It\u2019s a challenge many a college professor has faced when launching a new course, regardless of discipline: How do I make this class come alive for my students?<\/em> Communication studies professors Chris Richter and Vlado Bratic shared this quandary when they teamed up to teach Media Industries, Media Careers, a 200-level special topic course introduced last fall. The professors envisioned the course as a comprehensive exploration of the accelerated changes in technology, creative processes, organizational structures, audiences, and more in the media.<\/p>\n What concerned Richter and Bratic wasn\u2019t a lack of material to teach the course\u2014there were plenty of up-to-date scholarly perspectives and case studies at their disposal. \u201cWe felt it was going to be a dry thing,\u201d Bratic admitted, \u201ca class that had a potential to be boring.\u201d<\/p>\n Richter Photo by Sharon Meador<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n But Richter got an idea after a department meeting during which he and his colleagues were discussing the careers of some of their alumnae. \u201cI realized that we\u2019ve got some people out there that are really doing well in the media industries. As soon as I had that thought, I went to Vlado and said, \u2018Do you think we could do a course where we have guest lectures from some of these people who are doing remarkable things?\u2019 And it evolved from there.\u201d<\/p>\n The two professors set about structuring a course in which students would get \u201csomething from us, something from a text, and something from our speakers,\u201d Richter explained. \u201cNot all the same messages necessarily, but messages that complement each other. It would be a better learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Richter and Bratic lined up seven accomplished alumnae from the field of communications to participate in the class. Living and working in such distant cities as New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Chattanooga were not obstacles; the alumnae were easily brought back to campus via Skype technology, which easily enabled each guest lecturer to employ a live video and audio stream from his personal computer to interact with the class.<\/p>\n Bratic Photo by Olivia Body ’08<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Richter said he and Bratic both agreed it was important that \u201cour students had a certain level of knowledge or expertise about the industry before our alumnae started talking to them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe spent the first eight weeks really going over the most current textbook we could find,\u201d Bratic added. \u201cWe wanted to make sure we covered the bases, introduced proper terminology, and wrapped that all in a theoretical concept to help us understand the influence of media in society. The students took this very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Richter recalled, \u201cThat approach let our alumnae address them at a higher level than they could have if they were walking them through the basics. Sometimes the alumnae would say things that weren\u2019t quite what they were in the textbook. We reminded the students repeatedly that a textbook\u2019s a textbook. It\u2019s written by academics like us. They know a whole lot of theory, a lot about the industry, but they don\u2019t know as much as someone who is in<\/em> the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennifer Martin \u201903, a master control operator at C-SPAN in Washington, D.C., \u201cwas so delighted to be able to speak with the class and give them a feel of my experience in the industry.\u201d For Martin, it was a way to repay those who had helped her with advice and opportunities while she was a student. Interactions with \u201calumnae such as [former ABC News White House correspondent and member of the class of 1969] Ann Compton were so essential in me ending up on the career path I\u2019m on now. It was great to give back to current students.\u201d<\/p>\n Green Photo by Michael Falco<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Guest lecturer Elizabeth \u201cMissy\u201d Green \u201997, a New York-based media producer whose r\u00e9sum\u00e9 boasts eight years working on The Montel Williams Show<\/em>, agreed. \u201cWhen I completed internships as a Hollins student, I discovered learning in the classroom is very different from the real world. Storytelling is a part of my career and it\u2019s naturally part of my life, so I love sharing my life lessons with current students.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephanie Stender \u201903 sees mentoring as \u201cincredibly important, and I take it very seriously.\u201d A Boston-based producer for the PBS series America\u2019s Test Kitchen<\/em>, she noted, \u201cI know how difficult it is as a female to get into the entertainment industry, which is incredibly male-dominated. We need to support women as they are entering the field, as it is a bit daunting, and if any of my experiences help current Hollins students, I am incredibly thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n Stender Photo by Iryna’s Photography<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Richter saw that theme emerge in many of the guest lectures. \u201cOn the one hand, in the media industry, don\u2019t be afraid to remind the people where you\u2019re working that women can do this. On the other hand, no job\u2019s too small. When you get an entry-level position, don\u2019t let them think, \u2018All I can do is get coffee.\u2019 Get them the coffee and say, \u2018By the way, don\u2019t think a woman can\u2019t do this<\/em>, too.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe key message I wanted to convey was always ask<\/em> for what you want,\u201d said Stender. \u201cYou need to use your voice and let people know what your intentions and aspirations are. If you do not go confidently in the direction you would like to take, it is easy to get overlooked in this industry. You have to be your own advocate.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting experience while an undergraduate and developing a comfort level with a rapidly evolving industry were also common threads. \u201cInternships came up as a big push from alumnae,\u201d said Bratic. \u201cThey even argued that some small [media] market internships would be more beneficial in terms of skill development because you have a chance to do more if you are in a small market where you can work in multiple capacities.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin<\/p><\/div>\n Martin emphasized adaptability. \u201cI really wanted to convey the amount of change that I\u2019ve seen in the time I\u2019ve been working in TV since graduating from Hollins, including the whole transition to HD programming and digital equipment, and the amount of value in computer skills and literacy. It\u2019s an incredibly dynamic industry that is changing quickly to adapt to new technology, and that\u2019s information that\u2019s really hard to convey via textbook.\u201d<\/p>\n Richter and Bratic both feel positive about what the course achieved. \u201cI think the students learned a lot and truly appreciated the alumnae talking to them,\u201d Richter said, while Bratic is confident the students \u201cappreciated the notion that they\u2019ve gotten the theory and the importance of it. They got the firsthand experience of listening to the speakers, and they used a lot of good terminology in the course.<\/p>\n \u201cIt turned out to be a fairly dynamic class in which students were engaged, the content of the class was engaging, and the alumnae brought everything together quite nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so important to create ties with alumnae, and for alumnae to create relationships with students,\u201d Green concluded. \u201cNo matter what the age difference, you will learn something if you have a conversation. I still spend time with the interns I hosted in 2014, and we always have something to talk about despite the difference in class years.<\/p>\n \u201cI respond to every student who contacts me, even if I can\u2019t help them. It\u2019s amazing what a simple acknowledgement can do for a person, and you never know what the connection could yield.\u201d<\/p>\n Special Guest Appearances<\/strong><\/p>\n The following alumnae generously shared their time and expertise with the communication studies class last fall:<\/p>\n Jenni Austin \u201908 Emily Compton \u201908 Melissa Eastlake \u201907 Elizabeth \u201cMissy\u201d Green \u201997<\/p>\n Jennifer Martin \u201903<\/p>\n Stephanie Stender \u201904<\/p>\n Alexandra Trower \u201986 <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The class Media Industries, Media Careers takes students beyond classroom theory, thanks to accomplished Hollins alumnae from the communications field. By Jeff Hodges M.A.L.S. \u201911 It\u2019s a challenge many a college professor has faced when launching a new course, regardless […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-6788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-spring-2016"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6788"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6797,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6788\/revisions\/6797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/richter.jpg\")
![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/bratic.jpg\")
![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/green_missy.jpg\")
![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/stender_stephanie.jpg\")
![\"Jennifer](\"http:\/\/www.hollins.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/martin_jennifer.jpg\")
\nInternet Content Producer
\nFox 61, Chattanooga, TN<\/p>\n
\nProducer\/Documentarian
\nTennessee Valley PBS<\/p>\n
\nSenior Manager, Digital Marketing
\nNational Association of Broadcasters<\/p>\n
\nExecutive Vice President, Global Communications
\nEstee Lauder, Inc.<\/p>\n