It's most definitely going to be a ton of work, most notably in the form of reading assignments and research papers. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Two years is both a long and short time. Many of the skills that had made me a "good student" had been in practice for 16+ years then. Although I've managed my time and multitasked at work, I'm realizing how different it was/will be in an academic setting. It's going to take a great deal of extra effort to get back into study-mode.
But with that effort comes excitement. I've always enjoyed learning yet for the first time I'm finding myself wholeheartedly passionate about each one of my courses.
- Global Communications: theories and practices of communication research, particular those dealing with globalization of media and culture.
- Media Convergence Practicum: how the convergence of print/radio/tv/web content is revolutionizing story telling, journalism, and the communication industry at large.
- Museum as Medium: an investigation of the construction and communication of national, cultural, and community identities and diverse definitions of heritage through the medium of the contemporary museum.
- Communication & the Global Sphere: how media and political actors rhetorically constitute the public, how they (and occasionally governments) constitute "public spaces" (virtual and material) in which public discourse takes place, and how institutional and technological forces constitute "public opinion" and articulate "the public interest" & how political economy of media and social practices facilitate or stifle spaces, political actors, and publics.
