The Institute for Hispanic and International Communication Newsletter | Spring 2011 | Inaugural Issue

Verbatim

It is a pleasure to offer this inaugural issue of the Institute for Hispanic and International Communication Newsletter. The newsletter will be published twice a year to inform readers about the activities of the Institute and its affiliated faculty and students. We welcome suggestions for stories as well as for improvements. I would like to thank Patrick Merle, a first-year Ph.D. student and Melissa Wofford, College Design Specialist, for their diligent work in designing, assembling and editing this publication.

Kent Wilkinson

IHIC Strengthens Links to Spain

In November 2010, Dr. Juan Pablo Artero Muñoz visited Texas Tech as a guest of IHIC. Dr. Artero, a professor in the media management program at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, spoke to graduate and undergraduate students about his areas of expertise and Spanish media in general. Dr. Artero also gave a research presentation concerning media consumption in Spain. This visit illustrated the deepening bonds between The College of Media & Communication and universities in Spain.

Q & A

Dr. Wilkinson, what is the principal objective of IHIC this semester?
As usual we are promoting teaching, research, interacting with industry, and community engagement related to Hispanic and international communication. Several graduate students affiliated with IHIC are taking qualifying exams or defending their thesis and dissertation proposals this semester--it is important to keep them advancing through the program.


What is a recommended reading in international communication?
A lot of interesting news is coming out of the Middle East and North Africa with the major political upheavals there. These carry deep implications for journalism, political communication and new media’s influence in the region. I recently purchased for IHIC the book, De-Westernizing Communication Research: Altering Questions and Changing Frameworks (Georgette Wang [Ed.] Routledge, 2011). It covers an important topic and includes chapters by some key scholars in the field.

The French Touch

Dr. Rémy Rieffel, graduate program director at the French Institute of Press, visited the College of Media & Communication in February. Invited by IHIC, Rieffel guest lectured in several undergraduate classes and contributed to two graduate seminars. He also presented the current state of French media to the faculty. “This visit proved to be fruitful,” he said. “I was able to see a different context than what we have in Paris. It also encouraged me to develop a partnership between the two institutions. The objective is to invite Texas Tech faculty to come to Paris as visiting scholars to talk to our students. It would be ideal if some of our students would also come to study in this environment,” Rieffel added.

Reaching Out

The IHIC has been instrumental in developing relationships with with several international universities. As of April 2011 memorandums of understanding were in development with the University of Seville, the University of Paris II and the University of the Andes in Santiago, Chile. These flexible agreements allow for the exchange of faculty and students between the College of Media & Communication and those institutions.

Current Activities of IHIC-Affiliated Faculty and Students

Click here to see what our faculty and students are involved with.

MCOM Study Abroad is Growing

The Institute for Hispanic and International Communication has played a central role in developing study abroad opportunities for undergraduate students at Texas Tech’s Seville Center in Spain.
In May 2010 a group of 20 students studied Spanish Media and International Advertising with Dr. Kent Wilkinson and Dean Jerry Hudson, respectively. In May 2011 a slightly larger group will take the Spanish Media course and Travel Photography with Jerod Foster, a Ph.D. student in the college and an accomplished professional photographer.

IHIC Director Kent Wilkinson discusses studying abroad and its benefits

Student Perspectives on Study Abroad

HIHIC Homepage | IHIC Newsletter Spring 2011