Jolanta Drzewiecka, Intercultural Communication
1. What can a student learn from the intercultural communication courses in the WSU Murrow School?
We live in a globalizing world with much diversity, and intercultural communication intensifies everyday. When students enter a company after they graduate, they always find themselves working with people of different nationalities, therefore the demand for people who can understand intercultural communication increases.
The Applied Intercultural Degree Program in the Murrow School prepares students to understand and actively engage in intercultural communication in relationships, within and among communities, at the workplace, and at the national and global levels.
The program focuses on human communication in local/global contexts and in relationship to media representations. Students will learn to be aware of their cultural identity and also to understand and negotiate their identities with others in intercultural contexts. They also will gain cultural knowledge and skills to creatively solve problems and challenges that arise within intercultural and/or inequitable relations. Hopefully, the degree program can help students to learn and understand cultural differences. Students also will develop a critical perspective on local/global issues by examining the historical and political dimensions of intercultural relations.
2. Why students should choose the WSU Applied Intercultural Communication degree program?
At our School, we have unique combination of faculty with broad intercultural experience who can share with students and can teach in an informed way.
3. How can a Murrow School degree help students to enter into the intercultural communication professional field after they graduate?
The graduates of the program are uniquely prepared for careers in human resources, community/international development, community relations and mediation, customer relations, sales/account representation, employee relations, management, training and development, political organizing, cultural and diversity needs assessment, and international mediation.
4. What aspects of teaching intercultural communication do you enjoy most?
Teaching applied intercultural communication always allows me to learn new things. I have never taught a class without learning some new things from the students.
5. What made you want to join the Murrow School faculty?
I like to work in the Murrow School because this School cares about self-improvement and development. It is not a School that stands in one place.
6. In your opinion, what is the legacy Murrow left to Murrow School students and faculty?
Murrow was really concerned with communication ethics. His concern was not only for the journalism field but for all communication fields. Moreover, he also was concerned with intercultural relationships and communication. He had a broad understanding of international relationships, and he was always concerned with equity and justice among people.