Christopher J . Schneider | Brandon University (original) (raw)

Books by Christopher J . Schneider

Lexington Press, 2024

Policing and Social Media: Social Control in an Era of Digital Media 2nd Edition investigates var... more Policing and Social Media: Social Control in an Era of Digital Media 2nd Edition investigates various public aspects of the management, use, and control of social media by police agencies in Canada. Every chapter in this 2/ed has been updated with contemporary examples and analysis.

Routledge, 2024

A basic premise of public scholarship is making academic work and related ideas accessible and av... more A basic premise of public scholarship is making academic work and related ideas accessible and available to publics. Media engagement, whether interviews with news journalists, or the use of hashtags, is a necessary feature of any public scholarship. Media formats play a fundamental and interactive role in how people ultimately come to view and understand the social world having had a discernable influence on election outcomes, responses to global pandemics, and so on. The question is not whether scholars should engage with media but how to do so. Drawing on fifteen years of experience that includes hundreds of print, radio, and television news interviews, dozens of published opinion pieces, and the use of social media for public engagement, this book outlines a practical easy-to-follow approach to doing public sociology in media that consists of, and brings together, interrelated forms of media engagement. This book also offers some advice pertaining to career advancement and provides strategies to avoid negative experiences. Doing Public Scholarship will be of general interest to those wanting to go public with their research.

University of Regina Press, 2022

This book is about sexual misconduct and media; but fundamentally this book is about power. Power... more This book is about sexual misconduct and media; but fundamentally this book is about power. Power is actualized in defining social situations, and mass media play a consequential role in how individuals define, understand, and act upon social situations. Mass media have served as an important conduit for waging wars, election outcomes, responses to global pandemics, and the widespread social recognition of sexual misconduct—our focus in this book. In 2015, the New York Times—arguably among the most influential media outlets in the world—ran just a single headline with the term “sexual misconduct.” Three years later the New York Times ran seventy-four headlines, an average of more than one headline per week. This shift in mass media coverage is reflective of significant changes in public discourse about sexual harm.
Where sexual harassment emerged as a construct principally through workplace policy and law, and the discursive concept of sexual assault was developed through legal and criminal justice institutions, we suggest that sexual misconduct, as a social construct, developed through mass media. Further, unlike sexual harrassment and sexual assault, what constitutes sexual misconduct ranges quite considerably from consensual encounters (e.g., employer restrictions of any sexual relationships between coworkers) to criminal assault and rape. For this reason, we contend that the discourse of sexual misconduct is unique from all other forms of sexual harm because it covers a much broader symbolic terrain than any of its related counterparts. A basic argument advanced in this book is that the social concept of sexual misconduct developed through mass media, contributing to changes in interpreting and defining social affairs at the institutional and individual levels.

Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2019

Co-edited with Stacey Hannem, Carrie Sanders, Aaron Doyle, and Antony Christensen This book offe... more Co-edited with Stacey Hannem, Carrie Sanders, Aaron Doyle, and Antony Christensen

This book offers a broad vision across, and critique of, contemporary preventive practices and technologies for controlling risks of crime and terrorism. Its eight chapters offer diverse views into multifarious preventive security efforts in the 21st century across eight empirical sites, and the potential for injustice in these justice measures. While the empirical foci explored here are deliberately very diverse, we see common themes that help us examine the evolution of crime control and ramping up of preventive security more broadly in 21st century Western democracies. These empirical studies allow the authors to revisit and update theoretical discussions of “actuarial justice” (Feeley and Simon 1992), “policing the risk society” (Ericson and Haggerty 1997), the rise of surveillance (Lyon 2007; 2015), or of “precrime” approaches to justice (Zedner 2007).

Rowman & Littlefield, 2016

This book is about understanding how social media contribute to changes in police social contro... more This book is about understanding how social media contribute to changes in police social control efforts. Police are a basic social control agency. Social control is understood as the ability to define a situation. Police provide the authorized definition of given situations. Social control is accomplished as a symbolically constituted and negotiated social process that includes how the public accepts police definitions. Social media changes how definitions are negotiated and accepted (or not) in part due to the circulation of accounts and documents provided online by citizens. The purpose of this book is to explore how social media change police social control efforts, including media formats and police control practices (chapter 1), the emergence of crime 2.0 (chapter 2), how police respond to crime including riots (Facebook – chapter 3), police use social media to communicate with the public (Twitter – chapter 4), and how police have less control over the circulation of crime information (YouTube – chapter 5). In the book’s Conclusion, I summarize with a short discussion of recommendations for future research on policing practices on social media.

University of British Columbia Press, 2014

In 2004, Michael Burawoy challenged sociologists to move beyond the ivory tower and into the real... more In 2004, Michael Burawoy challenged sociologists to move beyond the ivory tower and into the realm of activism, to engage in public discourses about what society could or should be. His call to arms sparked intense debate among sociologists. Which side would "sociology" take? Who would define "the norm," and how could public sociology possibly speak for all sociologists?

In this volume, which opens with a foreword by Michael Burawoy, leading Canadian sociologists continue the debate by discussing not only how and why they should do sociology but also how ethical judgments influence sociological practice and the evaluation of research. Most importantly, they ask whether and under what circumstances sociologists should advocate for social change. Regardless of whether they focus on activism, research, theory, or teaching, the contributors offer insights into where the discipline is heading and why it matters to people inside and outside the university.

As public sociology claims a larger voice in public debates, questioning its methods and underlying mission becomes increasingly important. This rigorous and provocative volume lays the foundation for future conversations.

SAGE, 2013

In order to prepare a successful research project, a qualitative researcher often must consult me... more In order to prepare a successful research project, a qualitative researcher often must consult media documents of various types. Authors David L. Altheide and Christopher J. Schneider show readers how to obtain, categorize, and analyze these different media documents in this entry in the Qualitative Research Methods series. They look at traditional primary documents such as newspapers and magazines but also at more recent forms--television newscasts and cyberspace. The use of student examples of research protocols makes this book a useful primer in deriving meaning from the bombardment of media documents a qualitative researcher faces.

Ashgate, 2012

Academics often direct their research 'across' in order to examine issues that grip members of th... more Academics often direct their research 'across' in order to examine issues that grip members of the middle classes, or 'down' in order to understand the difficulties workers and other marginalized groups endure. Research that is directed 'up' at individuals and groups with positions of greater wealth and power is less common, yet 'studying up' can contribute to our understanding of growing inequality, economic polarization and social change by studying the rich, powerful and elite in our society.

Presenting the latest empirical case studies from Canada, The USA and Australia, this volume explores the challenges and difficulties involved in conducting research amongst the rich and elite, whilst shedding light on the manner in which power is harnessed, protected and controlled to manage and manipulate resources. A demonstration of the importance of studying up to our understanding of decision-making, governance and the nature of contemporary democracy in the global economy, Researching Amongst Elites will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists and geographers working in areas such as social research methods, social stratification, the sociology of elites and relations of class, wealth and power.

Special Issues by Christopher J . Schneider

Symbolic Interaction, 2016

Symposium on Public Sociology – Special Issue (Guest Editor)

Selected Articles & Chapters by Christopher J . Schneider

Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 2025

Digital media and information technologies provide challenges and opportunities for social scient... more Digital media and information technologies provide challenges and opportunities for social scientists to examine historical and contemporary mediated cultural products and experiences. Qualitative Media Analysis (QMA) is an application of qualitative research methodology for the study of documents. A document is broadly defined as any symbolic or textual representation that is recordable and retrievable, including aural, video, and digital recordings, print, photographs, and visual images. Distinct from quantitative approaches of “content analysis” that treats enumerations as relevant findings, QMA utilizes an investigator’s ethnographic immersion in selected documents to discern meanings and thematic emphases as a feature of the mediated contexts of use and interpretation. We outline QMA research designs and selected findings on print, visual, and digital media, including various phases of internet content, X (formerly Twitter) Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. We conclude with a brief discussion of the importance (and prospects) of QMA in symbolic interactionist research drawing attention to issues concerning how some digital documents can add additional layers of complexity to QMA research projects.

Symbolic Interaction, 2025

How situations are defined is a social process. This paper examines how users on YouTube make sen... more How situations are defined is a social process. This paper examines how
users on YouTube make sense of the alleged sexual assault perpetrated
by shock rocker Marilyn Manson in the 2007 “Heart Shaped-Glasses
(When the Heart Guides the Hand)” music video. Actor Evan Rachel
Wood revealed in a 2022 documentary that she had been “essentially
raped” by Manson in the video. Using qualitative media analysis, we
collected and analyzed a total of 5466 user-generated comments on
YouTube posted in response to the “Heart-Shaped Glasses” video after
the publication of Wood’s allegations. The research question that we
explore is: How do users on YouTube understand the “Heart-Shaped
Glasses” video in light of Wood’s allegations? Does the video depict
a consensual simulated sex scene or is it documentation of a criminal
sexual assault? Our analysis and findings reveal that users’ interpretations
of social cues provided in the video are subject to external
forces of narration. Specifically, users draw explicitly and implicitly
on both rape myths and on counter-narratives stemming from the
#MeToo movement to justify their support for Manson or for Wood,
respectively. Media narratives about the “Heart-Shaped Glasses” video
and the user’s orientation to the problem of sexual violence appear to
be more salient social cues than the video footage itself in determining
how commenters defined the video. These findings offer some insights
specifically into how definitional processes, with respect to sexual
violence, draw on socially established narratives, like rape myths or pro-survivor activism. More generally, the findings provide a lens to
consider how definitional processes operate in other kinds of situations
in which the definition of actions recorded on video is contested.
Video Abstract: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo7qxmTwA-U.

Policing & Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy, 2024

This qualitative study investigates public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada ... more This qualitative study investigates public perceptions of police
encampment clearances in Canada and France. Our focus is on how
YouTube users in these two countries judge police conduct in response
to videos of police clearing encampments. Research on police public
perceptions and police legitimacy typically focuses on public views of
the police institution and perceptions stemming from direct interactions
with officers. An analysis of YouTube comments on police intervention
videos offers important insights into a relatively unexplored
intermediate case: the mediated judgements on concrete, specific
police action from individuals outside of the perceived police
intervention. Further, the scholarship specifically examining social media
and public perceptions of policing in cross-national contexts is almost
nonexistent. To address these gaps, we ask the following: What do
comments on YouTube in response to videos of police encampment
clearances reveal about police legitimacy in Canada and France as
perceived by social media users? A total of 8,091 user-generated
comments across 25 Canadian YouTube videos and 7,086 comments
across 29 French YouTube videos were collected, sorted, and examined
using qualitative media analysis. Our analysis confirms that the issue of
police legitimacy generates dissensus and polarisation. It demonstrates
that public perceptions of the legitimacy of the police clearance are
strongly tied to the legitimacy of the encampment itself, and more
broadly to moral judgements about the groups targeted by the police.
Our findings also reveal that French police are more often perceived as
violent than their Canadian counterparts.

Symbolic Interaction, 2023

People offer accounts in response to actions that are subjected to valuative inquiry. Recordings ... more People offer accounts in response to actions that are subjected to valuative inquiry. Recordings of police actions captured on body-worn camera (BWC) video can become subject to valuative inquiry when footage is publicly released. This footage may possibly undermine police legitimacy. Managing legitimacy is a basic rationale for why police provide accounts in response to their conduct. Proponents of BWCs assert that the devices enhance legitimacy and, while police have long used accounts to justify their conduct, less is known about how body cameras affect police accountability in practice. Drawing from Scott and Lyman's accounts theory framework, this qualitative, exploratory study examines official police accounts as both outcomes of police accountability in practice and as provided in the context of news media coverage of publicly released body-worn camera footage. This allows us to ask the following questions: What types of accounts have police officials provided in news media reports in the context of publicly released BWC footage? And, more generally, what insight might an analysis of police accounts provide about accountability in relation to the implementation of BWCs? A key finding reveals that the timing of police accounts varied quite considerably, and that accounts were usually not static. The findings provide some general insight into what kinds of actions captured on body camera recordings constitute acceptable use of force by officers, even in situations when police actions resulted in death. This study also provides a small empirical window into when and how police officials provide accounts in response to publicly released body camera footage.

Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society (CCJLS), 2021

Police are recognized as primary producers of social order, and social media factor into the proc... more Police are recognized as primary producers of social order, and social media factor into the process of gaining the co-operation of citizens in ways that serve the interests of police. In this short commentary piece, I provide an overview of police use of social media and highlight some recent thematic examples from 2020 to illustrate how police use of social media is consistent with “bureaucratic propaganda,” a less understood and more recent development in contemporary police practices online.

Public Criminology: Reimagining Public Education and Research Practice , 2023

Public criminology is foremost concerned with public understandings of crime and can include enga... more Public criminology is foremost concerned with public understandings of crime and can include engaging in forms of public education by providing expertise to journalists and participating in media debates about crime and related matters. Much of what has been written and discussed about public criminology regarding media engagement has mostly concerned legacy media like news outlets. Almost no attention has focused on social media platforms. In addressing this gap, this chapter investigates public criminology on Twitter using #publiccriminology. A total of 441 tweets with #publiccriminology over a period of eleven years were collected and examined using Qualitative Media Analysis, a methodological approach that emphasizes the process through which discourse is presented to audiences. The findings reveal that #publiccriminology was used by criminologists primarily as an identity marker rather than for the purposes of developing an online community or necessarily contributing to dialogical relations between criminologists and publics. The findings herein also demonstrate that #publiccriminology was not utilized by criminologists as a pedagogical tool that with the potential of bringing criminological materials into direct conversation with publics on Twitter. Suggestions for future research are noted.

Studies in Social Justice, 2021

Public criminology is concerned with public understandings of crime and policing and public discu... more Public criminology is concerned with public understandings of crime and policing and public discussions of such matters by criminologists and allied social scientists. For the purposes of this paper, these professionals are individuals identified by journalists on the basis of academic credentials or university affiliation as those who can speak to crime matters. This qualitative study investigates media statements made by criminologists and allied social scientists following the 2020 murder of George Floyd with two questions in mind: How have they responded to debates over reforming, defunding, and abolishing police? What insight can these responses provide about public criminology more generally? I analyze statements offered by criminologists in news reports and on Twitter using Qualitative Media Analysis, an approach that emphasizes the processes through which discourse is presented to audiences. I argue that recent criminological debates in the media concerning the future of policing have exposed unresolvable tensions among scholars who engage in the practice of public criminology, suggesting that the public is not receiving coherent, authoritative messages about these issues. The findings also raise questions about public criminology and illuminate new concerns regarding scholarly expertise related to knowledge claims and credibility relative to social justice.

Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Sociology , 2022

The core aim of this Handbook focuses on how to achieve excellence in our sociology courses and a... more The core aim of this Handbook focuses on how to achieve excellence in our sociology courses and across the curriculum. This chapter explores the “how to” in relation to engendering a public sociology. While it has been asserted that “students are our first public” (Burawoy 2005:7), an approach to public sociology also necessarily involves members of the general public. Thus, to promote public sociology in the curriculum is to simultaneously promote it to publics, not only our students as publics, but also to lay members of the public outside of the curriculum. With this particular aim in mind, in what follows, drawing from previous and ongoing public sociology projects, I outline three ways how one might both practice and promote public sociology.

The Handbook of Symbolic Interaction , 2021

The entirety of symbolic interactionism has taught us that above all social order is a symbolical... more The entirety of symbolic interactionism has taught us that above all social order is a symbolically communicated order. Police are seen as primary reproducers of social order and mass media play an essential role in the process in helping police to gain the co-operation of citizens in matters that serve the interests of police (Ericson, 1982). More recently, social media also contribute to the symbolic process in which police gain citizen co-operation and accomplish social order. Building upon and developing some previous research (Schneider, 2015a, 2016, 2018, 2019), this chapter discusses some contemporary ways police agencies have shifted to the use of digital technologies, a process that has altered modern forms of police work, such as how police agencies respond to citizen viral videos of police misconduct. In what follows, I provide an overview of recent developments and incorporate some additional empirical examples in order to illustrate the manner in which police use of social media has altered institutional police practices to include new ways of conditioning the public, self-promotion, and the expansion of social control, all key facets in the reproduction of social order. A basic argument is that police use of social media sites has changed the public face of police work in a manner that is consistent with the logic of social media. Police agencies develop new ways of using social media to meet institutional and strategic objectives in ways that align with the immediate and emotive logic of social media, where increased importance is placed upon media performance.

Lexington Press, 2024

Routledge, 2024

University of Regina Press, 2022

Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2019

Co-edited with Stacey Hannem, Carrie Sanders, Aaron Doyle, and Antony Christensen This book offe... more Co-edited with Stacey Hannem, Carrie Sanders, Aaron Doyle, and Antony Christensen

Rowman & Littlefield, 2016

University of British Columbia Press, 2014

SAGE, 2013

Ashgate, 2012

Symbolic Interaction, 2016

Symposium on Public Sociology – Special Issue (Guest Editor)

Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 2025

Symbolic Interaction, 2025

Policing & Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy, 2024

Symbolic Interaction, 2023

Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society (CCJLS), 2021

Public Criminology: Reimagining Public Education and Research Practice , 2023

Studies in Social Justice, 2021

Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Sociology , 2022

The Handbook of Symbolic Interaction , 2021

Revue Criminologie, 2021

A review of the extent research on police body worn cameras (BWCs) reveals that the literature is... more A review of the extent research on police body worn cameras (BWCs) reveals that the literature is narrow, with a principle focus on the possible deterrent effects that BWCs may have on use of force by police and on citizen (mis)behaviour during police-citizen interactions. This paper draws from our published research and the available empirical evidence as well as a few topically relevant anecdotes to help illustrate three woefully under-researched areas that underscore the current support and use of BWCs. These areas are: (1) the marketing and sale of body camera technology to law enforcement, (2) the use of body camera footage as police promotional materials; and, lastly, (3) the use of visual evidence in the courtroom that increasingly includes materials taken from police body cameras. We argue that an understanding of these three areas supported by additional empirical data remains necessary in order to have a more rounded and critical awareness of how and why BWCs are being implemented by law enforcement agencies. We conclude with a short discussion and offer a few suggestions for future research.

Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research, 2021

This exploratory study examines some of the situational outcomes as presented in news coverage of... more This exploratory study examines some of the situational outcomes as presented in news coverage of police encounters with citizens in which the police definition of the situation was not followed. According to organizational studies scholar John Van Maanen people labelled and treated as “assholes” by officers can be subject to arrests that rely principally on post facto accounts including “disorderly conduct,” “assaulting a police officer,” “disturbing the peace,” and “resisting arrest.” This paper investigates coverage of “assholes” with an eye upon reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing us to ask the question: What can we learn about pandemic policing from examining news coverage of “assholes” during COVID-19? The novel coronavirus was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) China office on December 31, 2019. On March 11, 2020 the WHO officially declared the global COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. An examination of news reports from December 31, 2019 until mid-May 2020 (before and after COVID-19 was named a pandemic) using qualitative media analysis reveals that the pandemic has seemingly augmented the ability of police to act as front line moral entrepreneurs with an unparalleled position as rule enforcers authorized with the state sanctioned authority to use violence. A consequence of this pandemic shift is the expansion of police powers where routine activities become situational determinants that might influence police arrests. The findings herein provide a pandemic era window into police behaviour that occurs beyond the scope of procedural justice. Suggestions for future research are noted.

Studies in Symbolic Interaction Vol. 52, 2021

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are quickly becoming standardized police equipment. Axon Enterprises, a ... more Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are quickly becoming standardized police equipment. Axon Enterprises, a United States company based in Scottsdale, Arizona is the currently the worldwide purveyor of BWCs having near complete control over the police body camera market. In 2012, the company launched their Axon Flex body camera alongside claims about the efficacy of these devices. While the research is expanding, scholarship has yet to explore the role that stakeholders like Axon may play in the implementation of body cameras across police services. This empirical paper examines claims made by Axon in media in relation to the efficacy of their body cameras over a six-year period (2012-2018). Three themes relative to our analysis of Axon claims emerged: officer and community safety; cost and officer efficiency; and accountability and transparency. A basic finding that cut across all three themes is that most of Axon’s claims appear to be shaped by beliefs and assumptions. We also found that Axon’s claims were mostly predicated on the market (i.e., financial considerations), rather than say scientifically or legally grounded. Some suggestions for future research are noted.

Building Sexual Misconduct Cases Against Powerful Men , 2019

According to Erving Goffman (1963), stigma as a categorization is not static. Rather, Goffman (19... more According to Erving Goffman (1963), stigma as a categorization is not static. Rather, Goffman (1963) asserts: "it should be seen that a language of relationships, not attributes, is really needed. An attribute that stigmatizes one type of possessor can confirm the usualness of another, and therefore is neither creditable nor discreditable as a thing in itself." (p.3)
In this chapter, to gain insight into the stigmatization process, we examine a decade’s worth of news reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post (January 1, 2008- January 1, 2018) covering allegations of sexual misconduct made against Donald J. Trump and Harvey Weinstein. The Trump and Weinstein cases share some basic similarities. Trump and Weinstein both are recognized as powerful moguls, both were recorded on tape boasting about their alleged misconduct, and both have been the subject of various sexual misconduct allegations for years. Why one of these men became the President of the United States and the other disgraced is a question pondered by many people (see North & Klein, 2017, as one of many examples). While a definitive answer may never be forthcoming, we can begin to make some sense of these events by examining news media coverage of the allegations against each man. We use qualitative media analysis (QMA) (Altheide & Schneider, 2013) to document and understand the allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in news reports in order to reveal the stigmatization process at work (or lack thereof). We then discuss the insights that analyses of these two cases can provide about stigma in the context of sexual misconduct allegations more generally. Further, our analysis demonstrates how the situational and contextual factors of the allegations as reported in news media, including the framing, convergence of social and political factors, and the inclusion and exclusion of points of view, affect the process of stigmatization. We consider how social status and identity operate within the stigmatization process such that “an attribute that stigmatizes one type of possessor [Weinstein] can confirm the usualness of another [Trump]” (Goffman, 1963, p.3).

Sexuality & Culture, 2019

Sixteen months after Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy for president of the United States a... more Sixteen months after Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy for president of the United States a Washington Post headline read: “2016 is the rape election.” This paper examines the evolution of the discourse of sexual misconduct in the 2016 US
presidential campaign. Using qualitative media analysis as our method, we examined coverage in the Washington Post and New York Times. Our analysis provides insight into the ways in which the sexual misconduct allegations against Trump were framed in partisan terms and as, foremost, a political issue; we refer to this as the politicization of sexual misconduct. We argue that the politicization of sexual misconduct
operates as a form of symbolic annihilation to trivialize and omit victims’ experiences in media coverage and we draw on empirical data to identify four rhetorical
processes that comprise the politicization of sexual misconduct: (1) focus on the character of the accused (rather than harm to victims); (2) comparing severity
of allegations relative to other politicians; (3) leveraging victim stories for political gain; and (4) dismissal of allegations as politically motivated lies. Ironically,
however, our findings also reveal that coverage of sexual misconduct throughout the 2016 campaign provided an unforeseen context for dozens of women to publicly
narrate their own stories—in an attempt to be heard—the consequences of which, we suggest, set the conditions for a wave of women coming forward with allegations
of sexual misconduct against powerful men.

Studies in Symbolic Interaction , 2019

In this keynote address, I use Georg Simmel’s sociology of social forms approach to amend Erving ... more In this keynote address, I use Georg Simmel’s sociology of social forms approach to amend Erving Goffman’s interaction order perspective into a contemporary analytical framework for empirical analysis of everyday life in our 21st century mediated social order. For Goffman, the interaction order provides a foundational basis for social order. As a cornerstone of the human condition, Goffman maintained that most of us spend our daily lives in the direct presence of others. However, rapid advancements in interactive media formats in the last few decades have given rise to an unprecedented 21st century interaction order. Many of us now also spend our everyday lives in the mediated presence of others, the effects of which parallel those of face-to-face interaction in importance. These changes, I contend, provide a necessary occasion to reimagine Goffman’s interaction order. In what follows, I first provide a brief synopsis of Goffman’s interaction order. Next, I outline the 21st century interaction order and illustrate the importance of Simmel’s formal sociology in amending Goffman’s original framework in relation to this unforeseen order. Finally, to highlight a few key points - I incorporate empirical examples from my work as it relates to police legitimacy. I conclude with some suggestions for future research and note a few limitations.

Cultural Studies <_>Critical Methodologies, 2018

Pogonotrophy refers to beard cultivation including growth and grooming practices. This empiricall... more Pogonotrophy refers to beard cultivation including growth and grooming practices. This empirically driven exploratory study contributes to the little understood role of beard culture on YouTube. Scholarship examining the relationship between social media platforms such as YouTube and beard culture is almost non-existent. This gap in the research allows us to ask following: What sorts of content do users circulate about beards on YouTube? And how does this content contribute to how users interact and learn about beards? A total of 62,061 user-generated comments across 310 videos featured on the Beardbrand YouTube channel were collected and examined using qualitative media analysis. Three themes emerged from an analysis of these data: the yeard quest, the ideal type, and how to beard. The findings illustrate the important role that YouTube plays in fostering contemporary beard culture. Suggestions for future research are noted.

Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2019

(Chapter 6) in Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice: Critical Perspectives, edited ... more (Chapter 6) in Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice: Critical Perspectives, edited by S. Hannem, C. Sanders, A. Doyle, C. J. Schneider, and A. Christensen. Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2019

Chapter 1 in Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice: Critical Perspectives, edited by... more Chapter 1 in Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice: Critical Perspectives, edited by S. Hannem, C. Sanders, A. Doyle, C. J. Schneider, and A. Christensen. Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice, 2019

Conclusion of Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice (co-authored with C. Sanders and... more Conclusion of Security and Risk Technologies in Criminal Justice (co-authored with C. Sanders and S. Hannem) (pp. 254-264) in

Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2018

Chapter in The Craft of Qualitative Research

U Multicultural, 2024

Another police shooting occurred this week in Winnipeg. Bystander-recorded footage shared online ... more Another police shooting occurred this week in Winnipeg. Bystander-recorded footage shared online shows two Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) officers shooting and killing Jordan Charlie, a 24-year-old man from Nunavut. Charlie was shot after he allegedly stabbed an officer in the throat. Manitoba's police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU), is investigating the officer

Rabble, 2024

Home » Human Rights » Toronto police audit of its body camera program raises red flags What accou... more Home » Human Rights » Toronto police audit of its body camera program raises red flags What accountability is there to be had without a rigorous auditing process of the usage of body cameras.

Winnipeg Free Press, 2024

Calgary Herald, 2024

• Last updated 6 hours ago • 3 minute read There is little scienti?c evidence backing up the clai... more • Last updated 6 hours ago • 3 minute read There is little scienti?c evidence backing up the claims that body worn cameras increase safety.. PHOTO BY IAN KUCERAK /Postmedia Body-worn cameras are becoming commonplace for Canadian law enforcement agencies. Proponents claim the cameras improve officer and public safety, increase Join the conversation

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2024

Toronto Star, 2024

Open and fulsome public conversations about sexual harms and toxic workplaces are the necessary f... more Open and fulsome public conversations about sexual harms and toxic workplaces are the necessary first step to addressing these intolerable conditions and enacting lasting systemic change.

Toronto Star, 2024

In May 2024, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will begin its body-worn camera (BWC) pilot pro... more In May 2024, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will begin its body-worn camera (BWC) pilot project will see its special constables and fare inspectors equipped with the devices. The cost of the nine-month project is $1.243 million with "funds to carry the program forward," already in place according to Angela Gibson, the TTC's interim executive director of fare technology. The TTC runs campaigns to remind the public about its losses due to fare evasion and its attempts to keep fares reasonability priced. Yet, the TTC plans to spend millions on ineffective technology that they claim will somehow improve Body-worn police video cameras, like these ones seen on Toronto police officers wil… ▲ View on www.thestar.com

Globe and Mail, 2024

Defence Minister Bill Blair has tabled government legislation in the House of Commons that would ... more Defence Minister Bill Blair has tabled government legislation in the House of Commons that would strip the Canadian military of their jurisdiction to investigate sexual offences committed by military members. Instead, sexual assaults and criminal harassment will be investigated by civilian police and prosecuted in the civilian court system. The logistical details of this shift are still to be determined in policy. The seismic change in military justice in response to sexual violence follows two independent commissions by former Supreme Court justices Louise Arbour (2022) and Morris Fish (2021), which together determined that the military has been incapable of effectively responding to systemic sexual violence within its ranks. Moving sexual assault investigations and prosecutions to civilian courts is an important first step in the right direction for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to begin to address the systemic

Winnipeg Free Press, 2024

A 35-year-old Winnipeg man has died following an encounter with police officers. Multiple bystand... more A 35-year-old Winnipeg man has died following an encounter with police officers. Multiple bystander recordings of the interaction have been shared online. The incident in Winnipeg is reminiscent of other highly publicized deaths caused by police actions that came to light on social media, bringing increased transparency to policing.

Globe and Mail, 2024

This month, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) began its six-month pilot project of having its... more This month, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) began its six-month pilot project of having its officers use body-worn cameras (BWCs). It is a fairly pointless pilot, however, since the VPD and the Vancouver Police Board have already committed to plans to equip all front-line officers with BWCs by 2025.

The Public Sociology Debate: Ethics and Engagmenet, 2014

Public sociology course syllabus

This exercise is most suitable after students have developed a basic understanding of social stru... more This exercise is most suitable after students have developed a basic understanding of social structures and the historical conditions of capitalism. This exercise requires students to concentrate on a single example: the MP3 commodity. This exercise is designed for students to introduce and develop selections of Marx’s Capital Volume 1, particularly elements relating to the key Marxist concepts of commodities and exchange. Students will use the MP3, a popular form of music media, as a contemporary example to promote and develop Marx’s theory of capital. This example is useful primarily for an undergraduate Sociological Theory course after having read Chapters 1 and 2 of Capital Volume 1. Use of the MP3 develops the relevance and importance of some key Marxist ideas in specific relation to something that most students, indeed most people, have at least a vague knowledge about. Such an application of Marx’s concepts to a modern everyday technology encourages students to develop some of the necessary skills required for sociological theorizing.