University of Oklahoma professor Charles Self presenting the World Journalism Education Census to the delegates in attendance.
GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa — Joining educators from around the world to discuss the current and future challenges facing journalism education, more than 30 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication members attended the World Journalism Education Congress in South Africa.
“There’s so much traction around the world now for journalism education that there really is a lot for journalism educators to learn,” said Joe Foote, convener of the World Journalism Education Congress and dean of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. “We need to have integration in research, teaching and professional activities that invigorate our curriculum and learn from the way others are doing it.”
The World Journalism Education Congress brings together journalism educators from around the world to advance journalism education in their own countries and around the globe. More than 400 journalism and mass communication educators from more than 50 countries attended the congress, which ran from July 4-7. Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies, located in Grahamstown, South Africa, hosted the congress.
AEJMC members who attended the World Journalism Education Congress will share the key themes discussed in Grahamstown during a panel at 3:15 p.m. August 5 at the AEJMC conference in Denver, Colorado.
The presence of AEJMC members at the World Journalism Education Congress demonstrates the organizations’ continued commitment to the World Journalism Education Congress and to journalism education around the world, said Wayne Wanta, former AEJMC president and Welch-Bridgewater chair in sports journalism at Oklahoma State University.
“AEJMC provided financial support for the first congress and sent the AEJMC president and the president of ASJMC to the congress and that initial support helped make that congress successful,” said Wanta, who is AEJMC’s representative at the congress. “Although there wasn’t as much support for this one, three former AEJMC presidents attended and several other members were here and I’m sure future presidents will continue supporting the WJEC.”
This year’s congress is the second World Journalism Education Congress. The first congress took place in 2007 in Singapore.
The World Journalism Education Congress is organized under the auspices of the World Journalism Education Council, which comprises representatives from 29 journalism education associations from around the world. Council hopes to provide a common space for journalism educators from around the world and to focus on issues that are universal in the field.
The World Journalism Education Council is now accepting proposals to host the 3rd World Journalism Education Congress in 2013. Guidelines for proposal submissions can be found at http://wjec.ou.edu.
Contact: Joe Foote, World Journalism Education Congress convener, jfoote@ou.edu