Teaching

61-141 Introduction to Journalism and Mass Communication (Coll)
Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath offered a springboard to several diversity issues. Prominent in the coverage were the two pictures from New Orleans, one of a white couple wading through the water “looking for food,” the other of two black citizens, wading, who were portrayed by the media as “looters.” This graphically displayed how minorities are portrayed differently in the media from whites. We then spent a large part of a class on Robert C. Maynard’s “fault lines” concept, of which race is a major issue, and moved from there to the findings of the Kerner Commission regarding coverage of minorities. One of the class readings on d2l was a short piece about “fault lines”, which the class discussed.

61-221 Writing for the Media (Davidson)
In Media Writing I lecture on the importance of providing coverage about and for diverse individuals. Related to that emphasis, students are assigned to select a country and read the Web sites of two newspapers in that country for three weeks, then write a report based on questions designed to help them appreciate the way different cultural perspectives (and sometimes government control) affect news coverage. From time to time, as various news events unfold, I ask them to look to their sites and share with the class how their papers are or are not covering that news. Also as part of the class on diversity I ask them to respond to Miles’ questions that get at the differences in the way individuals from various countries communicate.

61-224 Editing (Benish)
The class looked at racial identification in the news media and what is necessary to be fair. In particular, we looked at how the media covered Hurricane Katrina and portrayed minorities in different ways than whites were portrayed. (Minorities were “looting” food from grocery stores, while whites “found” the food.) We also discussed how AP and various stylebooks address such things as race, handicaps, etc. In addition, students took a T&F "cultural competency” quiz. (For example: When embarrassed, a Korean might respond by laughing.) It showed students just how much they didn’t know about other cultures. Lastly, we discussed the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education’s Fault Lines, and students looked at how stories could be improved by including sources of various fault lines (generation, gender, race, geography and class).

61-224 Editing (Lim)
For the Editing class, I created a PowerPoint focusing on racial IDs. I used well-known celebrities such as Dean Cain (Lois and Clark) and Tiger Woods as examples of how the media identified them. I posed the questions: How different would Cain’s coverage have been if he had kept his birth name, Dean George Tanaka? Also why does the media routinely identify Tiger as African-American when he is more Asian (1/2) than black (1/4)? I also shared the major faux pas I committed as an intern for the Austin American-Statesman. I wrote a lengthy feature article commemorating the 100th birthday of the city I researched extensively and found 10 interesting people to profile. My error? They were all white. The article was an embarrassment to the paper and me. The lesson learned? Society is made up of many dimensions and colors and our reporting must reflect its diversity.

61-239 Media Photo I (Gleason)
One section of Media Photography I watched a video during the Fall 2005 semester about Brazilian-born photographer Sebastiao Salgado. Salgado photographed manual laborers in third world countries and discussed how their livelihoods are changing.

61-327 Reporting (Davidson)
In Reporting, I talk to them about the need to ensure that diverse populations within society are not forgotten and are fairly covered, and I provide suggestions on terminology and other issues that come up in handling such coverage. Several students in that class wrote stories on diversity and/or international topics with a local angle. One of those stories, an article examining why the university has been unable to meet its goals for enrolling and keeping black students, was run on the front page of the A-T and has been submitted for an SPJ Mark of Excellence Award. Other Reporting class stories run in the A-T included an article on UW-Oshkosh students called up to serve in Iraq and an Oshkosh program that provides support abroad, especially in Afghanistan. In teaching interview skills, I asked one of the students in the class who was in International Press (J380) to talk and answer questions about his experience in study abroad at Cambridge, England. I had invited a former student who is native American to speak to the class, but illness prevented him from doing so.

61-312 Media Ethics (Cowling)
In an effort to get students thinking about the importance of multiculturalism and diversity in the media and in society in general, they were assigned a project in any area that related to this issue. As part of the assignment, students had to make it clear that they had interacted with someone or a group from another culture or race. They were give several examples as a guideline, and urged to consider entering their essays, ads, posters, videos or tapes in the competition for the department's Multicultural Media Award.

61-339 Media Photo II (Gleason)
Media Photography II students photographed Tibetan monks at Oshkosh's Paine Arts Center and Gardens during the Fall 2005 semester. The assignment exposed the students to practices of a religion and culture largely foreign to them. The monks were creating a sand painting.

61-351 Ad Copy and Layout (Benish)
The class discussed how to target various ethic groups when designing advertisements or an ad campaign. We looked at things that separated one ethnic group from another, and discussed how to reach the various ethnic groups. We also talked about being sensitive to the various nuances in language, as well as looking at the whole person, vs. one demographic.

61-353 Advertising Media (Tsao)
A student group was assigned to study the Web site of Census Bureau that provides an access to the data of racial and ethnic populations in the United States. The finding was included in a PowerPoint document presented to the class.

61-371 History of Journalism in the United States (Cowling)
Students were assigned to write an 8- to 10-page paper examining and analyzing the historical development of either diversity in the media workplace or the historical development of minority media publications.

61-380 International Press and 454 Selected Topic in Journalism (Gleason)
Gleason took approximately 15 students to England during the summer of 2005 on a tour to study international journalism, which is a part of the UW-Oshkosh study-abroad program. Two journalism courses, Special Topics in Journalism and International Press, are offered on the study tour. The study abroad classes will be offered every other summer.

61-446 Independent Study (Henderson)
Under the auspices of an independent study, a student, Ann Bowen, helped to organize and publicize the city's annual Martin Luther King Day dinner. Her duties also included working with local schools to submit entries to the essay contest.

61-472 Media Research (Tsao)
Students studied ethnic groups in terms of demographics, psychographics, and behavioristics using methods of secondary research and syndicated sources such as Prizm and SIMMONS. Research findings were compiled and presented to a panel of advertising professionals. The research findings are also taken into consideration for the National Students Advertising Competition project.

Research

James Tsao presented a paper at the International Association of Media and Communication Research in Taipei in July, 2005. He also attended a planning session to discuss a research plan with several local scholars to collaboratively work on a project studying behaviors on the Internet in Taiwan.

Service

The department helped a journalism student continue her journalism studies transferred from Xavier University to UW-Oshkosh due to Hurricane Katrina. Supports include two scholarships ($500 from the Diversity in Journalism Scholarship and another $500 from the David Lippert Journalism Scholarship), a labtop computer loaned to the student, and efforts to arrange a public relations internship. In addition, a senior faculty loaned the student a vehicle to accommodate her transportation needs.

UWO Adverting Club sponsored a fundraiser to benefit the Salvation Army thrift store on Sept. 12, 2005, to raise $150.00 to go towards victims of hurricane Katrina who have temporarily sought shelter here in Oshkosh.

Peggy Davidson wrote a letter to support a journalism student who is seeking U.S. citizenship.

The collection of the “Resources for International and Multicultural Journalism” located in the journalism conference room continues to grow. The multicultural section provides access to more than 50 books, 20 journals/magazines/newsletters, 20 CDs, and videotapes. Books such as “Communication and Culture,” “Understanding Media Cultures,” and “Minorities and Media” serve as guides for being culturally sensitive and understanding different cultures from the journalism and mass communication point of view.

James Tsao was selected to be a fellow of Journalism and Mass Communication Leadership Institute for Diversity. He was chosen as one of eight fellows from 24 applicants across the nation to attend the program.

Department chair attended the Multicultural Preview Day sponsored by the Admission Office of UWO to promote the department. The chair presented information about the department, including alumni, curriculum, students achievements, faculty background, and scholarships, to more than 15 high school students with ethnic background.

Two minority students actively participated in the production of departments’s newsletter that was published in July 2005. The newsletter was also assisted by a student with disability.