Graduate

Master of Professsional Communication (MPC)

Faculty

MPC faculty members bring diverse backgrounds, areas of expertise and research interests to this graduate program.  Many combine scholarship and academic careers with prior and current experience in the private and public sectors.  The program has an excellent faculty/student ratio of one core faculty member for every two graduate students.  The following table lists the core faculty members participating in the graduate program.  The program is further supported by an additional group of faculty members from across the University with expertise in such areas as Business Management, Journalism, Sociology, Graphic Communication and Health Communication.

Cynthia Ashperger

Assistant Professor, Theatre School

B.F.A.  Acting

University of Zagreb

M. A. Drama

University of Toronto

Ph. D. Drama

University of Toronto

Following a busy career in Croatian theatre and film, Cynthia moved permanently to Canada in 1991 where she continues to act professionally in theatre, film and television. She started teaching acting at Ryerson Theatre School in 1994 where she is currently the Director of the Acting program.  At Ryerson she has directed over twenty student productions. Her main teaching influence at the present time is Michael Chekhov’s acting technique. She is the author of a book on this technique entitled The Rhythm of Space and the Sound of Time, Michael Chekhov’s Acting Technique in the 21st century (Rodopi, 08). Her article on how to apply the technique in directing can be found in the recent publication, Stanislavsky and Directing. Theory Practice and Influence (Legas, 09). She has taught this psycho-physical approach to acting and lectured on it nationally and internationally in Canada, Croatia, Finland, Great Britain, Korea, and the United States.

Susan Cody

Associate Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. Honours, summa cum laude, English Literature

York University

M.A. English Literature

University of Toronto

Ph.D. English Literature

University of Toronto

Susan’s research interests include text analysis, scholarship of pedagogy, genre theory, and seventeenth-century Dutch history, society & culture, and art. She is a published poet and co-author of Reporting Technical Information, 1st and 2nd Canadian editions (with Boyd and Sarris, respectively), adaptations of 600-page technical communication texts, Allyn & Bacon publishers, 1999, 1996. She has published on genre theory and technology. From 2002-2007 she was Chair of the Department of Professional Communication. She has also held the positions of  SRC (Scholarly, Research, Creative Activities) Associate for the Faculty of Communication & Design, Continuing Education Coordinator for Professional Communication and Interim Chair of the Department.

Ava Cross

Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Communication

A.B. Honours, cum laude, English

City University of New York

A.M. English

University of Michigan

Ph.D. English

University of Toronto

Ava’s academic interests are corporate communications and nonprofit/voluntary sector communications.  She is a member of the Business Communication Quarterly editorial review board. In 2001 Dr. Cross received a grant from the McConnell Foundation to develop a service-learning component within the Department of Professional Communication.  This project evolved into CMN444 On-Site Studies in Communication: The Nonprofit Sector, designed for students who wish to pursue independent study in nonprofit/voluntary sector communication under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Upcoming Publication (January 2010):

John Thill, Courtland Bovée, and Ava CrossExcellence in Business Communication, 4th Canadian Edition.  Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, 2010.

Recent Publications:

John Thill, Courtland Bovée, and Ava Cross, Excellence in Business Communication, 3rd Canadian Edition.  Toronto: Pearson Education Canada, 2009.

Ava Cross, "Nonprofit Communications From a Corporate Communications Viewpoint," Business Communication Quarterly vol. 69 (2006), pp. 316-319.

Ava Cross, Talking Business: Strategies for Successful Presentations.  Toronto: Prentice Hall Canada, 2000. 

Joanne DiNova

Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A.  English

York University

M.A. English Language and Literature

University of Waterloo

Ph.D. English Language and Literature

University of Waterloo

Joanne came to Ryerson in 2007 after a successful career in health and environmental risk communication management. Joanne’s doctoral dissertation, “Spiraling Webs of Relation: Movements Toward an Indigenist Criticism,” was published in 2005 by Routledge. Her master’s cognate essay analyzed Government of Canada discourses related to “Indian Affairs,” and her current research interests include indigenous theory and the discourses of negotiation with Aboriginal communities in Canada. Recently, she began working with Ryerson’s Diversity Institute in Management and Technology on equity and diversity discourses. Joanne was the 2003 recipient of the University of Waterloo’s Alumni Gold Medal Award for Most Distinguished Graduate of a PhD Program. She is a member of the Couchiching First Nation near Fort Frances, ON.

Wendy Freeman

Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. Theatre

York University

M.S. Instructional Design

Syracuse University

Ph.D. Education

University of Toronto

Wendy Freeman received a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2008, where her thesis research investigated the use of weblogs for postsecondary distance students. Before coming to the Department of Professional Communication, she worked as an Instructional Designer in both nonprofit and private sector organizations. Most recently, she worked at Ryerson with faculty as they integrated technology into their teaching. She has been Principal Investigator on funded projects that focus on the use of technology in educational settings and her research interests continue to involve the use of technology to improve learning environments. Specifically, she investigates aspects of community and culture as they affect and are affected by new technologies such as weblogs and other social media with a focus on socio-technical and socio-cultural theories.

Wendy is currently principal investigator for two projects:

1. Video Case Stories on Academic Integrity – Funded by Inukshuk Learning Partnership, October, 2008-December, 2009.

2. Exploring the Online Participatory Territory of University Students – Funded by Ryerson University New Faculty SRC Development Fund, May, 2009-April, 2011.

She has presented at many academic conferences and her paper Finding the Individual in Collaborative Online Learning Environments was Best Paper winner in the TACTL (Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning) Special Interest Group at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago, IL in 2007.

Gregory Levey

Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. Honours, English Language and Literature

University of Toronto

M.A. Humanities and Social Thought

New York University

J.D.

Fordham University Law School

Before coming to Ryerson, Gregory served as the Israeli Government’s speechwriter and one of its delegates at the United Nations, and then as Senior Foreign Communications Coordinator and English speechwriter for Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. “Shut Up, I’m Talking”, Gregory’s memoir about his experiences in the Israeli Government, was published by Simon and Schuster/Free Press in 2008. He has written for Newsweek, The New Republic, The Globe and Mail, The New York Post, Salon, and The National Post, and he has appeared on BBC, NPR, CBC, and many others. He is now working on his Ph.D. dissertation in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. His website may be found at www.gregorylevey.com.

Ira Levine

Professor, Theatre School

B.A. magna cum laude, History

University of Rochester

M.A. Drama

University of Toronto

Ph.D. Drama

University of Toronto

Ira joined the Department of Professional Communication, Ryerson University as Interim Chair in July, 2007 and also holds a professorship in the University’s Theatre School.  Prior to that he was Dean of the Faculty of Communication & Design, Ryerson University from 1995 to 2005, in which capacity he was responsible for professional programs enrolling 4,000 students in Theatre (Acting/Production), Dance, Image Arts (Film/Photography/New Media), Radio and Television Arts, Journalism, Fashion, Interior Design, Graphic Communications Management and Professional Communication.  In 2001 he secured a $10 million gift to establish the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Graduate School for Advanced Communication for which he led the development of six new graduate programs, including a Ph. D. program in Communication and Culture and a unique international Master’s program in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management in partnership with the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, N.Y.  

Dr. Levine came to Ryerson as Chair of the University’s Theatre School (1987-1995) with a background in theatre directing and arts administration that encompassed the management of both theatre and dance companies.  He has served on the boards of the Toronto Arts Council, the Desrosiers Dance Theatre and the Ontario Cultural Sector Human Resources Council.   He is a past Chair of the Canadian Association of Fine Arts Deans, a member of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans, and a founding executive board member of the Canadian Media Research Consortium. His publications include Left-Wing Dramatic Theory in the American Theatre and, most recently, “The Critic as Cultural Nationalist”, in The Scalpel and the Sword: Canadian Theatre Criticism in English, published by the University of Toronto Press.

Jean Mason

Associate Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. Honours, with distinction, English

Concordia University

M.A. English Language and Literature

McGill University

Ph.D. Education (Dean's Honour List)

McGill University

Jean joined Ryerson in 2005, having spent the previous five years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She is currently appointed to the Ryerson-York joint graduate program in Communication and Culture. Her teaching experience includes a variety of communication, writing, and literature courses taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in both academic and professional settings. Her research interests include digital communication and health communication. Her doctoral research, From Gutenberg's Galaxy to Cyberspace: The Transforming Power of Electronic Hypertext, was published as an e-book by CITD Press at the University of Toronto (2002). While maintaining her engagement with digital communication, she also developed a research project focusing on health communication. This international study into illness narratives was awarded a three-year grant by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Prof. Mason also especially enjoys curriculum development having designed and delivered unique courses in organizational communication, science communication, and computer communications.

Carolyn Meyer

Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. Honours, English Literature

University of Toronto

M.A. English Literature

University of Toronto

Ph.D. English Literature

McMaster University

Carolyn came to the Department of Professional Communication with a Ph.D. in English from McMaster University, where she also held a SSHRC Fellowship and a SSHRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Before coming to Ryerson, she taught at the University of Toronto and Mount Allison University. She is a member of the School of Graduate Studies and has taught in the Master of Health Sciences in Nutrition Communication program.  She is the co-author and editor of the Prentice Hall Canada textbook The Reader: Contemporary Essays and Writing Strategies (2001) and the author of the Oxford University Press publication, Communicating for Results: A Canadian Student’s Guide (2007), a  450-page college-level professional communications textbook that is currently being revised in an expanded second edition. 

Carolyn’s research interests include communication and law and corporate communications, with a special emphasis on computer-mediated communication and diffusion of innovation. She has presented numerous papers at academic conferences. She has made guest appearances on television and national radio as a commentator on literacy and writing issues and interviews with her have a ppeared in the Globe and Mail, the Montreal Gazette, and other publications.

Sheila O’Neill

Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. History

University of Toronto

M.Ed.

University of Toronto

Sheila has been teaching at Ryerson in the Department of Professional Communication for over 25 years. She specializes in both written and oral communication, preparing students for work in their chosen professions. Before joining Ryerson, she was an editor of educational books and a free-lance writer/designer of educational and government materials. In addition to her academic degrees she has an Ontario Teaching Certificate and training in Graphic Design. She is the co-author of two textbooks in professional communication, and has conducted numerous communication workshops for clients in both private and public sectors.

Sheila is one of the founders of the Ryerson University Teaching Development Program (UTDP) and taught the UTDP’s Micro-Teaching Course to help teachers with their stand-up teaching skills. Recently as part of a committee to improve classrooms and the use of technology, she helped design a renovation of POD 372 that turned an old conventional classroom into a bright, well-equipped instructional facility.

She regularly attends conferences and presents papers across Canada and the US for groups such as the Association for Business Communication and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE). Related professional activities include Associate of the Learning & Teaching Office, various executive positions in the Ryerson Faculty Association, and member of the Board of Directors, Association for Business Communication.

Isabel Pedersen

Associate Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. Honours with Distinction, English

University of Toronto

M.A. Language and Professional Writing

University of Waterloo

Ph.D. Language and Literature

University of Waterloo

A member of Ryerson’s School of Graduate Studies and affiliated with the Graduate Programme in Communication & Culture, a partnership of Ryerson University & York University, Isabel’s research falls in the theoretical areas of rhetoric, visual rhetoric, semiotics, metaphor theory, new media, mobile communication, wearable computers, and reality-shifting interfaces.

Recent publications

Isabel Pedersen. “Conceptual Design, Nanotechnology, and a Rhetoric of Imminence” Design Principles and Practices: an International Journal, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2009, pp.1-12.

Isabel Pedersen. " ‘No Apple iPhone? You must be Canadian’: mobile technologies, participatory culture, and rhetorical transformation." Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 33, issue 3, October 2008.

Isabel Pedersen. “Dehumanization, Rhetoric, and the Design of Wearable Augmented Reality Interfaces” chapter in  Small Tech: The Culture of Digital Tools Eds. Byron Hawk, David Rieder, and Ollie Oviedo, University of Minnesota Press, 2008.

Isabel Pedersen. "MyLifeBits, augmented memory, and a rhetoric of need." Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies. June 2008, 22:3, pp. 375 - 384.

Isabel Pedersen. "Getting Out of this World: A Rhetorical Analysis of Technological Millennialism as Motive." International Journal of the Humanities 2007. Vol. 5, Issue 3, pp.9-16.

Isabel Pedersen. "Mobility, Human-centricity, and the Design of Wearable Augmented Reality Interfaces." International Journal of the Humanities 2006. Vol. 3 No. 1 pp. 143-154.

Isabel Pedersen. "A Semiotics of Human Actions for Wearable Augmented Reality Interfaces." Semiotica Vol. 2005 (155 - 1/4) pp. 183 - 201.

Isabel Pedersen. "Looking Good on Whose Terms?: Ambiguity in Two Kellogg’s Special K® Print Advertisements." Social Semiotics. Vol. 12 No. 2. 2002. pp. 169 – 181.

Catherine Schryer

Professor, Department of Professional Communication

B.A. English

University of Toronto

M.A. English

University of Guelph

Ph.D. English/Rhetoric and Composition

University of Louisville

Professor and Chair of Professional Communication, Catherine has her doctoral degree in the area of Rhetoric and Composition studies. She has a general interest in issues related to advanced literacies in the professions and a specific interest in genre theory and healthcare communication. Her work combines qualitative data analysis together with forms of discourse analysis. In 2000, for her study of insurance writing she won the National Council of Teachers of English award for best article reporting empirical research.  She also has completed two Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) supported studies. The first explored the role of case presentations in socializing students in Medicine, Optometry, and Social Work. The second investigated the role of genres such as consult letters, reports and medical records as sites of discursive negotiation between health care professions. She is currently conducting SSHRC supported studies on healthcare team communications.  She has numerous publications in journals such as Written Communication, the Journal of Business and Technical Communication, Communication Monographs, and Discourse and Communication.