Faculty of Art
Don is a veteran broadcaster, student, consultant and community activist. He is interested in the relationship between media, art, culture, and our interconnectedness with each other, the world we share and learning the art of how to ask beautiful questions. He has recently completed the Faber Residency Program in Spain working on this project which became his PhD application to the Social Justice Institute at UBC. Don is a strong supporter of community organizations and has served on the boards of Variety the Children’s Charity, PFLAG, the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation as well as Advisory Boards at the University of British Columbia and BCIT. His research and teaching interests include media & communication, depth psychology, philosophy, climate change, environmental justice, peacebuilding, ecological sustainability, geography, art, and culture.
Don’s research will study the science, psychology, cultural and emotional components of conversation. What they have in common and how to improve on existing knowledge of how we engage with each other whether about climate, race, gender, culture or social justice issues. He wants to find out if we can learn to speak to individuals and communities from different social, economic, religious, political or cultural beliefs and fill structural hoes where we can build bridges of understanding.
Publications
Dialogue, discourse, disjuncture’s: Building critically affirmative politics in radio; Minelle Mahtani, Don Shafer – University of Victoria
Climate Change and The Many Faces of Denial; Don Shafer – Simon Fraser University
Invited Speaker
NASH81: Student Journalism Conference. The Heart of The Interview. Calgary. January 4, 2019
West Coast Liberal Studies Symposium, University of Washington. Climate Change and The Many Faces of Denial. June 26, 2017
Vancouver Board of Trade. Emergency Preparedness in a Changing World. April 5, 2017
Simon Fraser University. Researching the World. Media’s Role in Climate Change. March 8, 2017
BC Society of Landscape Architects. The Pope, The Poet and the Patriot; What Pope Francis, Rachel Carlson and Franz Fanon Have in Common. March 31, 2017
Variety the Children’s Charity. Media & Not for Profits. January 14, 2017
West Coast Liberal Studies Symposium, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. What is Wilderness? June 17, 2016
NASH81: Student Journalism Conference. The Heart of The Interview. Calgary. January 4, 2019