School of Communication
School of Communication
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Paul has been teaching communications courses at UFV since 2019. Before moving back to the Lower Mainland, where he is from, he lived in Montreal and then Whitehorse.
His academic background is in Communication Studies, but, before returning to university, he worked a journalist in Abbotsford, where he covered everything from sports to civic and federal politics. He enjoys teaching students how effective communication can help them find success in their work and academic lives.
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I want students to see all of the ways that understanding how to communicate effectively can benefit them in their personal and professional lives. My aim is to create a learning space, with my students, that facilitates intellectual stimulation and professional growth.
I teach in the areas of journalism, professional communications, advocacy and grant writing, and Indigenous communication. I enjoy guiding students through not only the how of communication, but also the "why," interweaving practical knowledge and an understanding of the theories behind the practices.
Paul publishes, and presents work, in the fields of journalism studies, diasporic studies, diasporic journalism, and organizational communications. His research interests are diverse, including journalism and organizational histories, journalism practice, diasporic and mainstream media coverage, and communication that creates and maintains relationships based on solidarity.
Paul has published in Canadian journals and has co-written a book chapter on the representations of Punjabi men in South Asian-Canadian news media. He has also presented on a variety of topics including, the institutionalization of diasporic identity, the production of diasporic news outlets, and the characteristics of journalism education in Canada.
His current research interest is the relationships between South Asian-Canadian communities and Canadian institutions, including universities and municipal governments. He is also interested in the experiences of international university and college students in Canada.
Canadian Graduate Scholar Fellowship
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. 2014-2017.
Charles R. Bronfman and Alex K. Paterson Fellowship in Canadian Studies
McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. 2016-2017.
Fang, Sumin., Fontaine, Paul, Leping, You; Xinyan, Zhao. Explore Evacuation Communication and Experiences During a Flood Emergency in Canada: A Qualitative Study With an Extension of the STOPS Model. International Communication Association’s annual conference. Toronto, Ontario, 2023.
Fontaine, Paul. “Revenue generator or classroom challenge: The potential alienating effects of Canadian communications curriculum and mainstream news coverage on international students.” Canadian Communication Association’s annual conference. Online, 2022.
Fontaine, Paul. “Spaces of contestation: UFV’s South Asian-Canadian Studies Institute’s efforts to combat racial profiling and cultural stereotyping.” To be presented at the Canadian Association of Cultural Studies annual conference. Simon Fraser University, 2018.
Fontaine, Paul. “History and the present institutionalization of Indo-Canadian Identities.” Theorizing the Now: Issues of Contemporaneity. York University. 2015.
Lynch, Lisa and Paul Fontaine. “Preserving the unpreservable: Form, content, copyright and the archiving of born-digital newspapers.” 15th International Symposium on Online Journalism. University of Texas at Austin. 2014. Winner of the conference’s Top Paper Award.
Fontaine, Paul. “South Asian Diaspora in a Time of Media Hybridization.” Cultural Historiography: Emergent Theories, Methods, and the Digital Turn. University of Guelph, Ontario. 2012.
Fontaine, Paul and Anupreet Sandhu Bhamra. “The South Asian-Canadian media’s resistance to gender and cultural stereotyping.” Journalism, Audiences and Diaspora. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers Limited. (2015). Print.
Fontaine, Paul. “The precarity of a journalism degree at a time of industry upheaval.” IN CIRCULATION Media/ Arts/ Politics 3.1 (2014). https://incirculation.wordpress.com/archive/issue-3-journalism-and-precarity-fall-2013-winter-2014/article/.
Lynch, Lisa and Fontaine, Paul. “Preserving the unpreservable: Form, content, copyright and the archiving of born-digital newspapers.” #ISOJ Journal. (2014). Print.