Summer Newsletter

Exceptional Undergraduate Learning

SUMMER 2025

Featured Faculty Worth 1,000 Words

Dr. Jenanne Ferguson and student Johannah Ko embarked on a vibrant, interdisciplinary collaboration that’s transforming how students engage with complex ideas in linguistics.

he partnership between Dr. Jenanne Ferguson, in the Department of Anthropology, and Johannah Ko, a recent graduate of the Design Program, began in fall 2022, when Ko took Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology. In the class, she recognized deep parallels between design thinking and semiotics—a shared concern in both fields. Equipped with training in visual methodologies, Ko saw an opportunity: Could design help make abstract anthropological concepts more accessible and engaging? When she approached Ferguson with the idea, the response was immediate and enthusiastic. Over multiple semesters, the duo collaborated through independent studies and course-based projects. Together, they developed visual tools—mind maps, conceptual diagrams, and multimedia prompts—that brought clarity to dense theoretical material like practice theory and language ideologies.

Johannah Ko

“The larger bodies of water that snake out into streams which cross, overlap, and merge represent modality, the ever-shifting and entangled channels of linguistic practice. Then we have multifunctionality; using language often serves multiple purposes. That’s what the many different colours within the stream represent,” explains Ko.

These materials became integral to Ferguson’s teaching, particularly in review sessions, where students reported feeling more confident and connected to the course content. “It reminded me that there are actually a lot of really easy ways to incorporate more elements that might appeal to different learning styles,” explains Ferguson. “One concise image can do just as much as a really long story or explanation.” For Ko, the experience has opened doors into future work at the intersection of design, language, and pedagogy. Their message to other faculty? Be open. “Just because students are undergraduates doesn’t mean they can’t be real partners in pedagogy,” says Ferguson.