. prof. at University of Regina discuss their ongoing research around a change in relationality and the economic value of the arts.
The Culture Collaborative: Building cultural integrity across the Canadian sport system
A discussion between Jennifer Walinga, prof. in the School of Communication and Culture at RRU, Kristi Allain, assoc. prof. of Sociology at St. Thomas University, Joseph Gurgis, asst. prof. of Ontario Tech University, Laura Misener, prof. in the School of Kinesiology at Western University, and Eric MacIntosh, prof. of Sport Management at the University of Ottawa, about the process of restructuring Canadian sport to prevent abuse of power.
From left to right: Jennifer Walinga, Kristi Allain, Joseph Gurgis, Laura Misener and Eric MacIntosh
For the Land for the Future: Critical positionality for anti-oppressive knowledge mobilization
Erynne Gilpin, asst. prof. with the School of Communication and Culture at RRU and member of the Indigenous Scholars Circle, presents an interactive practice of Critical Self-Location and demonstrates film-based storytelling as a viable research methodology.
Free expression and campus culture
A conversation with Alejandro Campos-Garcia, associate director of human rights and EDI at RRU, Geo Takach, prof. and Yasser Abdelrahim, assoc. faculty at RRU’s School of Communication and Culture, and Alicia Bernbaum, 2023 graduate of the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communications program, on balancing free expression with equity on campus.
From left to right: Alejandro Campos-Garcia, Geo Takach and Yasser Abdelrahim
Conference preview — February 22
The ethics of public memorializing
Geoffrey Bird, prof. in RRU’s School of Communication and Culture presents on the ethical considerations connected to war remembrance in the 21st century.
Equity and environmental beliefs
Emily Kennedy, prof. of Sociology at University of British Columbia, shares the connection between environmental concerns and social inequalities and how we might change communication to mitigate it.
Tabi-Tabi Po — Ethics of relations in performing ecology and community building
Dennis Gupa, asst. prof. in the Department of Theatre and Film at University of Winnipeg and Jean Graciela Penola, alum of the Master of Arts in Intercultural and International Communications at RRU, present a performance creation concept around ecology, community building and applied theatre.
Bridging the Divide: Strategies for effective collaboration between journalists and communications teams
Iman Kassam, student in the Master of Arts in Professional Communications program at RRU and broadcast journalist, presents on the relationship between journalists and communication teams to enhance understanding of the media landscape and explain how to improve interactions with the press.
The art of an ethical ghost story
John Adams, historian and Victoria ghost storyteller guide, discusses the ethical considerations of retelling the history of a person and place.
Misrepresented Treaty and Fiduciary Relationships in Northeastern Alberta: Third spaces of governance
Jasmine Dionne, instructional designer for Indigenous education at RRU, shares the situation of First Nation and Metis settlements in northeastern Alberta as they grapple with pre-existing treaty agreements and an encroaching oil sands industry.
Professional communication in Indigenous contexts
A presentation via a decolonizing, grounded approach about Indigenous voices in professional communication with Juli Holloway, assoc. faculty in the School of Communications and Culture at RRU, Wayne Clark, executive director for Indigenous Health Initiatives in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at University of Alberta, Timothy Kenny, senior communications advisor for Parks Canada, Alison Tedford Seaweed, storyteller and Indigenous relations consultant, and Emilee Gilpin, senior communications advisor and community storyteller for Coastal First Nations Alliance.
From left to right: Juli Holloway, Wayne Clark, Timothy Kenny, Alison Tedford Seaweed and Emilee Gilpin