Schedule
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Last Updated: Oct 06, 2025, 03:13 PM

Global Fusion 2025 | OCT 16–19, 2025 | Carbondale, IL
The Critical Path In Disorienting Times: Explorations, Practices, and Solidarities
Global Fusion 2025 will open with a Thursday evening reception on October 16 and run thru late-morning Sunday October 19.
Draft Program
(times may change so check the website frequently)
Thursday, October 16th
Registration & evening reception 7pm – Guyon Rotunda, Morris Library
Friday, October 17th
Registration & light breakfast 8-9am - Third Floor Rotunda, Morris Library
FRIDAY OCTOBER 17
SESSION 1 - 9-10:30am
Social Media - Help or Harm?
Morris Library, Room 752-754 (7th Fl)
Chair/Discussant: Fabienne Darling Wolf, Temple University
Echoes of Dehumanization?: A Thematic Analysis of Waz Mahfil Reels on Facebook Toward Religious Minorities in Bangladesh - Madhab Chandra Das, Temple University
#BigNyash #SmallNyash: Oppressive YouTube algorithmic signals and commodification politics in Nigerian sketch humor - Victor Kalalanda, Colorado State University
Social media, Money, and Messaging: Understanding Political Polarization in U.S. Elections from 2012 to 2024 - Kazi Mehedi Hasan, Southern Illinois University
Charting a Critical Path to Strategic Communication: Social Media Analytics Governance in Ghanaian Organizations - Paul Badasu, Ghana Institute of Journalism & Prof. Mavis Amo-Mensah, University of Education, Winneba
Deepfakes as new frontiers of decolonization discourses in the recently formed Alliance of Sahel States - Emmanuel Septime Sessou, Merrimack College
AI Panel 1: Applied AI in Education/Pedagogy, Design, & Business
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Marketing and Advertising: Predicting the Future of Consumer Engagement - Kavita Karan, Southern Illinois University, Ebru Bodur, Southern Illinois University & Bakina Wellars, Southern Illinois University
Toward Human-Centered Building Systems: Artificial Intelligence-Driven Dynamic Thermal Comfort Management and Control Using Natural Language Processing and Internet of Things - Farshad Kheiri, Southern Illinois University, Eric P Farr, Southern Illinois University & Amos Kalua, Southern Illinois University
Examining Patient Attitudes Toward AI Applications in Disease Assessment and Treatment - Jiangxue (Ashley) Han, Appalachian State University & Shanshan Lou, Appalachian State University
Communication for Social Change Panel 1: Development and Social Change 'Stakeholders’
Morris Library, American Heritage Room (3rd Fl)
Communication for Social Change: Addressing HPV Vaccine Hesitancy in Nigeria through Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement/submissions for the competition - Samira Galadima, Adda Girl Foundation & Anu Olagunju, Temple University
Celebrity Humanitarianism and Dignified Storytelling: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Viral Fundraising Videos in Global North and South Contexts - Rosie Nguyen, Cornell University
Stakeholder engagement and participation in the cycle of development project: a study of the USAID-funded RING II project in Ghana - Bismark Odum-Sackey, University of Education, Winneba
Photovoice to Dialogue about Community Development in Penda Community: A Participatory Research Approach in Ghana - Joshua W. Kampim, Ohio University
Understanding Donor Intervention Strategies in Basic Education in Rural Northern Ghana: A Case Study of the Nanton District - Erica Adzimah, Ohio University
10:30-10:45 BREAK
SESSION 2 - 10:45am - noon
Community Media and Local Autonomy
Morris Library, Room 752-754 (7th Fl)
The Coverage of Community Issues as Non-Negotiable Principle: Investigating the Programming of Rwanda Community Radio Stations - Wellars Bakina, Southern Illinois University
Forging Critical Paths Audience Gatekeeping, Algorithmic Visibility, and Journalistic Autonomy in Turkish Independent Media - Sumeyya Akdilek, Texas Tech University
Reclaiming Space, Reframing Power: Graffiti and Slogans as Counter-Discourse in South Asian Protest Culture - Didarul Islam Manik, Central New Mexico Community College
Media, Anti-capitalist Resistance and Environmental Politics
Morris Library, American Heritage Room (3rd Fl)
Chair/Discussant: Emmanuel Septime Sessou, Merrimack College
Learning to press the “off” button: What a small French rural community can teach us about environmental and anti-capitalist resistance - Fabienne Darling-Wolf, Temple University
From ecocide to genocide: Greta Thunberg as decolonial celebrity - Patrick D. Murphy, Temple University
Navigating crisis through comics: Mighty Joo as a path to environmental resistance in Ghana - Emmanuel Septime Sessou, Merrimack College
Cinema, Race and Labor
Chair/Discussant: Farrah Freibert
Between Dreams and Nightmares: A Textual Analysis of Black Horror and Afrofuturistic Works - Dajonea Robinson, Southern Illinois University
Locating Survivance in African American Films: A Journey to the Source - Damilola Adeleye Ojeyemi, Southern Illinois University
Interdisciplinary Arts Festival
Location: Morris Library, Front Lawn
Cosmic Surfing the Critical Path - Scott Garipe, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
R. Buckminster Fuller encouraged us to see the bigger picture, the larger(and smaller) patterns of living in Universe, to help us address the challenges, and do work it will take to pilot "Spaceship Earth" for the success of humanity. Teaching from a personally connective touchpoint of experience. Join the SIU STEM Education Research Center's Experiential Education Specialist and RBF Dome Home board member/educator Steve Gariepy for a kinesthetic ride through the cosmos inspired by Fuller's activity "Cosmic Surfing".
12-1 LUNCH
OPENING PLENARY PANEL – 1pm-2:30pm
Morris Library, Guyon Auditorium
Critical path-making: Reframing critical communication through encounter, play and generative connectivity
Opening remarks- Dr. Hong Cheng, Dean, College of Arts and Media, Southern Illinois University
Medicine on the Breath, Magic in the Making: Drawing from de-colonial processes for storytelling as path-making. Allen Turner, Assistant Professor of Game Development, Interactive Media, School of Design, DePaul University
The Dymaxion Boat: River travel as a critical path to connection in a hyper-mediated world - Joseph Underhill. Director Human Rights Foundation, Augsburg University, Environmental Studies Director, Associate Professor
A Critical Path Crossroads: Navigating a way forward through the artifacts of Buckminster Fuller - Elizabeth Donaghue, Assistant Director, University Honors Program, SIUC and Board President, Fuller Dome Home; Benjamin Lowder, artist, curator, Director, Fuller Dome (Geoscope), SIU Edwardsville and Fuller Dome Home board member
2:30-2:45 BREAK
SESSION 3 - 2:45-4:00pm
The Uneven Globalization of Four U.S. Streaming Giants: Economic Challenges, Inconsistent Strategies, Resurgence and Decline
Morris Library Room 752-754 (7th Fl)
Amazon Prime Video: From Silicon Valley to Hollywood Studios - Silvia DalBen Furtado, University of Texas-Austin
Disney+: The Struggle between Strategic Diversification, Localization, and Market Shock - Joe Straubhaar, University of Texas, Austin
“Indigenizing the Global:” The case of Reliance subsuming Disney+ in India - Swapnil Rai, University of Michigan
The Costs and Benefits of Vertical Integration in Netflix's Transnational Production and Distribution Circuit - Stuart Davis, City University of New York--Baruch College
Managing Brands and Mergers: WarnerBros Discovery’s Road to Max - Melissa Santillana, Texas Tech University
Food Narratives as Pedagogies For Cultural Resistance
American Heritage Room (3rd Floor), Morris Library
Chair/Discussant: Sara Lewison, SIU Carbondale
Comidas del Alma at Regis University - Camilo Perez, Regis University
The Soul Food Initiative at Slippery Rock University - Franklyn Charles, Slippery Rock University
Narrativas al Pie del Fogón - Jennifer Marsiglia
Higher Education in Disorienting Times
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl)
From Displacement to Opportunities: Exploring Afghan Refugee Women’s Access to Higher Education in the United States - Jamila Iqbal, Ohio University
Defining and Teaching Collaboration - Lucy Cashion, St Louis University
Exploring the Impact of U.S. Foreign Aid Suspension on International Students with Scholarships: A Creative Study - Kaung Latt, Ohio University
Humanitarian and Disaster Communication: Government and Community-Driven Solutions
Morris Library, Room 174 (1st Fl)
Institutional Approaches to Disaster Communication: Government and Nonprofit Use of Instagram During the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires - Eirene Binabiba, Ohio University & Ama Boatemaa Ofori-Birikorang, Ohio University
Data Ethics in Humanitarianism: The Politics of Data Collection and Representation in Crisis Response - Eirene Binabiba, Ohio University
The phenomenon of "quarry kids": Exploring parent and community perspectives on children engaged in quarry activities in Ghana - Ama Dufie Ofori-Birikorang, Ohio University
4:00-4:15 BREAK
SESSION 4 - 4:15-5:45pm
Journalism Panel 1: Precarity and Changing Journalistic Norms
American Heritage Room (3rd Floor), Morris Library
Chair/Discussant: Mehdi Semati, Northern Illinois University
Journalism at risk: Authoritarian threats against local and exiled journalists in Costa Rica -Celeste González de Bustamante, Silvia DalBen Furtado, Gustavo Fuchs, University of Texas at Austin
The role of independent journalism in contemporary Turkish civil protests - Caitlin Marie Miles, University of Texas at Dallas
Resilience in the Face of Falsehoods: How Moldovans Navigate Disinformation - Adriana Bzovii, Southern Illinois University
Counter hegemonic Initiatives: A Discussion on Challenges and Opportunities in Disorienting Times
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl)
Chair/discussant: Dafna Lemish, Rutgers University
Voices in Youth: Gen Z, Press Freedom, and Democratic Resistance in Contemporary Turkey - Ebru Bodur, Southern Illinois University
Community Media as a Tool for Inclusive Voices: Hindrances and Opportunities - Bakina Wellars, Southern Illinois University
Resistance through Sufi Poetry and Music in Post 9/11 Cinema: A Close Reading of the Film Khuda kay liye (In the Name of God) - Pervez Khan, Southern Illinois University
The changing face of creative political resistance in Pakistan - Sheezah Taimouri, Southern Illinois University
Health, Agency, and Community: Narratives of Awareness, Barriers, and Advocacy
Morris Library, Room 752-754 (7th Fl)
Breast Cancer Awareness an Agentic Perspective within the Social Cognitive Theory: An Analysis of Think Pink Malawi’s Walkathon - Jessie Gongolo, Ohio University
“When are you having another baby?”: Untold stories of traumatic experiences of women with childbirth and mothering - Rose Moremoholo, Ohio University
Understanding Non-Traditional Mental Health Support Systems in Rural Central Uganda - Joy Talemwa, Ohio University
Investigating the impact of socio-economic and healthcare barriers on Hepatitis B prevalence in Ghana - Mohammed Awal, Ohio University
Morris Library, Guyon Auditorum
Sound in Translation: A Program of Music, Storytelling and Movement
Daughter of Kasra, Banafsheh Amiri; Returning to the Path: Embracing global musical traditions - Christopher Butler, Southern Illinois University Carbondale; The Singing Trombone - Jessica Butler, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Saturday, October 18th
8-9am - Light breakfast
SESSION 5 - 9-10:30am
Tracing Critical Paths in the Global South: Communication, Care, and Community Resilience in Disorienting Times
Communications Building - location TBD
Chess Moves Social Change - Shalewa Babatayo, University of Central Florida
Community Organizing for Climate Change Resilience in Coastal Sierra Leone: A Critical Reflective Analysis of a Global South Community Driven Response to Climate Change Crisis - Usman Bah, University of Cincinnati
Reframing Mental Health Advocacy in Ghana - Victor Dei, University of Kentucky
Impact of Socio-Economic and Healthcare Barriers on Doctors’ Management and Prevention of Hepatitis B in Ghana - Mohammed Awal, Ohio University
Global TV Streaming, Audiences and the State
Communications Building - location TBD
Neoliberal, Patriarchal Fairytale of Marry My Husband - Sueen Kelsey, North Park University
Pop the balloon and find clout? SNL, Netflix and the hegemonic co-optation of a Black online dating show - Victor Kalalanda, Colorado State University
Netflix and Soft Nationalism: Korean popular culture goes global - Soo Hyung Kim, Temple University
Turkish Dramas in Iran: The State and Audiences - Mehdi Semati, Northern Illinois University & Azin Naderi Fasarani, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Gender Matters
Communications Building - location TBD
Contested Memories and Conflicting Narratives: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the “Iron Chain Woman” Incident in China - Ziwei Xu, Temple University
Exploitation of women’s bodies through science: A critical analysis of ‘Our Father’ Netflix’s documentary - Rose Matlhohonolofatso Moremoholo, Ohio University
Media coverage of LBGTQ+ as discourses of “rupture”: Muting the voices of inclusion and diversity in Ghana - Ama Boatemaa Ofori-Birikorang, Ohio University
10:30-10:45 BREAK
SESSION 6 - 10:45 - noon
AI Panel 2: Ideological implications of AI and new technologies
Morris Library, Room 722 (7th Fl)
AI, Politics, and Language: Comparing Linguistic Patterns in DeepSeek and OpenAI’s Political Ideology Discourses - Tasnuva Alam Ahona, University of Texas, Austin
Exploring Geographical Disparities in AI-Generated Images in the World's Largest Cities - Silvia DalBen Furtado, Celeste González de Bustamante, Tasnuva Ahona, Jiawen Yang, Carlo Byrd, Ke Wu, Shiv Ganesh, University of Texas at Austin
Artificial Intelligence in Architecture Pedagogy: Possibilities, Restrictions, and Implications - Eric Farr, Southern Illinois University & Poorang Piroozfar, University of Brighton
Communication for Social Change Panel 2: Participatory theater as a tool for social change
Morris Library Room 724 (7th Fl)
Collaborative Theatre Practices in Socially Sustainable Communities: Building Connectivity Through Collective Action in India and Ghana - Godfred Asare Yeboah, University of Education, Winneba
A Multifaceted Approach to Creating Stories that Reconnect Creators with Critical Paths in Disorienting Times: Photography, 360Video, and Theater of the Oppressed as Methods for Building Capacity and Indigenous Leadership in Amazonian Ecuador – Megan Westervelt, Ohio University & Jorge Castillo, Ohio University
Exploring Solid Waste Disposal Practices Ghanaians at Ohio University: Using Theatre for Development as a Tool for Awareness, Leading to Social Change - Esther Afriyie, Ohio University
Surrogate Mothers Act their Way to Empowerment: Role of Participatory Theater in Uncovering Narratives of Resistance and Transformation in India - Saumya Pant, Ohio University & Joy Talemwa, Ohio University
Creativity, Form and Modernism
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl)
Chair/Discussant: Sarah Lewison, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Buckminster Fuller’s Creative Pathways and Mid-twentieth Century Architecture - J. Kirk Irwin, Southern Illinois University
Reimagining Iranian Dance: Voice, Form, and Resistance - Banafsheh Amiri, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The Impact of the Entertainment-Education Show ‘By the Fireside’ on Ghanaian Students at Ohio University - Emmanuel Mensah, Ohio University
Rikidozan: Professional Wrestling and the Task of the Translator Through Four Eras – William Schwartz, Southern Illinois University
12-1 LUNCH
SESSION 7 – 1pm - 2:15pm
Precarity, Networking and Resistance
American Heritage Room (3rd Floor), Morris Library
Social Media and Grassroots Political Activism: The Case of the Ethiopian #NoMore Movement - Mikias Sissay, Temple University
Gig Work/ers in Neoliberal India: Platform Economy and Digital Labour in Baaki Vannavar (The Leftovers, 2022) and Zwigato - Sagar Krishna, Southern Illinois University
Neutered Networks & the Politics of Digital Feminist Activism in Turkey - Caitlin Marie Miles, University of Texas at Dallas
Global Climate Change and Sustainability Negotiations
Morris Library, Room 722 (7th Fl)
Chair/discussant:Patrick Murphy, Temple University
A Perspectival Report on the Just Transition Negotiations: Different Meanings of "Just" and "Transition" in the UN Climate Change Talks - Tom Duncanson
Understanding Sustainable Development Goals: The Communication Strategies Used in Ghana - Francis Ametepey, Ohio University
Reclaiming Voices through Festival for Development: Decolonizing Community Empowerment in Woarabeba - Bismark Odum-Sackey, University of Education, Winneba, Godfred Asare Yeboah, University of Education, Winneba, and Saumya Pant, Ohio University
The Critical Path: Streaming Platforms, Social Change, and Stability
Morris Library, Room 724 (7th Fl)
Debating the (South African) practice of polygamy in online audience discourses - Shelley Bradfield, Central College
Proximities Across Borders: Global TV Consumption, Identities and Intersections - Yesim Kaptan, Kent State University
From Television to the Internet: When a Rogue TV Detective Becomes a Real-life Mayor - Sebnem Baran, Smith College
Community-based health communication initiatives
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl)
Understanding the Perception of Fibroids among Women in Southern Malawi: A Narrative Approach - Jessie Gongolo, Ohio University
Understanding the Perspectives of Community Members on Health Communication Strategies of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) Program: A Health Communication Study in Rural Northern Ghana – Godsway Orison Otchere, Ohio University
Understanding Non-Traditional Mental Health Support Systems in Rural Central Uganda - Joy Talemwa, Ohio University
2:15-2:30pm BREAK
KEYNOTE PLENARY - 2:30-3:30 pm
Morris Library, Guyon Auditorium
Academic Immigrants in Pursuit of a Home and Solidarity
Dr Dafna Lemish, Distinguished Professor, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University
3:30-3:45 BREAK
SESSION 8 - 3:45-5:15pm
Journalism Panel 2: Strategies of Media Use
Morris Library, Room 722 (7th Fl)
Chair/Discussant: Xinle Jia, SIU Carbondale
Somali Immigrants and Media Use for Political Integration in the United States - Abukar Sanei, Ohio University
Framing the Revolution: How News Media Constructed the July 2024 Uprising in Bangladesh - Didarul Islam Manik, Jahidul Islam Sarker & Tariqul Islam, Central New Mexico Community College
Contesting the Balance of Power: America Shifts its Russia-Ukraine War Perspective, Marcia P. Neeley, Arizona State University
She Speaks Anyway: Women Experts' Engagement Strategies with the News Media in Ghana - Betty Kankam-Boadu, Ohio University
Developing Ethical Guidelines for Reporting Gender-Based Violence in Pakistan: Lessons from SPJ and VAWA - Zoya Fateh Muhammad, Ohio University
Identity, Creativity, and Signifyin’
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl)
Art, Activism and Authority: The Role of Folklore Artists in Civic Democratization in Kyrgyzstan - Chyntemir Kalbaev, Ohio University
Emancipating Identity: Men Adorning Dreadlocks in Accra, Ghana - David Tetteh, Ohio University
Corporate Identity Management Practices: The Case of a leading multinational telecommunications company in Ghana - Kaithlyn Koomson, University of Education, Winneba
Mexican reception of Netflix’s foreign TV scripted series: A survey of audiences in Monterrey and Guadalajara - José Carlos Lozano, Beatriz Elena Inzunza Acedo & David Gonzalez Hernandez, Texas A&M International University
Indigenous Digital Resistance: Culture, Media, and Sovereign
American Heritage Room (3rd Floor), Morris Library
Singing Joik as a Form of Indigenous Resistance and Transformation: Emerging digital audio spaces for Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Norway - Saumya Pant, Ohio University
ChatGPT AI's Role for Indigenous Language Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges - Victoria L. LaPoe, Ohio University and Benjamin R. LaPoe, II, Ohio University
Relationality in Indigenous Feminism – A Qualitative Study of Women’s Collective Empowerment - Aazadi Fateh Muhammad, Ohio University
SATURDAY EVENING PARTY – BUCKWATER BREW WORKS AND WHISKEY HOUSE, 213 E Main St, Carbondale, IL 62901 - 7-10pm
Sunday, October 19th
Global Fusion business meeting – Dean's Conference Room (1032), Communications Building - 8am.
If you have any questions, email us at: global.fusion.2025@siu.edu