Schedule

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

Interdisciplinary Arts Festival 
Location: Morris Library, Music Room (3rd Fl)
All Day

Born Again Labor Museum - Adam Turl, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
The Born Again Labor Museum (BALM) is an ongoing visual and conceptual art project, and DIY community space, organized by Adam Turl and Tish Turl in Carbondale, Illinois.

Feeling Urgent - A Small Zine Library
Communications Building, Room 1251 + Morris Library, 3rd Floor Rotunda 

SESSION 1 - 9-10:30am 

Social Media - Help or Harm?
Morris Library, Room 752-754 (7th Fl)
Chair/Discussant: Fabienne Darling Wolf, 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) 
Chair/Discussant: Aaron Scott, SIU Carbondale 

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)
Chair/Discussant: Cinzia Padovani, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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)
Chair/Discussant: Lisa Brooten, SIU Carbondale 

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
Morris Library, Room 480A (4th Fl) 
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 - Steve 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 

Welcome
Dr. Sheryl Tucker, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

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)
Chair/Discussant: Joe Straubhaar, University of Texas, Austin
 
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)
Chair/Discussant: Eric Farr, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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)
Chair/discussant: Seung-Hee Lee, SIU Carbondale
  
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 

Understanding the Landscape of Media Literacy and Disinformation in Moldova - 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)
Chair/Discussant: Sakshi Bhati, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  
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  

Interdisciplinary Arts Festival 
Morris Library, Guyon Auditorum

Saturday, October 18th 

8-9am - Light breakfast, Communications Building, Northlight Studio - Room 1251

Interdisciplinary Arts Festival 
Location: Morris Library, Music Room (3rd Fl)
All Day

Born Again Labor Museum - Adam Turl, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
The Born Again Labor Museum (BALM) is an ongoing visual and conceptual art project, and DIY community space, organized by Adam Turl and Tish Turl in Carbondale, Illinois. 

SESSION 5 - 9-10:30am 

Tracing Critical Paths in the Global South: Communication, Care, and Community Resilience in Disorienting Times
Communications Building - Room 1046
Chair/Discussant: Saumya Pant, Ohio University 
 
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 - Dean's Conference Room (Room 1032)
Chair/Discussant: Melissa Santillana, Texas Tech
 
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 
Journalism Conference Room, Room 1201 Communications Building
Chair/discussant: Fabienne Darling-Wolf, Temple University 

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)
Chair/discussant: Jaime Gray, SIU Carbondale

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
Chair/Discussant: Melissa Santillana, Texas Tech 

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)
Chair/Discussant: Joe Straubhaar, UT Austin

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)
Chair/Discussant: Nilanjana Bardhan, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
 
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)
Chair/discussant: Jaime Gray, SIU Carbondale

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
Chair/discussant: Cinzia Padovani, SIU Carbondale

Singing Joik as a Form of Indigenous Resistance and Transformation: Emerging digital audio spaces for Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Norway - Saumya Pant, Ohio University  

Role in Thematically Analyzing Indigenous Online Content: Opportunities and Challenges - Victoria L. LaPoe, University of Cincinnati and Benjamin R. LaPoe, II, University of Cincinnati
 
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