Journalists from 18 different countries are coming to the Cronkite School for six weeks this summer.
Journalists and media educators from 18 different countries will spend part of their summer at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication studying entrepreneurship, media innovation and government and experiencing life in the U.S.
The Journalism, Technology and Democracy program is part of the Study of the United States Institutes and is funded through a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State. The Study of the United States Institutes’ programs exposes global professionals, scholars and youth to U.S. institutions and culture through academic programs, cultural activities, workshops and service projects.
The Cronkite School is one of four universities hosting international scholars this summer through the Study of the United States Institutes program. The others are the University of Montana, the University of Delaware and New York University. The journalists and educators coming to Cronkite are from Brazil, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nepal, South Africa, Romania, Vietnam and developing countries around the world.
Dawn Gilpin, Cronkite associate professor and academic director for the Journalism, Technology and Democracy program, said scholars will have opportunities to try out digital tools, visit newsrooms and historical landmarks, experience local attractions and culture, and talk with judges and elected officials about the role of a free and independent press in a democracy. They also will learn new approaches to teaching journalism and conduct media research on a subject of their choosing.
“We are thrilled to host these scholars and introduce them to how we teach, research and experience journalism at the Cronkite School,” Gilpin said. “When they return to their home countries, they will take with them a new set of skills, knowledge and experiences to enrich their own teaching and professional expertise.”
The program is divided into weeklong thematic sessions:
• “Trusted News and Media Literacy,” led by Kristy Roschke, News Co/Lab managing director at the Cronkite School
• “Journalism, Entrepreneurship and Technology,” led by Retha Hill, director of Cronkite’s New Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab
• “Government and the Press,” led by Dan Barr, attorney with Perkins Coie LLP in Phoenix and counsel to the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona
• “The Power of Pedagogy,” led by Marianne Barrett, Louis Solheim Professor at the Cronkite School
During their time in Phoenix, scholars will make trips to the Grand Canyon and the U.S.-Mexico border, visit local media outlets and meet with government officials. They also will travel to Los Angeles, Alabama and Washington, D.C., for two weeks of additional exposure to important democratic, government, historical, media and technological institutions.
“We’re eager to give the scholars insight into the important role journalism plays in American life,” said Janet Coats, senior research project manager at the Cronkite School, who helped plan the program. “These study trips will help them understand the influence journalism has in social movements, both past and present, and expose them to how U.S. media is evolving to meet the challenges of our digital age.”
2019 Study of the United States Institutes for Scholars participants
Joanna Azar, Lebanon
Dinashree Balliah, South Africa
Alibek Begalinov, Kazakhstan
Abel Adamu Gebeyehu, Ethiopia
Sumon Francis Gomes, Bangladesh
Yurii Havrylets, Ukraine
Basil Hamusokwe, Zambia
Meta Kong, Cambodia
Väino Koorberg, Estonia
Cristiane Lindemann, Brazil
Andreea Mogoș, Romania
Ganchimeg Namsrai, Mongolia
Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Nga, Vietnam
Shree Ram Paudel, Nepal
Grisel Salazar, Mexico
Luís António Santos, Mozambique /Portugal
Shailendra Bahadur Singh, Fiji
Yue (Bess) Wang, Hong Kong
About the Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars
The Study of the U.S. Institutes are five- to six- week academic programs focused on U.S. studies for small groups of foreign undergraduate students, scholars and teachers. The Study of the United States Institutes aim to promote a better understanding of American people and institutions, explore the diversity and culture of the United States and develop or expand curricula on U.S. studies in colleges and universities. Hosted by universities and colleges throughout the United States, Institutes are designed to offer a balance between academic and experiential learning though an intensive academic program, site and cultural visits, an educational study tour, and opportunities to engage with American peers through community service, engagement and research.
About the Cronkite School
The Cronkite School is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading journalism education programs. In addition to a wide range of academic and professional development offerings in the United States, the school’s office of Global Initiatives regularly hosts journalism and communication practitioners and scholars from around the world for classes, workshops and immersion programs. In addition, Cronkite faculty engage globally in a variety of assignments and settings, often as international instructors, presenters and media experts, and Cronkite students travel to other countries as part of the school’s study abroad programs.