Sessions about International

Many argue “freedom of the press” is an essential pillar on which a functional, sustainable democratic society rests. Ostensibly, a free press corps is the “Fourth Estate,” or guardian of individual rights and civil liberties. Media professionals are “gatekeepers” or “watchdogs” of accurate, objective, and socially relevant information and knowledge. They form a corpus entrusted to educate and inform a nation’s citizens about its institutions and the important issues that traverse society. Fledgling democracies, in particular, are sensitive to the need for a professional press corps, including media professionals who monitor its institutions and investigate the critical issues confronting its people. Mali is a nation in its second decade of democratic reform. Its citizens remain largely illiterate and reside in one of the world’s 10 poorest countries. Through a Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Citizens Exchange Program, Oklahoma State University is working with Malian media specialists. This session will explore the culture of Mali and lessons learned through a pictorial and video presentation from travel to Mali during the project’s first phase.

Last year, 27 agricultural communications students and faculty took a trip. And they discovered something: people communicate about agriculture in Scotland, too. Now that got the faculty thinking (which usually causes some trouble). Could professionals in countries other than Scotland teach students a thing or two about agricultural communications? Would a bunch of students and faculty have anything of interest to share with communicators in another country? Then the faculty started thinking even more (and that can really cause some trouble). What if they organized another trip to some place like Greece, Russia, or Azerbaijan? And what if they took both students and ACE professionals so they could all travel together, experiencing new cultures and learning from each other? “Sounds like fun,” they said. “Let’s do it!” This session will explore how agricultural communications faculty, professionals, and students can combine international travel with professional development. The session will begin with a review of the 2006 ACE/ACT Scotland Study Tour and will end with a brainstorming session about the next ACE/ACT international study tour in 2008.