Tricia M. Farwell, assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University, is the current teaching co-chair of the public relations division of AEJMC and secretary of the Entertainment and Sports Section for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She holds degrees from Arizona State University and has worked in corporate public relations and advertising for more than 17 years. Farwell has presented research at the HIC on Arts and Humanities at theMPCA . Additionally, Dr Farwell has authored the book, Love and Death in Edith Wharton’s Fiction. When she is not teaching or researching, she can be found restoring or driving her 1998 corvette convertible with Barry, the Gnome.
How do you define mass communication?
This is becoming somewhat murky. Do we count cellular phones as part of mass communication? Do we confine the definition to what is considered “traditional media”? Do we cast the widest net and call it mass communication?
How do you keep your students excited about working in the field of communications in light of shrinking job opportunities?
Actually, how to get a job in the current market was one of the first questions that my students asked me this semester one the first day of class. The main approach that I’ve found which makes students most “excited” is being honest with them. I’ve shared my experiences, as I’m sure most of us do, so the students know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
It helps to be willing to listen and to mentor them through the initial steps of the job search process. Basically, remembering what it was like to make that transition from student to employee and being someone that the students can go-to with their flubs and awards.
What changes do journalism and mass communication programs need to make in order to stay relevant today?
It’s getting more and more difficult to keep relevant, I think. It’s even a struggle on an individual level. We need to identify and embrace new technologies and new modes of communication. Programs also have to make sure that their students are informed of how we arrived where we are regarding the field. User generated content may be something that we’ll have to address also.
If you could save one journalism and mass communication course from extinction, what would it be and why?
Ethics. With the trends towards social media and user generated content our students need to be aware of the issues that they will face. Just because they *can* do it does it mean they *should* do it?
What new media tools or applications do you incorporate in your teaching? Why these in particular?
I’m probably going to forget some of them…
Twitter is the big one I’m incorporating this semester (Spring 2009). So many of the students either haven’t heard of it or think it is not for them. It is becoming a huge tool for public relations practitioners for everything from monitoring feedback to pitching stories to journalists.
LinkedIn as a source for those who are job searching/job networking. The recommendation feature is interesting and it provides a way to network.
Currently, I’m working on setting up my own blog and new web site. However, it seems that students aren’t overly excited about accessing those without it being part of an assignment. They are most likely to visit my Facebook page. Most of the class documents are put on D2L. So, I’m not overly sure that is going to be a useful thing as I don’t want to “force” the students to go to my web site.
YouTube is essential. The only glitch with that is that the label will stick that it appears in the class. Students will come in and say “are we watching YouTube today?” before they settle down in their seats. However, when used well, it does help keep the students involved and excited about the class.
Instant Messaging (Yahoo!, AIM, Google Talk, Messenger) for quick questions. Most of the students love this around exam time. It makes it easy for them to drop me a quick question and for them to get a response.
If you could offer a piece of advice to both your fellow educators and media professionals in the field, what would it be?
Stay on top of the things that interest our students. If we want them to be interested in what we say (read that as actually *be* in the class both mentally and physically), we need to be interested in them.
What do you see for the future of journalism and mass communication both in general and in higher education?
Predicting the future is always difficult and a foot-in-mouth task for me, but at the risk of inserting my foot in my mouth…We’ll probably have to address the increased amount of user generated content.