Teaching Experience and Evolution: Toward Digital and Global

(The 7-hour conference video is available here.)

My teaching experience in communication and media studies spans well over 15 years, the period when major changes in mainstream media culture have occurred. 

My multidisciplinary background enables me to make links between new media scholarship and critical cultural studies, television and film studies, socio-linguistics, sociology and anthropology, policy and political economy research, and gender studies. I also believe that my experience of working for media organizations as well as with policy-makers and grassroots organizations add to my ability to link theory and praxis.

I have studied and lectured in European, Indian and American universities. I have designed and taught courses such as Radio and Television Culture, Television and Popular Culture, Media Analysis (empirical methods), and Media and Communication Systems. I have designed specialized research-oriented course modules for small student groups and co-supervised several Master’s theses. 

Having also been a media practitioner, I have designed and run collaborative workshops for media professionals and scholars on media and gender analysis in the Balkans, in the U.S. (the U.N.), Canada, Greece, and Sweden. 

All of these courses have sections that focus on new/participatory media and global media culture. In Spring 2009, I taught a segment in an experimental on-line course on Facebook at the University of Helsinki, and in November 2009 I lectured on the idea of ‘Citizen 2.0’ in the new media environment, as well as on new challenges of media literacy, in New Delhi  (Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia University and a UNESCO Conference) and in Bangalore (Centre for Internet and Society).

In Fall 2010 I conducted an entire M.A. course on media reform and engaged scholarship via a blog (commresearchinaction.wordpress.com). More generally, I have been lucky to participate in the development of the new Master’s Program in Global Media and Communication at the University of Helsinki.

In Fall 2011, I took part in the NYSCA panel on blogging in the use of pedagogy. In October 2013 I returned to NYSCA, with two undergraduate students, to discuss Media Diets as pedagogical tools.

At St. John's (2011-16), I have taught Introduction to Mass Communication, International Communication, and Building Digital Communities (Master's level online course). I have tried to develop as an educator by taking the Distance Learning Certificate and the Certificate Program in Global Education, as well as courses on Multiculturalism, Writing for Global Issues, and on integration of global angles in all curricula. I am currently enrolled in Advanced Online Teaching Strategies.

In addition, I am constantly studying to gain more expertise. I also completed three (3) courses at TechChange (online education institution for development professionals) as well as the Executive Diploma of the United Nations’ affiliated UPeace on Social Innovation (2013-14). I was a Visiting Fellow (2014-15) at Aalto University, Finland, in the research group focused on educational technologies.