Arts in the Media: March 2024

Our Arts faculty members are experts in their fields and have been sharing their knowledge on a diverse range of topics, from the age of U.S. presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers, studies on happiness, and the emerging Chinese trend of companionship economy. Stay tuned for more fascinating discussions from our brilliant faculty members!

Department of Anthropology

To learn Klingon or Esperanto: What invented languages can teach us | Dr. Christine Schreyer discussed how invented languages can provide insights for people trying to revitalize endangered natural languages. (Big Think)

The invention of a desert tongue for ‘Dune’ | Dr. Christine Schreyer explained how there was already information about the constructed language used in the two Avatar movies before the movies were released. (New York Times)

Department of Asian Studies

How Muslims are celebrating Ramadan | Dr. Rumee Ahmed discussed the importance of Ramadan for Muslims. (CBC Vancouver)

What does it mean to be a Hong Konger now? | Dr. Helena Wu and social work professor Dr. Miu Chung Yan commented on Hong Kong’s history. (The Walrus)

Department of English Languages and Literatures

Netflix’s disability dating shows need to be rethought | Dr. J. Logan Smilges said Netflix’s reality shows that feature disabled people have a flawed representation of disability. (Indie Wire)

Department of Geography

The case for taxing BC’s giant land value gains | Dr. David Ley’s book, Housing Booms in Gateway Cities, was quoted in an article about increases in land value in Vancouver. (The Tyee)

The Zone of Interest is about the danger of ignoring atrocities – including in Gaza | Dr. Naomi Klein wrote about Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar acceptance speech for best international film, The Zone of Interest. (The Guardian)

Canadian writer Naomi Klein shortlisted for $51K U.K. Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction | Dr. Naomi Klein is shortlisted for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction for her book Doppelganger. (CBC Books)

Department of History

How caste discrimination impacts communities in Canada | Dr. Anne Murphy co-wrote about how caste discrimination is prevalent among the Indian diaspora in Canada. (The Conversation)

Department of Political Science

U.S. presidents are older than ever while Canada’s PMs are getting younger. Why?| Dr. Gerald Baier said the high cost of political campaigns in the U.S. is a possible reason why American politicians are older than Canadian politicians. (CBC News)

Canada needs an Inuk astronaut | Dr. Michael Byers wrote that an Inuk astronaut would be beneficial to the Canadian Space Agency due the connections between the Arctic and space.  (The Globe and Mail; subscription required)

Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister plans to press Trudeau on UNRWA funding | Dr. Michael Byers commented on countries funding UNRWA. (The Globe and Mail; subscription required)

Here’s how many times Vancouver’s mayor has been absent from a vote at council | Dr. Stewart Prest discussed the importance of the mayor’s presence in council chambers to cast his vote. (CTV News)

Four-corner Sea to Sky: A provincial election primer for Whistler and beyond | Dr. Stewart Prest commented on B.C.’s upcoming provincial election. (Pique NewsMagazine)

Asia ground zero in the revolution of electric vehicle markets | Dr. Yves Tiberghien and international relations student Mei Terasawa wrote about the adoption of electric vehicles in the Indo-Pacific region. (East Asia Forum)

Trudeau faces rising political pressure to abandon a key climate policy| Dr. Kathryn Harrison said that it would be difficult for Canada to achieve its emissions goals without the carbon tax. (Bloomberg; subscription required)

Carbon tax talk heating up in B.C. as April 1 hike nears| Dr. Kathryn Harrison explained that the carbon tax is meant to financially incentivize people to reduce their emissions. (Today in BC)

Department of Psychology

Basic income could provide the breathing space so many need| Dr. Jiaying Zhao led a study which found that unhoused people are more likely to spend a lump sum of money on rent, food, housing, transit and clothes, despite public perception otherwise.  (Hamilton Spectator)

Scientists debunk the idea that smiling makes you happy | Dr. Elizabeth Dunn and graduate student conducted a study which found that some activities people associate with happiness lack scientific evidence to prove they actually boost your mood. (Inverse)

Ghostbusters: A psychologist explains why we believe in the paranormal | A UBC psychology study found that people with a higher tendency to attribute human traits to non-human objects were more likely to believe in ghosts. (BBC Science Focus)

Happiness is within reach! Learn how to be happy in seven simple, science-backed steps | Dr. Elizabeth Dunn and graduate student Dunigan Folk conducted a study which found that some activities people associate with happiness lack scientific evidence to prove they actually boost your mood. (The Sun U.K)

Department of Sociology

Inspired by the Chinese trend, a UofT grad is renting out her time to the socially anxious and isolated | Dr. Yue Qian commented on the rise of the “companionship economy” in China is due to growing geographic mobility. (The Globe and Mail; subscription required)

Why the growing gulf between young men and women? | Dr. Yue Qian co-authored a study which found that young men were much more likely than young women to agree with statements such as “men should put career first, whereas women should put family first” and “when the economy is bad, female employees should be fired first.” (The Economist; subscription required)

Department of Theatre and Film

B.C. filmmaker goes vertical for mobile audiences  | Dr. William Brown said audiences may shift away from video platforms like TikTok if the video content shifts away from a “homemade aesthetic” to professionally produced productions. (Business in Vancouver)

Institute of Gender, Race, Sex and Social Justice

The world is participating in the occupation of Haiti unwittingly, scholar says | Dr. Jemima Pierre discussed the origins of the current political crisis in Haiti that has displaced thousands of people.  (Truthout)

School of Creative Writing

Years ago, Indigenous theatre was little-known. Today, plays are being produced across the country | Frances Koncan, Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright and creative writing professor at UBC, commented on Indigenous theatre. (CBC Radio)

School of Economics

These are the world’s happiest countries in 2024 | Dr. John Helliwell co-authored the World Happiness Report which gauges well-being around the globe. (CNN)

Why a report on global happiness should worry Canadian investors | Dr. John Helliwell co-authored the World Happiness Report which gauges well-being around the globe. (Globe and Mail)

School of Journalism, Writing, and Media

Canada a ‘test balloon’ for Meta as company withdraws from news funding in other markets | Dr. Alfred Hermida commented on Meta’s decision to not renew funding deals with news outlets in other countries following a ban on news content on Meta’s platforms in Canada. (The Hill Times; subscription required)

School of Public Policy and Global Affairs

Mongolia’s global resurgence and Oyu Tolgoi’s promise | Dr. Julian Dierkes wrote about Mongolia’s economic growth due to copper and coal. (East Asia Forum)

Protecting children online: How the new federal legislation aims to tackle online abuse | Dr. Heidi Tworek commented on Bill C-63 introduced by the federal government to reduce online harms, including sextortion and online abuse targeting children. (Squamish Chief)

Canada and China — what happened? | Dr. Paul Evans discussed what happened to the relationship between Canada and China and what is happening between us and India. (Vancouver Sun)

The world is not moving fast enough on climate change — social sciences can help explain why | Dr. Candis Callison co-wrote that understanding how existing social systems influence, and are influenced by, climate change is key to slowing the effects of an increasingly warming Earth. (The Conversation)

Dutton’s blast of radioactive rhetoric on nuclear power leaves facts in the dust | Dr. M.V. Ramana said it usually takes a long time between decisions to build nuclear reactors and when they start operating. (The Guardian)

Financial incentives not enough to retain nurses, critics say | Dr. Veena Sriram said B.C. should focus on issues such as affordable housing to help support nurses who decide to relocate to rural areas. (CBC News)

Tech platforms face ‘whack-a-mole’ situation in battling health misinformation | Dr. Heidi Tworek said social media platforms must act more responsibly to combat medical misinformation. (Global News)

School of Social Work

B.C. makes third attempt at law to involuntarily treat teens in crisis | Dr. Grant Charles said short periods in youth mental-health facilities could offer teens and their families brief respites so they can be connected with voluntary treatment options. (The Globe and Mail; subscription required)