Yusuf Kalyango Jr.
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SUSI scholars attend AEJMC Conference in Chicago

8/27/2012

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SUSI scholar Dr. Murad Abdullah presents during the Arab Spring panel at the 2012 AEJMC Conference in Chicago, Ill.

From Aug. 9 through Aug. 12, the 2012 SUSI scholars participated in the 2012 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Chicago. The SUSI summer institute — in which scholars from all over the world come to the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University to study journalism and media — is funded by an annual renewable grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Study of the U.S. Branch in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs.

The AEJMC Conference is an annual event in which journalism scholars from throughout the United States and around the world engage in panels, presentations and other sessions related to research and teaching.

While in Chicago, the scholars were free to attend sessions of their choice, as well as other events such as a keynote ceremony and evening receptions. Many scholars also used some of their free time to go sightseeing in the city.

Scholar Dr. Aysha Abughazzi said that the conference well organized, but added that she sometimes had trouble choosing among the many simultaneous sessions.

“Other than that, I enjoyed attending sessions, getting to know new people in the field and sharing in the discussions,” she said.
During the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 9, six SUSI scholars were part of a panel that was moderated by professor Mary Rogus, academic director of the OU SUSI program. The session was called “Arab Spring on TV: Global Perspectives on Coverage by CNN, BBC and Aljazeera.”

The six participating scholars were Abughazzi, from Jordan; Dr. Murad Abdullah, from Yemen; Dr. Alexsandr Kazakov, from Russia; Prof. Hugo Zarate, from The Bahamas; Dr. Ibaa Awad, from Sudan, and Prof. Taimoor Noori, from Afghanistan. They each spoke about various aspects of media coverage and public opinion of the Arab Spring as experienced in their countries.
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Scholars Prof. Godfrey Danaan, Prof. Alexandre Twizeyumukiza, Prof. Hugo Zarate and Prof. Divine Bisong pose in between AEJMC sessions.
“I was privileged to participate in such an international conference,” Abughazzi said. “It allowed me and my colleagues — who come from six different countries that are either directly or not directly involved in the events of the Arab Spring — to share with other scholars in the field our side of the story on a very hot and controversial topic.”

She explained that people of different countries watch different news stations to receive information about the Arab Spring based on how trustworthy they think the stations are and what kind of agenda they think the stations have. In Jordan, she said that Aljazeera is usually the public’s first choice, although some Jordanians also tune in to Western media outlets such as CNN and BBC.

Abughazzi said that the feedback she and her colleagues received about their panel was favorable.

“Many panel attendees continued the discussion on the various aspects of the topic — coverage of the Arab Spring — following the panel,” she said. “The questions we received indicated to us that people in the west were interested in learning our side of the story.”
On Thursday, Aug. 8, SUSI Program Director Dr. Yusuf Kalyango was a panelist during a session called “African Media, the Arab Spring and Democratization: The ‘Unseen’ and ‘Unmentioned’ Social Side of the News Revolution.”

Specifically, Kalyango discussed media and democratization in Africa in relation to one overarching question: “Is an Arab Spring conceivable in Africa?”

Kalyango also coauthored a paper about social networking in India. The paper was presented in a refereed research paper session on Thursday, and also won the Asian Journal of Communication Award for International Communication Research. One of the other authors of that paper, Dr. Peddiboyina Vijaya Lakshmi, was a 2011 OU SUSI scholar.
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Dr. Yusuf Kalyango and 2011 SUSI scholar Dr. Peddiboyina Vijaya Lakshmi receive the Asian Journal of Communication Award for International Communication Research.
In addition, SUSI program assistants Sally Ann Cruikshank, Ashley Furrow and Jim DeBrosse presented a total of eight papers at the AEJMC Conference.

Papers authored or co-authored by Furrow discussed topics such as the mission of Champion magazine, an influential female sportswriter named Mary Garber, and fans’ perceptions of local and national media coverage of college sports scandals.

Cruikshank’s papers examined issues such as media coverage of the genocides in southern Sudan and in Rwanda, as well as media coverage of France’s burqa ban.
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Program assistant Sally Ann Cruikshank poses with SUSI scholars Prof. Karlyga Myssayeva, Dr. Suren Deheryan and Prof. Bogdana Nosova at the AEJMC Opening Reception.
One of DeBrosse’s papers offered strategies for reporters to challenge customer access barriers at shopping malls, while his other paper examined the censorship of Wikimedia versus that of mainstream media.

Collectively, OU graduate students had a total of 19 papers accepted into the 2012 AEJMC Conference.

Cruikshank said the benefits of attending AEJMC will last long after the conference is over for scholars.

“It’s a chance to connect with other scholars who share similar research and teaching interests,” she said. “In fact, two scholars from last year’s SUSI program at Scripps enjoyed the conference so much, they came back again this year. It was great to see them there."
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OU faculty donate books to 2012 SUSI scholars

8/6/2012

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Various OU faculty members together donated hundreds of books to benefit the 2012 SUSI scholars.

By Lindsay Boyle

A number of Scripps College of Communication and Ohio University faculty members have donated several books for the 2012 SUSI scholars.

One such faculty member, retired professor Dr. Anne Cooper-Chen, has been involved with SUSI all three years that it has been hosted at OU. Last year, she acted as the research chair for the program and also gave away about 50 books, as well as one set of 25 years’ worth of Journal of Communication.

This year, Cooper-Chen donated a set of 30 years’ worth of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, which filled six boxes.

“I am retired and wanted the books and journals to get out to journalism schools around the world, since I no longer need them,” she said.

Other faculty members who donated include Dr. Eric Rothenbuhler, the associate dean of the Scripps College of Communication, and Dr. Steve Howard, the director of African Studies and of the Institute for the African Child, among others.

Many of the scholars were excited to receive and appreciative of the books.

Rwandan scholar Alexandre Twizeyumukiza, for example, picked books related to public relations and to journalism and media. He said that the books will greatly aid him in teaching as his country’s primary language transitions from French to English.

“I am sure that by reading them I will get additional information in those fields,” he said. “Also, the books could undoubtedly be useful to several other people.”

Scholar Guoping He, from China, said it is usually very difficult for him to get original English academic books at all. He chose books related to methodology, public relations and international communication.

He said that the books will aid him in his research, and also that he plans to donate some of the books to his school’s library so other scholars can benefit as well.

“It’s an unexpected pleasant surprise,” he said. “They are valuable gift for me.”

The SUSI summer institute — in which scholars from all over the world come to the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at OU to study journalism and media — is funded by an annual renewable grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Study of the U.S. Branch in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs.
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Scholars travel to Atlanta

8/3/2012

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SUSI scholars pose outside the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, Ga.
By Lindsay Boyle

During the latter part of the third week of the 2012 SUSI program, the scholars journeyed to Atlanta for two days full of media and cultural visits.

The SUSI summer institute — in which scholars from all over the world come to the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University to study journalism and media — is funded by an annual renewable grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Study of the U.S. Branch in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs.

Early on July 26, the scholars visited the headquarters of CNN. Once there, they split into two groups to tour multiple studios and newsrooms, including the domestic and international studios. During the tour, they learned more about how CNN’s media system works.
The scholars were also able to meet with Eli Flournoy, who is CNN Worldwide’s first director of International Newsource. Flournoy grew up in Athens, Ohio, and is an alumnus of Athens High School. Additionally, his father is a professor in OU’s School of Media Arts and Studies.

Dr. Suren Deheryan, the SUSI scholar from Armenia, said that the CNN visit was very interesting. Because he comes from a small country with small media organizations, he felt he could apply what he learned at CNN to help improve Armenian media.

“As a journalist and as a lecturer of media, it is very important for me to be there and to see what CNN is in the U.S., how it works,” he said. “It gives us some ideas about how we can, for example, organize our editorials.”

Later that day, the scholars traveled to World of Coca-Cola, where they were able to learn about the history and marketing of Coca-Cola on an international level. They also tasted samples of Coca-Cola from around the world. According to some of the scholars, some versions of Coca-Cola taste very different than others — and not always in a good way.

On July 27, the scholars began their day by stopping by The Carter Center, where they met with associates who talked about how the center operates around the world. The center works primarily to alleviate human suffering, resolve conflicts, expand freedom and improve health.
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Dr. Aysha Abughazzi and Prof. Karlyga Myssayeva pose inside the World of Coca-Cola.
Next, the scholars visited the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. There, they were given a presentation about presidential history in the United States, followed by a tour of the museum. The museum includes an exact replica of the Oval Office, as well as a permanent exhibit that documents significant events from former President Jimmy Carter’s life and career.

The scholars also spent time at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, where they learned about the civil rights movement and the history Atlanta. The site includes King’s birth home, the church where he preached, his tomb, a monument, a rose garden and a visitor’s center.

Scholar Aazadi Burfat, from Pakistan, described the visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Site as inspirational, but also described some of the material she saw as “touchy.”

“Segregation is the ugliest form of human pride and arrogance,” she said. “I never imagined that the United States, a very developed and modern society, had those deep social movements and struggles in its history against race, creed and color, like we have in developing societies.”
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Dr. Wilberforce Dzisah and Prof. Divine Bisong pose in front of the Dr. and Mrs. King’s tomb.
She said that, in Pakistan, people know and read a lot about Martin Luther King Jr. She likened him to a former Pakistani leader, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was renowned for his “distinct, revolutionary and brave” behavior.

“(Martin Luther King Jr.’s) idea of nonviolence is so fascinating and needed at this time that it must be promoted,” she said. “He will remain symbol of nonviolence, courage and never ending hope.”
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SUSI scholars take pictures of the sunset from The Sun Dial Restaurant.
The scholars enjoyed dinner at The Sun Dial Restaurant, an upscale restaurant with three floors, one of which features a 360-degree view of Atlanta’s skyline. They were joined by CNN’s Flournoy. After an evening full of conversation, the scholars observed a beautiful sunset and documented it well.

To end their time in Atlanta, the scholars experienced U.S. nightlife at the Havana Club, where they enjoyed music and danced.

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    As an international media scholar, author, and professor of journalism, Yusuf Kalyango is always working on or affiliated with something new. On this page, you’ll find information about his latest research, projects, and personal endeavors.

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