Education

PhD in Communication
September 2020-Present
Carleton University

Relevant Coursework: Doctoral Seminar; Civic Media; Communication, Technology, and Society; Visual Culture; Queer Public Feelings in a Time of Pandemic

Master’s Degree in Sociology with Specialization in Gender Studies
September 2018-September 2020
University of Ottawa

Relevant Coursework: Feminist Theories; Feminist Methods; Women, Citizenship, and Rights in a Globalizing World

Diploma in Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate
September 2015-April 2017
George Brown College

Relevant Coursework: Feminist Counselling; Group Process; Working with Abused Women; Psychology of Women; Child Witness to Violence; Survivors of Sexual Violence; Children Experiencing Violence; Feminist Political Action

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology Major and Philosophy Minor
September 2011-April 2015
Queen’s University

Relevant Coursework: Women in Muslim Societies; Gender, Law, and Crime; Race, Sex, & the Body; Advanced Studies in Gender and Sexuality; Feminist Philosophy -- Commercial Sex

Awards and Funding

Ontario Graduate Scholarship	$15,000	2024-2025
Ontario Graduate Scholarship	$15,000	2023-2024
Ontario Graduate Scholarship	$15,000	2022-2023
RoCCET Lab Fellowship	$7500	2020-2025
Carleton University Domestic Entrance Scholarship	$3000	2020-2021
Carleton University Departmental Scholarship	$38,000	2021-2024
Carleton University Teaching Assistant Scholarship	$43,375	2020-2024

Publications

Fedchun, K., Qazzaz, A., and Woo, B. (2023). The con polizine. [Zine]. Ottawa.

Fedchun, K. and Klein, L. (2022). Statistics Canada Dissemination Division: A white paper on our past, present, and future. Statistics Canada.

Fedchun, K., Klein, L., and Demirag, D. (2022). Investigating the use of blockchain to authenticate data from the Statistics Canada website. Statistics Canada.

Fedchun, K. (2022). May the force be with you: Illustrating affect through the force in Star Wars. In P. Ballamingie and D. Szanto (Eds.), Showing theory to know theory: Understanding social science concepts through illustrative vignettes. Showing Theory Press. https://doi.org/10.22215/stkt/fk64

Fedchun, K. (2020). A feminist autoethnography: On hegemonic masculinity, failure, and subversive play in League of Legends. [Master’s Thesis, University of Ottawa].

Conference Presentations

Fedchun, K. & Woo, B. (2025, April 3-6). Don't be creepy: Governing "appropriate" cosplay photography at con events. [Presentation]. Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Annual Conference, Chicago. 

Woo, B. & Fedchun, K. (2025, January 23-26). Playing with policy: Envisioning safer, more inclusive fan events. [Presentation]. Music and Gaming Education Symposium (MAGES) at the Music and Gaming Festival (MAGFest), Maryland.

Fedchun, K. (2024, June 18-21). Shut out & talking back: Exclusivity, exclusion, & access at San Diego Comic Con. [Presentation]. Sustaining Shared Futures Canadian Communication Association (CCA) Annual Conference, McGill University.

Fedchun, K. (2024, February 14). May the Force Be with You: Illustrating Affect Through the Force in Star Wars. [Presentation]. Afterwords Research Series, Carleton University Communication & Media.

Woo, B., Bai, J., Fedchun, K., Norris, A., Qazzaz, A., and Siushansian, J. (2023, July 19-23). Policing the con: SDCC’s policies in context. [Poster presentation]. The Comics Arts Conference - Comic Con International, San Diego Comic Convention.

Fedchun, K. (2023, June 22-24). Investigating the ‘affect’ of toxicity in League of Legends. [Presentation]. Console-ing Passions International Conference on Television, Video, Audio, New Media, and Feminism, University of Calgary.

Fedchun, K. (2023, May 25). ‘This game made me feel like I could breathe again’: Investigating the affective impact of Queer Games Bundles. [Presentation]. Games and the (Playful) Future of Communication International Communication Association (ICA) Preconference, University of Toronto.

Bai, J., Cohen, S., Fedchun, K., McGillivray, S., Norris, A., Siushansian, J., and Woo, B. (2023, May 30-June 2). Cosplay and consent: Discourses of harassment in fan convention policies. [Presentation]. Reckonings and Re-Imaginings Canadian Communication Association (CCA) Annual Conference, York University.

Klein, L., Demirag, D., and Fedchun, K. (2023, June 7-10). Using blockchain to authenticate data from the Statistics Canada website. [Presentation]. Blockchain Technology Symposium, Online.

Fedchun, K. (2022, May 19-20). ‘Finally, I can put my lady boner to use’: Edelman’s reproductive futurism and Muñoz's queer utopia in Dhaliwal’s Woman World. [Presentation]. Canadian Society for the Study of Comics (CSSC) Annual Conference “Days of Future Past: Shifting Histories and Possible Tomorrows”, Online.

Fedchun, K. (2022, May 17-20). ‘We begin and we end, at night, in the woods’: Transitioning backward in Night in the Woods. [Presentation]. Canadian Communication Association (CCA) “Transitions” Annual Conference, Online.

Fedchun, K. (2022, February 29-March 1). Oxenfree and the radio: Affective connection to the bellowing ghosts of our fraught past, present, and future. [Presentation]. Carleton Communication Graduate Caucus (CGC) “(Super)Natural” Annual Conference, Online.

Fedchun, K. (2021, December 2-4). Weaponized failure: Rethinking queer failure through inting in League of Legends. [Presentation]. University of Murcia “Queer Temporalities in Literature, Cinema, and Video Games” International Conference, Online.

Fedchun, K. (2021, March 22-23). Bowling alone, but playing together: Exploring social capital & protest in Animal Crossing: New Horizons amidst COVID-19. [Presentation]. Carleton Communication Graduate Caucus (CGC) “Transitioning” Annual Conference, Online.

Teaching Experience

Guest Lectures at Carleton University
September 2022-Present

Fedchun, K. (2025, March 17). Harassment, toxicity, and griefing in League of Legends. [Lecture]. COMS 3003: Media and Crime, Carleton University.

Fedchun, K. (2024, November 11). Fandom and Feminism in League of Legends. [Lecture]. COMS 4412: Game Studies, Carleton University.

Fedchun, K. (2024, November 11). Harassment, toxicity, and griefing in League of Legends. [Lecture]. COMS 3003: Media and Crime, Carleton University.

Fedchun, K. (2022, November 11). Mediatization and (e)Sports. [Lecture]. COMS 3500: Current Issues in Communication and Media Theory, Carleton University. 

Teaching Assistant at Carleton University
September 2020-Present

• Supported students in the unique circumstances of online, pandemic learning.
• Assisted with marking an array of assignments and hosted regular office hours.
• Supported the following undergraduate communication courses:
  • COMS 3003: Media and Crime with Dr. Emily Hiltz (Fall 2024).
  • COMS 1003: Digital Skills for Media Studies with Dr. Sandra Robinson (Fall 2023 and Winter 2024).
  • COMS 3500: Current Issues in Communication and Media Theory with Dr. Lowell Gasoi (Fall 2022 and Winter 2023).
  • COMS 2200: Big Data and Society with Dr. Christopher Gutierrez (Winter 2022).
  • COMS 2004: Introduction to Communication Research with Dr. Christopher Gutierrez (Fall 2021).
  • COMS 2003: Theoretical Foundations in Communication and Media Studies with Dr. Hannah Dick (Fall 2020 and Winter 2021).

Mini-Course Program (MCP)
April 29-May 3, 2024

• Collaboratively created and taught the week-long mini-course Comics and Cartooning with Dr. Benjamin Woo for a class of 19 students between the ages of 13-16.
• Lectured and facilitated a discussion about what, if anything, makes a drawing “bad”
• Facilitated activities throughout the week, including self-portraits, daily diaries, a timed drawing activity, a drawing jam, a comics jam, and a zine making workshop
• Concluded the week with a mini-convention where students showcased their mini-zines as if they were tabling at a real convention
• See here for a piece on Exploring Creativity: Mini-Courses at Carleton’s School of Journalism and Communication

Teaching Assistant at University of Ottawa
September 2018-April 2020

• Graded midterms, exams, and essays, hosted regular office hours, and provided support to students.
• Honed a multidisciplinary skillset assisting with undergraduate sociology and gender studies courses:
  • SOC 3142: Applied Statistical Analysis with Dr. Riva Lieflander (Fall 2019).
  • SOC 1101: Principles of Sociology with Dr. Adolphine Aggor-Boateng (Winter 2019).
  • SOC 3116: Technologies, World, and Societies with Dr. Tonio Sadik (Fall 2018).
  • FEM 2111: Class, Work, Gender, and Representation with Dr. Lori Stinson (Fall 2018).

Research Experience

Fellow at RoCCET Lab (Research on Comics, Con Events, and Transmedia Lab)
September 2020-Present

• Attends and actively contributes to weekly lab seminars and business meetings.
• Presents research at academic conferences such as the Canadian Communication Association.
• Conducts interdisciplinary social sciences research on comic books and related media.
• Currently working on a paper about cosplay, consent, and harassment in fan convention policies and a project using Python to scrape Instagram in order to visualize comic conventions

Research Associate at Statistics Canada
October 2020-May 2023

• Collaboratively wrote a paper investigating the use of blockchain technology to authenticate data from the Statistics Canada website, and the paper was published in the Statistics Canada database.
• Wrote and published a second paper on the future of the dissemination division at Statistics Canada.
• Completed two literature reviews: one on current research and debates related to blockchain, cryptography, and authenticating data, and the other on the history of the dissemination division.

Academic Service

Peer Mentor (Communication Graduate Caucus) at Carleton University
May 2021-August 2024

• Supported several first-year MA and PhD students with navigating their first year in the program.
• Assisted with scholarship applications, finding a supervisor, and imposter syndrome.

Mentor (RoCCET Lab) at Carleton University
September 2021-August 202

• Guided an MA student through their thesis revisions and defense.
• Provided editing support, general advice, and encouragement.

Social Chair (Communication Graduate Caucus) at Carleton University
June 2023-April 2024

• Planned and executed social events throughout the year for communication graduate students.
• Managed the CGC social media accounts and website as well as the social section of the budget.
• Organized our participation in the softball league that was relaunched this year.

President (Communication Graduate Caucus) at Carleton University
May 2022-April 2023

• Liaised between CGC members, faculty, instructors, and staff.
• Attended monthly faculty meetings and presented updates on the CGC.
• Organized many professional development workshops and events for graduate students.
• Assisted the conference co-chairs with the planning of our annual CGC graduate conference.
• Responsible, alongside the vice-president, for CGC finances.

Vice-President (Communication Graduate Caucus) at Carleton University
May 2021-April 2022

• Scheduled all CGC meetings, including determining member availability and circulating information about the meeting to both CGC members and graduate students at large.
• Supported all other positions in the Communication Graduate Caucus (CGC).
• Assisted the conference co-chairs with the planning of our annual CGC graduate conference.
• Responsible, alongside the president, for CGC finances.

Union Steward (CUPE 4600) at Carleton University
May 2020-April 2021

• Acted as the first point of contact between our department’s CUPE 4600 members and the union.
• Provided information about our rights as TAs under the Collective Agreement and helped mobilize TAs as needed.
• Received an honorarium for my service.

Academic Grievance Centre Director at Queen’s University
September 2014-April 2015

• Hired, trained, and directed twelve volunteers to support students in person and via email.
• Advocated for hundreds of students who had academic questions and concerns.
• Introduced anti-oppression training for present and future Academic Grievance Centre volunteers.
• Crafted a multi-stage training program and consolidated past manuals into one document.
• Awarded volunteer of the year within the Academic Affairs Commission of the Alma Mater Society.

Academic Membership

Society for Cinema and Media Studies
August 2024-Present 

Canadian Communication Association
January 2022-Present

Canadian Game Studies Association
May 2022-Present

Frontline Service

Counsellor at Assaulted Women’s Helpline
November 2017-August 2018

• Provided confidential crisis and solution-focused counselling to women who called the crisis line, supporting them with finding shelter space and conducting safety plans.
• Actively listened and validated women’s strengths and provided emotional support.
• Offered useful resources from our database for women living throughout Ontario.

Women’s Counsellor and Advocate at Interim Place Women’s Shelter
July 2017-July 2018

• Supported women both in person and on the phone using diverse counselling methods, including feminist, strength-based, solution-focused, and trauma informed counselling.
• Managed conflict in the shelter using conflict resolution.
• Facilitated many support groups for those living in the shelter.
• Collaboratively created extensive safety plans and risk assessments for women and their children.
• Completed, organized, and maintained clear case notes within client files.

Community Organizer at Toronto Acorn
May 2017-July 2017

• Raised money through door-to-door fundraising in support of affordable social housing, landlord licensing, building inspections, and putting an end to unfair treatment of low-income tenants.
• Further developed my knowledge of social housing, systemic barriers, and lack of government intervention through political advocacy.

Placement Student at Victim Services Niagara
September 2016-March 2017

• Completed safety planning for numerous women who have left their abusers or are planning to leave.
• Provided crisis response for tragedies such as sudden deaths, sexual assaults, and suicide.
• Completed follow-up phone calls with clients who had recently experienced a traumatic event and provided emotional support and referrals.

Community Development and Outreach Assistant
June 2016-August 2016

• Conducted research about agencies and sexual assault policies in Ontario.
• Connected with many diverse communities throughout Ontario during outreach events.
• Distributed informational pamphlets about the Assaulted Women’s Helpline to hundreds of people.

Placement Student at Assaulted Women’s Helpline
January 2016-April 2016

• Increased counselling and advocacy skills through shadowing the helpline counsellors every week.
• Strengthened knowledge of Ontario agencies by researching and updating the database.
• Enhanced understanding of systemic barriers that women face when experiencing abuse.
• Strengthened safety planning skills for when women are preparing to leave their abusers.

Program Coordinator at Powerhouse Project
Summer 2014 & Summer 2015

• Fostered resilience, self-esteem, and life skills while providing respite for young carers.
• Completed intakes for new families seeking support from Powerhouse Project.
• Assisted planning and running three weeks of camp in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Welland.

Certificates, Training, & Workshops

• Robot Roundtable: Students, Prudence, and ChatGPT
  March 2024
• TA to CI: Pedagogical Skill Development and Transference Roundtable February 2024
• Providing Effective Feedback When Grading Workshop
  November 2022
• Fostering Inclusion for Students with Disabilities Workshop
  October 2021
• Tutorial Engagement Workshop
  October 2021
• Teaching Assistant Training
  September 2018
• First Aid and CPR C
  April 2017
• Human Trafficking Training
  January 2017
• Volunteer Crisis Responder Training
  September 2016
• Solution-Focused Counselling Training
  April 2016
• Case Note Training
  July 2014
• Anti-Oppression Trainin
  September 2014
• Mental Health First Aid Certificate
  December 2014