Communication Studies at UNB Saint John

09/30/2026

The UNBSJ Open House event is this Saturday in the library 📚 Learn about the university experience and what to do with your degree 🤔

08/23/2026

The UNBSJ Orientation for new students is on Friday, Sept. 4th (9am -12 pm). Meet your professors, meet your classmates, hear from senior students about life as an undergrad.

06/19/2026

Latest publication from COMS professor, L. Dugan Nichols. Interested in how fans of Major League Baseball interpret the pitch clock?

Major League Baseball (MLB) introduced a pitch clock in 2023, forcing players to speed up their motions. This paper first contextualizes the pitch clock as a form of workplace time discipline. Second, it analyzes thousands of reactions on social media to determine how fans interpret the clock. Three...

06/19/2026

Newly listed UNBSJ COMS course for Fall 2026

02/19/2026

Upcoming event to learn about Arts programs including Communication Studies

All students, by the end of their second year, should be signing up for their Majors (or Double Majors! or Honours!). This is an event to ensure students get the advising they need!

07/09/2025

🎉📚 Congratulations to Dr. L. Dugan Nichols, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, on the publication of his latest dual book review!

In this thoughtful piece, Dr. Nichols explores two recent works on the media industry: Media Industries in the Digital Age by Lotz and Havens and Work in the Digital Media and Entertainment Industries by Mirrlees. His review highlights the contrasting perspectives of corporate innovation and worker struggles in today’s ever-evolving media landscape.

👏 A great read for anyone interested in media, culture, and communication. Check out the full review here: https://doi.org/10.1177/15274764251350081

06/13/2025

🌆 Once erased from the history books, the women of Sheffield Street are finally having their stories told — and it’s thanks to the powerful work of Dr. Gemma Marr, part-time instructor in Department of Humanities & Languages and coordinator of The Lorenzo Society here at UNB Saint John.

Teaming up with local artist KC Wilcox, Dr. Marr is turning her postdoctoral research on Saint John’s early red-light district into a stunning graphic novel titled 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬. Based on archival records, jail logs, and imaginative reconstruction, the novel breathes life into the lives of eight women whose names were once only known to the institutions that punished them.

This is communication in action — transforming dry institutional data into a vivid, human story that challenges how we remember the past.

We’re incredibly proud of Dr. Marr’s innovative storytelling and the heart she brings to this project. Keep an eye on this one — it’s reshaping how we share history.

Read more: https://bit.ly/44d0A4H

03/18/2025

📢 New Publication Alert! 📢

Dr. Lawrence Dugan Nichols’s latest article, "Generational Deêtctives: Documentary Noir, Millennials, and Conspiracy on Netflix", explores how generational detectives uncover hidden truths in a world shaped by neoliberal precarity and unresolved conspiracy. A must-read for fans of noir and contemporary media studies!

🔗 Read more: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9045-5329

01/27/2025

🎉 Big news!�

Our Professor Dann Downes was featured on CBC, sharing his thoughts on how social media and politics are shaping each other. It’s an important and fascinating conversation you won’t want to miss!�

📖 Read the article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/instagram-1.7437667�

We’re so proud to see UNB voices making an impact! 💙

01/27/2025

🎥 Check it out!
Our Professor Dann Downes speaks with CBC about Meta's fact-checking decision will affect Canadians 🌟

📺 Watch the full interview here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6615435