Butler CainWest Texas A&M University

BEA IGNITE

International Journalism Dialogue:

Dialogue, Twitter & Geo Quizess

D I A L O G U E , T W I T T E R A N D G E O Q U I Z Z E S

INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM

WJEC-3 Ignite

Butler Cain, Ph.D.

West Texas A&M University

COURSE TITLE AND OBJECTIVES

MCOM 3392: Special Topics – International Journalism

Summer II 2012

Primary Academic Objectives

Develop an understanding of the emergence and

influence of global digital media

Become adept at recognizing different cultural

perspectives in foreign news programming

Develop an understanding of and appreciation for the

important role Twitter plays in disseminating information

about developments in global journalism

Become more knowledgeable about global geography

TEXTBOOK AND DISCUSSION

Hachten, William A. and Scotton, James F. (2012). The World

News Prism: Challenges of Digital Communication, 8th

edition. Wiley-Blackwell.

Class sessions included discussion of the

day’s chapter assignment. Tables were

arranged into a large rectangle to

encourage face-to-face dialogue.

Students led the conversation, and the

instructor followed up on topics that

needed some more examination.

FOREIGN NEWS PROGRAMMING

The course introduced students to eight English-language foreign news organizations during the summer semester.

Press TV (Iran) – http://www.presstv.ir

Al Jazeera (Qatar) – http://www.aljazeera.com

France 24 (France) – http://www.france24.com/en

NHK World (Japan) – http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld

CCTV (China) – http://english.cntv.cn/01/index.shtml

RT (Russia) – http://rt.com

Link TV – “Mosaic” (Middle East) http://www.linktv.org/mosaic

Voice of America – “In Focus” (Africa) http://www.voanews.com

NEWS WEBSITES

WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSES

Students watched

four English-

language

international

newscasts in class

each week. They

examined these

programs for their

cultural and

journalistic

perspectives.

Students wrote five weekly analyses throughout the course of

the summer semester. Each was two pages, double spaced.

TWITTER ENHANCED THE COURSE

Twitter served multiple

classroom purposes

Engaging with the

international news

broadcasters the

students were analyzing

Recruiting guest speakers

Promoting the course

and WTAMU to a larger

online audience

TWEETING FOR SPJ

Students researched

current events related to

international journalism

and then wrote tweets

that included hyperlinks

to the web-based

reports.

Their tweets were then

retweeted by the Society

of Professional Journalists’

International Journalism

Committee.

YOU CAN’T STUDY INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM …

… without studying the world’s geography.

There were five geography quizzes

featured in this course, one per week.

Straight from the syllabus:

Geography Quizzes

Stop freaking out! You’ll be given the opportunity to study

long before you take the quizzes. Think about it as an

opportunity to learn more about your world and to become

a better global citizen. Quizzes will focus on Europe, Asia,

Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America.

STUDENT REACTIONS

Responded to the course’s “open format” and

vigorously participated in daily discussions

Were impressed with the types of news stories

covered by the international broadcasters

Were surprised by the occasional presence of anti-

American or anti-Western points of view expressed

on the international programs

Used the course to enhance their Twitter skills

Accepted the geography quizzes as a fun

challenge

THANK YOU!

Butler Cain, Ph.D.

Department of Communication

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

Email: bcain@wtamu.edu

Twitter: @ButlerCain