Sam Swan, professor of journalism and electronic media and director of internationalization and outreach in the College of Communication and Information, has been awarded a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant to teach this summer at two universities in Ethiopia.
This is the second Fulbright grant Swan has received in the last year. He taught at the University of Zagreb in Croatia last December.
For three weeks in late July and early August, Swan will teach radio journalism to volunteers and students at community radio stations in Hawassa University and Haramaya University.
The radio stations are funded by the US State Department and various nongovernmental organizations to help provide news and information to geographic areas and communities that may be underserved by commercial broadcasters.
Swan said that although radio has been around for a long while, it still plays a critical role in informing the public.
“FM radio stations are still the primary source of news and information in Ethiopia, particularly outside of the major cities,” he said. “With low literacy rates in rural areas of the country, radio news and talk programming is the most effective way for them to learn about their local communities and the wider world.”
The Fulbright program is part of the US State Department. For more information about the program, visit the Fulbright Program online. Learn more about Fulbright Senior Specialist grants here.
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C O N T A C T :
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)