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PROFESSOR FLORA KESHISHIAN WINS FULBRIGHT AWARD TO TEACH IN A NEW MASTERS PROGRAM IN ARMENIA
St. John's University, NY
Nov 26 2007
Flora Keshishian, Ph. D., has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar
grant to lecture and do research next spring at Armenia's Yerevan
State Linguistic University after V. Brusov, where she will teach
Intercultural Communication as well as Media Criticism in a new Master
of Arts in International Journalism program.
Born and raised in Iran by Armenian parents, Dr. Keshishian speaks
fluent Eastern Armenian but will be teaching her courses mainly in
English. With a doctorate in Media Criticism from New York University
and considerable experience teaching similar courses--including
Language and Intercultural Communication and Interpersonal
Communication for the Pharmacist--at St. John's, she's well equipped
to teach the graduate students at Brusov. Recently, she learned she
may teach undergraduates as well and is ready for that challenge too.
One of the tools the St. John's professor plans to use in the Media
Criticism course at Brusov is an article based on her doctoral
dissertation. That study involved a close verbal and nonverbal
language analysis to detect bias, if any, in The New York Times'
and The Washington Post's reportage of two earthquakes, one of which
took place in Armenia.
Going beyond the Classroom Keshishian, an Assistant Professor in
the Department of Speech, Communication Sciences and Theatre at
St. John's, hopes to go "beyond the classroom" in Armenia to conduct,
or at least plant the seeds for, cross-cultural studies One topic
that particularly interests her is the link between the economic
system and cultural values.
"I'd like to examine the difference, if any, between the cultural
values and perceptions of the older generation of Armenians who lived
under the Soviet regime, and the younger generation of Armenians
who have lived in the current system since 1991 (Perestroika),"
she explains.
She is also looking to examine cross-cultural non-verbal communication,
discerning the difference, if any exists, between student-student
and student-teacher communication in Armenia and in the United States.
While at the Brusov University, Keshishian has a more personal goal:
"I would like to create a long-term relationship between Brusov and
St. John's University, between their faculty and our faculty, that
might involve the creation of ongoing research projects. I'd also
like to invite a faculty member to teach or lecture at St. John's,"
she says.
Already, St. John's newest Fulbright Scholar has attended an
orientation in Washington, DC, where she spoke with several student
Fulbright winners. She'd like to invite some of them to New York to
speak with St. John's students about the experience as well as how
to apply for the Fulbright scholarship.
The Value of Studying Abroad "I strongly believe that studying abroad
would be an invaluable experience for any student, here and elsewhere,"
she offers. "I hope to do anything I can to encourage our students to
apply for different scholarships, including the Fulbright, and to take
advantage of the Study Abroad program at St. John's for an opportunity
to study in a culture that's different from theirs. Being exposed to
a different way of life is likely to broaden anyone's perception of
the world and result in a more effective interpersonal/intercultural
communication."
Keshishian's Fulbright is the second in two years for the Language,
Speech Communications and Theatre department. Previously Associate
Professor Michael Hostetler, Ph.D. received a Fulbright grant to
teach in Ukraine.
http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/pr_aca_ 071126.stj
St. John's University, NY
Nov 26 2007
Flora Keshishian, Ph. D., has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar
grant to lecture and do research next spring at Armenia's Yerevan
State Linguistic University after V. Brusov, where she will teach
Intercultural Communication as well as Media Criticism in a new Master
of Arts in International Journalism program.
Born and raised in Iran by Armenian parents, Dr. Keshishian speaks
fluent Eastern Armenian but will be teaching her courses mainly in
English. With a doctorate in Media Criticism from New York University
and considerable experience teaching similar courses--including
Language and Intercultural Communication and Interpersonal
Communication for the Pharmacist--at St. John's, she's well equipped
to teach the graduate students at Brusov. Recently, she learned she
may teach undergraduates as well and is ready for that challenge too.
One of the tools the St. John's professor plans to use in the Media
Criticism course at Brusov is an article based on her doctoral
dissertation. That study involved a close verbal and nonverbal
language analysis to detect bias, if any, in The New York Times'
and The Washington Post's reportage of two earthquakes, one of which
took place in Armenia.
Going beyond the Classroom Keshishian, an Assistant Professor in
the Department of Speech, Communication Sciences and Theatre at
St. John's, hopes to go "beyond the classroom" in Armenia to conduct,
or at least plant the seeds for, cross-cultural studies One topic
that particularly interests her is the link between the economic
system and cultural values.
"I'd like to examine the difference, if any, between the cultural
values and perceptions of the older generation of Armenians who lived
under the Soviet regime, and the younger generation of Armenians
who have lived in the current system since 1991 (Perestroika),"
she explains.
She is also looking to examine cross-cultural non-verbal communication,
discerning the difference, if any exists, between student-student
and student-teacher communication in Armenia and in the United States.
While at the Brusov University, Keshishian has a more personal goal:
"I would like to create a long-term relationship between Brusov and
St. John's University, between their faculty and our faculty, that
might involve the creation of ongoing research projects. I'd also
like to invite a faculty member to teach or lecture at St. John's,"
she says.
Already, St. John's newest Fulbright Scholar has attended an
orientation in Washington, DC, where she spoke with several student
Fulbright winners. She'd like to invite some of them to New York to
speak with St. John's students about the experience as well as how
to apply for the Fulbright scholarship.
The Value of Studying Abroad "I strongly believe that studying abroad
would be an invaluable experience for any student, here and elsewhere,"
she offers. "I hope to do anything I can to encourage our students to
apply for different scholarships, including the Fulbright, and to take
advantage of the Study Abroad program at St. John's for an opportunity
to study in a culture that's different from theirs. Being exposed to
a different way of life is likely to broaden anyone's perception of
the world and result in a more effective interpersonal/intercultural
communication."
Keshishian's Fulbright is the second in two years for the Language,
Speech Communications and Theatre department. Previously Associate
Professor Michael Hostetler, Ph.D. received a Fulbright grant to
teach in Ukraine.
http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/pr_aca_ 071126.stj