Jack McLaren

Background

About Jack McLaren

Hi there! My name's Jack, and I completed my PhD in Media and Communication at Temple University. Hailing from Canada, I received my BA in Psychology and Media, Communication and Film and MA in Communication and Social Justice from the University of Windsor. I am on the academic job market and looking for tenure track faculty positions in Canada and the US. My current role is a sessional instructor in the Communication, Media & Film, Interdisciplinary and Critical Studies, and Faculty of Education departments at the University of Windsor. In addition, I am also a sessional instructor in Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario and Wilfrid Laurier University. As my various departments showcase, I am an interdisciplinary and student-focused educator and researcher. My current research interests sit at the intersection of game studies, cultural studies, and transgender studies. I mainly utilize qualitative research methods like ethnography, discourse analysis, textual analysis, and interviews to pursue questions focused on LGBTQ and specifically transgender representation. My dissertation focused on analyzing how transgender characters are meaningfully represented in video games. Other research interests include LGBTQ representation in video games and popular culture, gender and communication, live streaming, virtual ethnography and other qualitative methods, and trans masculinity in the gaming space. In addition to research, I am passionate about teaching. I am most comfortable teaching Research Methods, Mass Media and Media Criticism, Popular Culture, Gender and Communication, Game Studies, Representation, Social Justice, Critical/Cultural Theory, and Media Writing classes. I have previously taught Queer Activism, Social Justice in Action, Media Research, Media Writing Workshop. Game Studies, Communication Theory, Navigating our Media Landscape, and Gal Pals: Woman and Friendship. My teaching philosophy is centered around care, engagement, and active learning. In my classroom, I aim to create an atmosphere of deep learning, curiosity and exploration, and community through hands-on classroom activities, by empowering students to engage with course material in ways that are meaningful to them, and including them in the course design through regular check-ins and reflections. I have found that creating a community in the classroom sets the stage for student success-not only in learning core course material, but also in terms of mental health and student well-being.