Cochise Newsroom

As artificial intelligence and digital media continue to reshape how people create, share and consume information, one Cochise College instructor is gaining international recognition for helping explain the changing relationship between creativity and ownership.

 

Roman Briggs, Ph.D., recently received the International Award for Excellence from the Information, Media & Society Research Network for his article, "Creative Labor and the Claim of Exclusive Rights to Non-Rivalrous Goods."

 

The award recognizes outstanding scholarship that contributes to important conversations in media, publishing and cultural studies. Dr. Briggs' article was selected for its significant contribution to contemporary debates surrounding intellectual property, creative labor, and the political economy of cultural production.

 

His research examines the tensions between creative work and systems of ownership in an era increasingly shaped by digital and immaterial forms of production. The article offers a timely and thought-provoking exploration of how exclusive rights are justified and contested in relation to goods that can be reproduced and shared without depletion.

 

The recognition highlights the growing importance of research that helps communities better understand the ethical and social questions emerging alongside rapid technological change. For Briggs, the recognition is not only an academic achievement but also an opportunity to encourage a broader conversation. 

 

"When I learned I'd been recognized in this way, I felt deeply honored and grateful that fellow scholars working in intellectual property, publishing ethics, and open resources found value in my article," Briggs said. "I was also immediately thankful to Cochise College for supporting me as an instructor, researcher and writer. The issues explored in this work are critically important for everyone in academia because they touch on the ownership of ideas, digital creative works, and our shared moral responsibility to make at least some of that knowledge accessible to others."

 

Briggs serves as a full-time faculty member in the Liberal Arts Division, where he also serves as chair of the Arts and Humanities Department at Cochise College. He teaches philosophy and humanities courses and brings an interdisciplinary approach to the classroom.

 

He earned both his doctorate and master's degree in philosophy from the University of Arkansas and holds a master's degree in English Literature from the University of New Orleans. He has published research in several academic journals, including Environmental Ethics, The Pluralist, Philosophy and Literature and The Comparatist.

 

As questions surrounding artificial intelligence, digital ownership and access to information continue to evolve, Briggs hopes his work encourages thoughtful discussion about how society values creativity and shares knowledge. For more information about the college's  Liberal Arts and Humanities programs, visit the Liberal Studies program page.