UBC Pop Culture Cluster

The Pop Culture Cluster supports academic and public-facing scholarship on popular media and popular culture at UBC.

The UBC Pop Culture Cluster is located at UBC Vancouver, which is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. The land it is situated on has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site.

News

May 20, 2026

UBC Comics Studies Cluster Director Hosts Honorary Degree Recipient Diana Schutz

Dr. Elizabeth “Biz” Nijdam was invited to serve as program host for Diana Schutz, who received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of British Columbia at the Spring 2026 Congregation ceremony on May 20, 2026. A Canadian-born writer, editor, teacher, and mentor, Schutz is one of the most influential figures in North American […]

Comics Studies, News

May 19, 2026

Critical Play Lab in The Conversation: “Not just a fun hobby: Board games can help build connections and reduce stress”

Researchers at the University of Plymouth recently confirmed what board game fans and role-playing game (RPG) enthusiasts have known for decades: that tabletop games “enhance well-being, foster inclusion, and support learning, with strong evidence that games improve engagement.” The researchers were particularly interested in how board games benefit people who display autistic traits, but tabletop gaming has social benefits that support personal well-being for everyone.

Critical Play Lab, News

May 12, 2026

Now Available! Graphic Recordings of Accessible Arts and Popular Culture Workshop

The Pop Culture Cluster (PopCC) is pleased to share the outcomes of the Accessible Arts and Popular Culture Workshop, a Pop Pedagogies Award–funded initiative that invites participants to reconsider a basic assumption: that art is something we only see. Held on November 13, 2025 as part of iSchool Community Learning Day, the workshop—led by PhD […]

News, Pop Pedagogies News

May 06, 2026

How Comics Make Climate Change Legible with Artist Yumeng Chen

At the sold-out Climate Talks: Connecting Food, Health, and Biodiversity in a Changing Climate symposium at the UBC Botanical Garden last October, artist Yumeng Chen–the selected artist from a call in our comics-to-research program–transformed conversations about insect decline, food systems, and environmental change into a compelling comics narrative. Drawing on her background in Food Science, organic […]

Comics Studies, News

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