Artsci Student Ben Feldman Published in International Journal

Ben Feldman, a fourth-year Arts & Science student at McMaster University, was recently published in Geoforum, an international, interdisciplinary journal and a leading voice in the research of human geography and related fields, such as global political economy, political ecology, national systems of regulation and governance, and urban and regional development.

Feldman’s paper, entitled “Agency and Governance: Pokémon Go and Contested Fun in Public Space,” explores challenges that Pokémon Go players face, conducts online discourse analysis that highlights players’ perspectives, and engages in geographic debates about software, agency, and space.

Feldman’s research was funded by the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA), which strive to cultivate and support research partnerships between undergraduate students and McMaster faculty members. There are six USRA awards available to students in the Arts & Science Program annually, each worth $7,500. This amount is intended to provide for 15 weeks of full-time, research-based activity over the summer term.

“I am very grateful to have received the USRA,” Feldman says. “It helped me explore a body of research that was previously unfamiliar to me. It also provided an opportunity for me to work closely with Dr. Rob Wilton, who has provided helpful mentorship and is now supervising my thesis.”

In addition to his recent publication, Feldman presented his findings at the USRA Poster Presentation Session last fall.  This year’s Poster Session is set to take place on 1 November, 2018 at McMaster’s CIBC Hall, and we encourage you to attend and learn about the fascinating research being carried out by this year’s Arts & Science USRA grant recipients.

Read Feldman’s publication here [link expires Nov. 2018].