My interdisciplinary research explores the connections between arts-infused pedagogy and social justice within adult learning contexts. My research, which includes using photography and other forms of digital media to document phenomena, has led to several peer-reviewed publications and presentations. My doctoral research explored the connections between street art, feminist literacy practices and communities. The video below provides more information on my current research interests.
These are the three questions I am currently exploring:
1) What role can pop-up pedagogy (Rodrigues, 2018) have in cultivating a sense of belonging for first-generation students attending an online university program?
2) How can the Arts (visual art, dance, music, literature and digital media) be leveraged to facilitate learning on social justice issues in post-secondary classrooms?
3) How do marginalized communities use creative work to build knowledge, resist systems of power and amplify their voices?
Other research I'm conducting includes:
barriers to higher education within the Portuguese-Canadian community
looking at advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, decolonization, accessibility and anti-racism through open educational resources (OERs)
exploring how a Design Justice approach (Costanza-Chock, 2020) can be used in online course design
what does it mean to be a scholar artivist?
Current and Past Research Projects:
Funding received to date: $143,768.00
The Art of Change: Developing Students’ Critical Consciousness in Higher Education through Social Justice Street Art
2024 (In progress), Principal Investigator
Why are there so few of us? Exploring Barriers to Higher Education within the Portuguese-Canadian Community
2024 (In progress), Principal Investigator
Digital Art as Pedagogy: Exploring the potential of digital art making to deepen understandings of social justice in a university online course.
2023/24 (In progress), Principal Investigator
Indigenizing Curricula in Media Programs
2016-18 (Completed), Co-investigator with Phil Raby
Lessons from the Street: Using Street Art to Disrupt Misrepresentations and Invisibility of Indigenous Women and Girls in Canadian Mass Media
2019-20 (Completed), Principal Investigator.
Poverty, Access, Resistance and Resilience in Latin America
2016 (Completed), Co-investigator with Dr. Allyson Eamer
Re-framing Mental Health in the Media
2016 (Completed), Principal Investigator
Inclusive Teaching in Broadcast Education and its Potential Impact on the Canadian Media Landscape,
2014/16 (Completed), Principal Investigator
Barriers to Pathways Completion for College Students
2012 (Completed), Co-Investigator with Dr. Ann LeSage, Dr. Jennifer Percival, Dr. Maurice DiGiuseppe, Dr. Ron Hinch, Dr. Bill Goodman, Fabiola Longo, Dr. John Samis, Philip Raby and Dr. Otto Sanchez
Downtown Oshawa News Blog
2010/12 (Completed), Principal Investigator
Global Student Journalists Social Network
2009/10, Principal Investigator
References
Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design Justice : Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need (1st ed.). The MIT Press.
https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001
Rodrigues, A. A. (2018). Pop-Up Pedagogy: Exploring Connections Between Street Art, Feminist Literacy Practices and
Communities (Order No. 28963816). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2624240747). http://