April 24, 2018
The Division of Mass Communication has introduced a new course, Mass Communication in Scandinavia. Students in this course embarked on a journey to Helsinki (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden) over Spring Break 2018. There, the Nordic cultures presented a unique case for exploring how grave global challenges are addressed in local contexts through the media, academia, social, cultural, and political realities of refugees residing in Scandinavia.
Led by Dr. Tuija Parikka, 16 CPS students connected, among other things, with the diversified interpretations of globalization of the media coverage of the migration crisis, views of the local reporters covering the crisis, and experiences of the refugees themselves. Some of the program highlights included sitting in on classes for refugee children and painting art projects with them, visiting the Editor-in-Chief, Ulla Appelsin, and her staff at the second largest Finnish Newspaper, Iltasanomat, debating populism with local students at the University of Helsinki, seizing a contemplative moment in an eco-friendly sauna by the Baltic Sea, enjoyed rustic and trendy culinary experiences, and a festive cruise that took them form Helsinki to Stockholm. First-hand immersion in the culture of another holds its place in generating an array of ways theory can be bridged together with practice, service, and - wonder.