Research Activity Digest
Arese Visconti PhD Progress and Lecture at Jinan University
On June 4th, Francesco Arese Visconti, Head of the Media Communications and Photography Department, successfully passed his Progress Review for his practice-based PhD studies at the University of Westminster.
During the one-hour-long exam, Arese Visconti addressed to the assessors several topics related to his research and answered questions on the theoretical framework on photographic portraiture of 21st century Italian migrants in Switzerland.
On June 28, Arese Visconti was invited to present an online lecture by Ellen Zheng
Yue, Director of the International Journalism Program of Jinan University (China).
The title of the talk was 'Understanding Photojournalism.' After a short introduction
on the history of photojournalism, Francesco Arese Visconti reflected on issues related
to the practice of photojournalism today. In this context, the presentation raised
questions on the value of objectivity and subjectivity, the role of the photographer
as an observer and/or interpreter. Through practical examples, Francesco Arese Visconti
demonstrated how photography theory and cultural background support the photographer's
decisions in his role as a storyteller.
The lecture concluded with practical examples of photojournalism production in a teaching environment. In particular, Francesco Arese Visconti showed the work realized by his students in his recent Photojournalism class. Initially planned to happen with a field trip to Tuscany, this course had to be completely re-organized in view of the confinement due to the COVID-19 breakdown. Arese Visconti's students managed to develop amazing which highlighted how it is always possible to document historical moments even in lockdown conditions.
Grosso Presents at the London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research
On 29 Feb. 2020, Dr. Sarah Grosso, a researcher based in Webster Geneva’s Media Communications
Department, presented at an international conference on Gender Studies at the London
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research.
At the conference, that explored the theme of “Gender Narratives” from multiple perspectives, she drew on her research on women’s rights in Tunisia, to discuss the post-revolutionary debates on the inclusion of the term gender equality in Tunisia’s new constitution. She argued that contextualisation is vital in order to reveal the multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings that can be concealed behind terminology, such as “gender equality”, that is frequently used in human rights discourse.
Dr. Grosso also chaired a session that explored the intersection between gender and the family from both social and legal perspectives by discussing the complex ethical issues that surround the legalisation of surrogacy and the social, economic and political factors that exacerbate maternal mortality.
Boon Article Wins Business Horizons Prize
An article that was co-written by Edward Boon, faculty member at Webster Geneva Campus won the 'Best Article Award 2019' from Business Horizons. The journal's editors describe the article as "an ideal primer for thinking managers and practical scholars who wish to understand how blockchain technology may affect business".
The article, which Dr. Boon wrote with Vida Morkunas of Lulea University of Technology and Jeannette Paschen of KTH Royal Institute of Technology, discusses the impact of Blockchain technology on the business models of non-financial companies'. Business Horizons is an academic business journal that aims to address topical and timely issues of relevance to business academicians and practitioners.