Kenzie Burchell

Assistant Professor

Kenzie Burchell is the Assistant Professor of Journalism in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media (UTSC) with a graduate appointment at the Faculty of Information (iSchool). He received his Ph.D. in Media and Communications (2012) from Goldsmiths, University of London, where he also acted as Course Convenor/Lecturer and Visiting Tutor. Prior to joining University of Toronto, Kenzie was the Research Associate of European Media Studies at the University of Manchester. This role drew heavily from his professional background in journalism with the BBC World Service and BBC Russian Service, as well as his prior media work for the Cabinet Office of the British Government and as the Representative of international press freedom organisation Reporters Sans Frontières in Moscow.

Kenzie’s current research is located in two distinct spheres, with a future research agenda investigating the linkages between them. As a media sociologist, he conducts sustained qualitative fieldwork into the role of technology and emerging media practices, focusing in particular on the use of mobile and online platforms in everyday life. Bringing together journalism studies and language-base area studies for policy-related outcomes, Kenzie also employs qualitative case studies and social media data analysis to conduct multi-national comparative research into contemporary journalism and foreign policy. Other areas of interest include Photography and Visual Communication, Surveillance Studies, as well as News Consumption and Information Sharing. Kenzie’s research-oriented photography has been exhibited internationally at such venues as the Dublin Science Gallery and the Venice Biennale, among others in the UK, Italy, and Japan.

In the 2014-2015 academic year, Kenzie will be leading the graduate course INF2124: Surveillance and Identity at the Faculty of Information (iSchool) over the Fall term, and the undergraduate courses CMA02: Inquiry and Reasoning in the Humanities and JOUB01: Covering Immigration and Transnational Issues in the Winter term at UTSC.

Education

B.A. (McGill), M.Sc. (London School of Economics), Ph.D. (Goldsmiths, University of London)