 Fulbright
Scholar Stories |
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Norma Fay Green, Acting Chairperson and Director
of Graduate Program, Journalism Department, Columbia College,
Chicago, IL
Lecturing and Research: Modern American Journalism
Host: University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark;
Odense University, Odense, Denmark
August 2000-December 2000
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Media Sociology course I guest lectured in at Institut
for Journalistik at Syddansk Universitet, Odense, Denmark.
It was a second year (third semester) class of 75 journalism
students that I tried to break down into small groups for
in-class assignments such as the one pictured.
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In addition to guest lectures in the journalism department, newly
established in 1998, I spoke to students and faculty of the Political
Science Department and the History Department, Center for American
Studies on campus. Through contacts I made during the months I
was there, I also ended up advising some students at other Danish
universities in Aalborg and Roskilde who were working on journalism
projects. Other audiences ranged from very bright and lively Social
Science gymnasium students to adult learners in "International
English V" at a community school in downtown Odense. I also
presented research on U.S. public journalism trends at an annual
Media Research in Denmark Association conference that draws participants
from other Scandinavian countries.
Being overseas during Fall 2000 allowed me to witness a Danish
national forum and subsequent referendum on a common European
currency euro, Queen Mother Ingrid's funeral in Europe's oldest
monarchy and a U.S. presidential election from afar. The last
weeks of U.S. presidential campaigning coupled with ready access
to U.S. coverage of the earlier Danish vote via ready access to
Internet news resources provided me with lecture material and
ended up being adapted into a commentary which ran as a bylined
piece in the leading Danish daily newspaper, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten.
So I got my first Danish byline, thanks to translation editing
and assistance by my host department faculty and staff!
Being away from one's home country for a few months is an invaluable
experience that will surely resonate in my renewed teaching, research
and administrative tasks. Further, I made dear friends among some
of my Danish colleagues and fellow U.S. Fulbrighters. I intend
to keep in touch with them. Through a series of coincidences,
I met a Danish
Fulbright Scholar in Denmark when he returned to his hometown
of Odense for Christmas. He and his family were living only three
blocks from our home in Evanston, IIlinois so my husband and I
made it a point to befriend them these last few months. We treasure
our time spent between my return to the U.S. on Christmas Eve
and their return to Copenhagen in June. We intend to visit Denmark
again to see them and other friends. I hope to be invited back
when the SDU journalism department moves into new headquarters.
Please contact us
if you would like to submit your own story and/or photographs.
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