Erin C. Macleod 45 Wellington Drive Apt
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Erin C. MacLeod 45 Wellington Drive Apt. 3 Kingston 6 Jamaica, West Indies 876-461-8068 [email protected] EDUCATION McGill University Sept 2004 – Nov 2009 Montreal, Quebec Doctor of Philosophy Communication Studies Dissertation title: “Leaving out of Babylon, into whose father’s land? The Ethiopian Perception of the Repatriated Rastafari” Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Sterne Concordia University Sept 2000 – June 2001 Montreal, Quebec Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies First Class honours University of Toronto Sept 1999 – July 2000 Toronto, Ontario Master of Arts English Literature, Honours McGill University Sept 1995 – June 1999 Montreal, Quebec Bachelor of Arts, First Class honours English Literature APPOINTMENTS Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies Aug 2011 – Present Mona, Jamaica I am a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellow, working at the Institute of Caribbean Studies, specifically with the Rastafari Studies Unit. I am investigating the extent to which the contemporary reality of Ethiopia informs the contemporary idea of Ethiopia among Rastafari in Jamaica, which is where the majority of repatriates originate. Specifically, I am examining how Ethiopia functions within Rastafari spiritual practice and experience, and how the sacred connection with Ethiopia contributes to the decision to repatriate as well as how the relationship gives way to practical outcomes for sustainable social and community development. I am co-teaching a course in Globalization and Rastafari, looking at Rastafari in urban environments worldwide. I have lectured in the English, Cultural Studies, Anthropology and Sociology departments. Also, I am collating and editing the papers from the 2010 Rastafari Studies Conference. Additionally, I am also continuing to work on three papers, one dealing with reggae in Ethiopia, one with international musical collaboration between Jamaica and the international musical community, and one regarding the media discussion of pan-Africanism and Rastafari in Jamaica. Vanier College St. Laurent, Quebec May 2001 – May 2011 As an instructor in the English department, I designed and taught both Continuing Education and Day courses. Courses I designed included: Postcolonial theory and West Indian Culture, Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity in Contemporary Canadian Literature and Film, Cyberpunk Science Fiction and Film, Reading Television as Text, and Romanticism. I also taught workforce integration and career orientation in the Document Design and Multimedia Technology department. In addition, also worked as the Assistant Coordinator of the English department, where one of my main responsibilities was teacher orientation and training. I acted as a consultant to the International Educational Cooperation committee, the College Diversity committee, and the Strategies for Student Success committee. I was also one of the founders of Vanier’s Black Studies Program. I gained experience in teaching students from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. I also developed my ability to teach strong communication skills alongside media literacy. McGill University Sept 2008 – Jan 2009 Montreal, Quebec Teaching Assistant for the course History of Communication. My duties included marking assignments and exams, holding office hours, and developing short lectures on subjects related to the course content. I learned how to conduct effective small seminars as well as larger lectures while working alongside the professor of this course. Programme d'aide à la recherche sur Dec 2007 – Dec 2008 l'enseignement et l'apprentissage/Teaching and apprenticeship research support program (PAREA) Montreal, Quebec Through the PAREA program, which funds initiatives regarding teaching, I worked as a research assistant and project liaison for a research project entitled “Factors Promoting the Effective Integration and Professional Development of New Teachers by Academic Departments”. This project provided valuable experience in collecting data from numerous sources and collaborating with multiple partners. Afrika Beza College May 2007 – Aug 2007 Shashemene, Ethiopia As part of the college’s continuing education program, I worked as an English language instructor to students of varying abilities. My teaching strategies had to be flexible and adaptive as I was working with classes of between 150-200 students. Feb 2003 – April 2003 CARDIN Kingston, Jamaica Project and Communications Support Officer, Caribbean Disaster Information Network, University of the West Indies, Mona. I co-wrote the publication Pioneers in Caribbean Disaster Information Management as well as numerous articles for the CARDIN newsletter, distributed to Geography departments worldwide. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, this position enabled me to learn not only about the demands of international development work, but also required that I improve my skills as media liaison, connecting CARDIN with news outlets throughout the Caribbean. College de Vieux Montreal Sept 2001 – Aug 2002 Montreal, Quebec Associate English Language instructor. I assisted instructors in the English language department and worked to create activities that encouraged students to practice spoken and written English. Through this position, I developed my skills working with students for whom English is not their first language. University of Toronto Jan 2000 – May 2000 Toronto, Ontario As a teaching assistant for the course Children’s Literature and Popular Culture, I had my first experience learning about the needs of undergraduate cultural and communication studies students. My responsibilities included marking essays and exams as well as holding regular office hours so as to be available to address student queries. McGill University Sept 1998 – Aug 1999 Montreal, Quebec Research Assistant. Working with Professor Robert Lecker, I aided in the completion of articles on the subject of Canadian publishing and helped to begin a study on Canadian content regulations and the development of Canadian popular music. Demos Langues May 1998 – August 1998 Paris, France I worked as an English language instructor to executives and government officials. It was my responsibility to conduct needs assessments and evaluations of student progress. I learned a great deal about the needs of ESL learners who required specific training for specific contexts. OTHER EXPERIENCE Habitat for Humanity International 2004 – Present Guyana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal I am a team leader for Habitat for Humanity Ethiopia where I have led eight international volunteer builds since 2005 including five builds to Ethiopia. All of my builds have taken place in urban environments. My role is to help integrate international volunteers into remote communities and provide an understanding of local culture and language. I was first a volunteer with Habitat in Ethiopia in 2004 and have also led teams to Guyana, Kenya and Senegal. I also organized a successful fundraising concert for Habitat in Montreal. In addition, I have attended three international leadership conferences as part of Habitat for Humanity International. Throughout my experience with Habitat for Humanity, I have honed my skills in teamwork as well as leadership, and gained valuable knowledge regarding the challenges of an international NGO. Mango Communications Summer 2007 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia In Addis Ababa, I worked as a researcher and writer for a communications firm involved in the development of public service/information campaigns (broadcast and print) for dissemination throughout Ethiopia. My specific focus was on women’s issues, and I worked with other researchers to learn about the different cultural needs of various ethnic groups throughout Ethiopia so as to adapt media and communications to local needs. ECW Press Jan 2001 – Jan 2003 Montréal, Québec I worked in various capacities at ECW, a medium sized publishing house in Montreal, Quebec. My job included overseeing production of particular book projects, acting as photo and image editor, recruiting and selecting designers and typesetters, writing promotional material, soliciting potential writers, and reviewing book proposals. I developed skills in editing (both substantive and copy editing), fact checking and copy writing while at ECW. University College Residences Sept 1999 – Sept 2000 University of Toronto Working as a Senior Don at Sir Daniel Wilson Residence Hall, I was responsible for creating a comfortable environment for undergraduates of varying ages. My job included organizing residence wide programming relevant to student concerns, organizing and facillitating student committees, mediating disputes, conducting disciplinary investigations, and providing both academic and personal counselling as needed. McGill University Residences Sept 1998 – Sept 1999 Montréal, Québec As a Residence Advisor, I was responsible for making the residence an enjoyable and comfortable environment for first year students. This included being available for academic and personal counseling, educational programming, providing information about various opportunities and events at McGill and in the Montréal community, ensuring adherence to residence rules, as well as organizing events to promote positive social interaction. Ongoing training in areas such as counseling and crisis intervention was a requirement. COMMUNITY SERVICE Youth Opportunities Unlimited: Presently, I am volunteering in Kingston, Jamaica, teaching inner-city high