From the Honour’s Program to Master’s: Alan Röpke Looks Back at his Time as an Undergraduate Student

CMNS graduate student Alan Röpke has always been a great fit for Communication. After completing an undergraduate degree with a deep resume that includes many awards, completing an Honour’s Project and being president of the School of Communication Student Union (CMNSU), he will continue as a graduate student in the program.

Since high school, he couldn’t see himself studying anything else, having always been interested in the themes of the program. Now looking back (and forward), he’s happy with how things have panned out for him.

During his degree, he received the Radio Station CHMB Am1320 Award in Communication and the 2023 Rogers Communications Inc. Award in Communication. He also presented twice at the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology Undergraduate Graduate Conference and once at the Undergrad Research Symposium at SFU.

His involvement in the School is tangible, and he has been a clear standout in many other ways throughout his time as an undergraduate student. Since his second year in the program, he started as a faculty representative before eventually joining the CMNSU and becoming President. During his time in these roles, he found ways to connect students with other students and faculty.

“Joining the CMNSU was one of the best decisions I made in my undergrad, mostly because of the people I got to meet,” says Röpke.

“It’s always great to be around people that are determined and have drive, and that influenced me.”

Even after completing his time as the CMNSU President, he has kept in close touch with his friends from the student union, travelling to Korea with several of them over the summer.

Another cherished memory of his during his time as an undergraduate student was finding out that he was accepted into the School of Communication Master’s Program. This came on the same day that he presented his Honour’s Project, just a few hours prior to receiving the news.

The Honour’s Program is an option for exceptional students to complete an extended research paper or equivalent project as a way to prepare for graduate study. 

“Working on my honour’s project with professor Siyuan Yin was a highlight for me. Getting a chance to do self-directed research and getting feedback from a professor was a very wonderful experience,” says Röpke.

His project was on kick.com, an online crypto gambling livestreaming service, where Röpke researched the unprecedented form of mediatized entertainment seen on the platform,

“What I really looked at was the unique way that entertainment is conceptualized and set up on the platform. Someone combines hate speech, gambling, and livestreaming into one mixed thing that becomes its own very radicalized and harmful form of entertainment. People can consume a violent form of entertainment via a para-social relationship—so people that are addicted to gambling can watch someone gambling as a way of para-socially getting that hobby out, consumption becomes a vicarious act of self-harm” says Röpke.

He is continuing this research, but now as a graduate student supervised by professor Frederik Lesage. His research looks at entertainment as its own ideology: something that seeps into every area, which it then dominates over. For example, Röpke is looking at how entertainment is anastrophic in nature—it comes from the future—as new mediums always incorporate aspects of previous mediums. He is investigating the possible terminus of these accelerating forms of Entertainment.

Looking back at his time as an undergraduate student, he is particularly grateful to previous School Director, professor Stuart Poyntz, for the environment he’s created within the School.

“I’ve always been thankful to professor Stuart Poyntz for involving me and being kind to me since I joined as a faculty rep in my second year,” says Röpke.

“He’s created such a wonderful environment for an undergrad student to step into and do anything.”

It is fair to say that Röpke made the most of this environment and opportunity.