Introduction
FIMS recognizes that inclusivity means not just reducing barriers to access but fostering an environment in which diverse people, programs, and approaches can find their home and flourish. At FIMS, diversity is complex. It refers to a range of social differences from race, gender, nationality and social class to language, physical ability, and neurodiversity. We pay close attention to how differences intersect in the lives of people and communities and how those intersections affect our experiences and opportunities.
Access to media and information, and the broader access they make possible, are central to enabling a more just world, but media and information systems also bear traces of a colonial, patriarchal and white supremacist legacy. Foregrounding ethical engagement while remaining attentive to injustice shapes FIMS’ continuing commitments to inclusivity. FIMS develops itself in dialogue with historically under-represented or marginalized communities and persons. Growth through inclusion also signifies reciprocity and generosity—guiding principles in addressing the need for reconciliation and imagining the future paths we might tread. In growing through inclusion, FIMS responds to the priorities laid out in Towards Western at 150 and the University’s Indigenous Strategic Plan to enhance our numbers while using that aspiration to redress inequities. We aim to keep becoming an expansive and vibrant place to research, teach, work and learn.
Relation to Western Strategic Plan: 1. Grow strategically, 5. Invest in people, community and culture, 6. Concentrate on place, 7. Engage the world beyond our London campus
Selected Work in Progress
FIMS has appointed 10 new full-time faculty members since 2019 who represent a broad range of academic and creative traditions and social identities. As has been true historically, this period of faculty renewal broadens FIMS’ ability to respond to transformations in information environments, scholarly landscapes and media industries
The new BA Creative Arts and Production program launched in September 2022, combining the expertise of three faculties (FIMS, Arts & Humanities, and Music) and enabling CAP students to benefit from a network of opportunities and connections. The CAP curriculum represents a shift towards exploring multi-modality, cross-faculty collaboration, cultural expression and community creativity
Our research-based master’s programs Media Studies and Health Information Science are now available as one-year options, retaining their intellectual rigour while providing a more compact curriculum and greater access for more students
Looking Ahead We Will
Offer a fully online MLIS degree. Alongside our well-established, on-site MLIS, an online program will improve geographical, professional, and economic access for prospective students. We plan to launch in September 2025
In partnership with the Registrar and Western International, expand our international recruitment efforts aimed at undergraduate students seeking to study media and information (MIT, DigiComm) and cultural production (CAP)
With the support of an Indigenous Programs Coordinator to be appointed in 2023/24, recruit Indigenous students to all FIMS programs, with specific focus on MIT, MLIS and CAP. Develop a strategy that supports student success from start to finish
Foster an academic community based on trust, respect, possibility and the Faculty’s research and curricular goals. Ask: what do we want an encounter with FIMS to feel like for members of the FIMS community and for newcomers, alumni and guests? How do we each contribute?