Today, the 2021 cohort of the Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) Capstone program in Journalism, Technology and Democracy hosted by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, started with mixed reactions but ended with something…
A Reactionary Wind Is Blowing Almost Everywhere: What is the Role for Media Educators?
This month of June saw events from different national contexts that received international media coverage, and which reflected a step backward toward outdated conservative values. Starting in the United States, where the Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade…
Every Profession Has Its Own Struggle
Today I learned one important thing through the SUSI program: every opportunity that comes along brings its own consequences and struggles. After two weeks of attending classes and activities with experts in their fields, I believe they are also still…
Full Throttle
It was an energetic start to the fourth day of the SUSI program on Thursday. And I am not yet talking about the classes. The thing is: Argentinian scholar Soledad finally acquired a thermos and was able to drink mate…
Layered Mysteries & a Phoenix-Inspired Future
Phoenix is a city of mysterious aura. In mythology, Phoenix symbolizes renewal as well as the sun. As an anthropologist, I was always fascinated by the imaginary representations and the construction of realities. What journalists do is give meaning and…
Media and Journalism : Professionalism, Pandemics and technology
Since the global pandemic hit the world at the earlier of 2020, every single aspect of life has been radically changed. In-person class switched to virtual. Unfortunately, not everything could be easily converted to virtual in learning about media and…
Just How Else Do You Unveil the Power of Technology in Pedagogy?
It was day five at the 2021 Study of the U.S. Institute on Journalism, Technology, and Democracy hosted by the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University, for a cohort of 18 participants from across the world. The thrill of…
A Night We Will Never Forget
This is a long blog post. If you are not interested in serious things, go directly to the Potluck part. You can find it easily near the first photo. Approaching the end of the week, we spent our last day…
Does Journalism Need Surgery?
The journalism teaching hospital The quest to save the journalism profession persists. The symptoms of its death abound; so do the theories about resuscitating it. Will it take a mere CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)? Many claim that technology and social media…
“While we teach, we learn”*
I was just 24 when I started teaching at one of South Africa’s biggest universities, Wits in Johannesburg. Not only did I find myself in the big city for the first time, I was also confronted by demanding and judgmental…