Highlights

The School of Journalism, Writing, and Media (JWAM) has a rich history full of academic achievement, professional success and community involvement. Discover some highlights and key moments in our department.

Building on Success

The School of Journalism, Writing, and Media builds on existing programs known for their leadership in the fields of journalism and writing studies.

The expanded unit came into being in January 2020, bringing together the School of Journalism and the Writing, Research, and Discourse Studies (WRDS) undergraduate program. The expansion lays the foundation for a combination that can serve as a catalyst for teaching, learning and research in journalism, writing and media at UBC.

It builds on more than 20 years of journalism scholarship and education at UBC. Founded in 1996, the School of Journalism emerged as a global leader in journalism research, teaching, and professional practice in a period of significant media disruption. The Master of Journalism program welcomed its first cohort of students in 1998 and since then, the program has provided students with the professional and scholarly expertise to succeed in journalism and related media careers.

As the only graduate journalism program in western Canada, it prepares students to make a meaningful contribution to the public good through a future career in the evolving journalism and media landscape.

The Writing, Research, and Discourse Studies (WRDS) undergraduate program was formed in 2008-09 to offer undergraduate courses in academic writing and research that introduce students to knowledge-making in the disciplines. The program has become a centre for innovation in undergraduate curriculum development and pedagogies of rhetoric and writing studies, contributing to the scholarship of teaching and learning and field research in these areas.

Board of Advisors

We are extremely grateful to the following group of academics and professionals who volunteer their time to meet with our director and faculty to provide advice and guidance.

Alexia Bloch
Head and Professor, UBC Department of Anthropology

Wade Grant
Special Advisor to Former Premier Christy Clark and former Councillor on the Musqueam Chief and Council

James Ho
President, Mainstream Broadcasting Corp.

Jim Jennings
Associate Publisher, The Globe & Mail

Lisa Johnson
CBC News Reporter & Citizen Journalism Editor, UBC Journalism alumna ‘04

Sid Katz
Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Wab Kinew
Leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

Vicki Lemieux
Associate Professor of Archival Science at the School of Information

Donna Logan
Professor Emerita and Founding Director, UBC School of Journalism

Minelle Mahtani
Associate Professor, UBC Institute for Social Justice and Senior Advisor to the Provost on Racialized Faculty

Maged Senbel
Associate Professor, UBC School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP)

Mike Tippett
Vice President Corporate Development & Business Development, Later

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