The Thomas Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication Newsletter
Fall 2014

Note from the Director

The Thomas Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication (HIHIC) is busy with new faculty, students and initiatives. The Institute is pleased to welcome to the faculty María Elena Gutiérrez Rentería, Ph.D. a visiting professor from Guadalajara Mexico and Marilda Oviedo, Ph.D. who as an M.A. student was among HIHIC’s first student affiliates before receiving her doctorate from the University of Iowa. The HIHIC also welcomes a new class of undergraduate and graduate students, including increasing numbers of Hispanic and international students. This growth is exciting for the Harris Institute as we seek to expand our involvement with diverse populations at Tech. In May, Senior Associate Dean Kevin Stoker, Ph.D. traveled to China with a TTU recruiting delegation, and I did the same to India in September. It’s exciting to see such enthusiasm for Texas Tech halfway around the world. On a day off I had the good fortune to visit S.J. Studios, a “Bollywood” facility in Mumbai, and had this photo taken with Dr. Fred Hartmeister and some TV program extras.

Kent Wilkinson, Ph.D.
Thomas Jay Harris Regents Professor in Hispanic and International Communication

In this issue:

HIHIC Publishes Volume 7 of the International Journal of Hispanic Media

The Harris Institute has published volume 7 of the International Journal of Hispanic Media, formerly the Journal of Spanish Language Media. [ find out more ]

The HIHIC Welcomes New Faculty Marilda Oviedo and María Elena Gutiérrez Renteríae

Dr. Oviedo received her Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa. [ find out more ]

Thomas Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication Awards Scholarship

Last year’s generous gift from the estate of Thomas Jay Harris has begun to pay dividends for students who were awarded Thomas Jay Harris scholarships at a college luncheon on September 12:
[ find out more ]

Texas Tech University International Film Series

The Harris Institute continues to co-sponsor the International Film Series, which has changed its name from Global Lens. Dr. Rob Peaslee, who was recently tenured and promoted to associate professor, continues as the series director with the assistance of a campus-wide programming committee. [ find out more ]

Left to right, Dr. Peggie Price, Dr. Hyo Jin Kim, Dr. Kent Wilkinson, Dr. Jessica R. El-Khoury, Dr. Weiwu Zhang and Dr. Brandon Bouchillon.

Recent Doctoral Graduates

This year, four HIHIC-affiliated students completed the Ph.D. program. We are very proud of their accomplishments and wish them success in their careers.

Brandon Bouchillon successfully defended his dissertation, “Patching the Melting Pot: Social Networking and Social Capital in America,” in Spring 2014.
[ find out more ]

Jessica R. El-Khoury completed and defended her dissertation titled “Prosocial Effects of an Entertainment-Education Television Sitcom and Celebrity PSA: Investigating the Role of Parasocial Interaction, Humor, and Resistance to Persuasion”. [ find out more ]

Hyo Jin Kim successfully defended her dissertation, “Discovering Science Fiction Fandom in Science Communication and Science Culture: A Case Study of Doctor Who Fandom in South Korea”. [ find out more ]

Mehrnaz Rahimidefended her dissertation “How Tolerant Are People in the Diaspora of Opposing Political Views?: An Evaluation of Media Use and Political Tolerance Among Iranians in the U.S.A.” [ find out more ]

HIHIC Affiliates' Activities

Lindsey Blumell (doctoral student) presented a paper on framing international news at the 2014 BEA conference.
[ find out more ]

Pria Khandelwal (doctoral student) has primary interests in health communication and how new media can be used to reach mass audiences in diverse, low SES populations. [ find out more ]

Sun Young Lee, Ph.D. is working on several projects related to corporate social responsibility (CSR).
[ find out more ]

Yunjuan (Lily) Luo, Ph.D. recently published “The Internet and Agenda Setting in China: The Influence of Online Public Opinion on Media Coverage and Government Policy”. [ find out more ]

Rebecca R. Ortiz, Ph.D. recently published an article in the Journal of Children & Media. [ find out more ]

Nathian Shae Rodriguez (doctoral student) presented his paper “Texas Country: A Tale of a Successful Niche in the Tall City” at the 2014 BEA conference. [ find out more ]

Autumn Shafer, Ph.D. published an article in the Journal of Health Communication about developing a theory-based campaign to promote caregiver wellbeing among parents of children with eating disorders. [ find out more ]

Weiwu Zhang, Ph.D. published three entries in the Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics (Sage).
[ find out more ]

HIHIC to participate in Campus-Wide Global Communication Program

HIHIC faculty, affiliates, and students will participate in the Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center’s Teaching Diversity Across the Curriculum: Open Teaching Concept in October 2014.
[ find out more ]