A juicy class project
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ORANGE JOURNALISM A juicy class project |
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In the San Jose State University School of Journalism and Mass Communications, there are many professors that fit the criteria for being a great journalist, public relations representative, advertiser, or just a great person. This criteria include being charismatic, opinionated, intelligent, and enthusiastic. Cynthia McCune displays all these wonderful qualities and more. McCune is a lecturer for the “I was working and doing all sorts of things and I was sick of what I was doing,” recalls McCune. “I went back to school for a new direction.” In 1998, McCune received her Masters degree in Mass Communication. Soon after she became a lecturer at SJSU, and the first course she taught was Mass Communication 72, Media and Society. McCune’s enthusiasm for teaching earned her respect from her fellow professors; and students appreciate her bright sense of humor. “She [McCune] is diligent, and hard-working,” says Dona Nichols, a for the Journalism school. “She’s [McCune] the best Webmaster this department ever had.” “She [McCune] has a lot of enthusiasm,” says William Ma, a journalism student at SJSU. “She [McCune] is also a fun teacher to have and she is very passionate about what she believes in.” Many students agree with Ma’s statement, so much so that she has even received a high rating on the teacher rating system Web site, ratemyprofessors.com. “I did not know that I would end up teaching,” says McCune. “However, I always had a passion for media and its hold on society, and that led to my passion for teaching.” Teaching is not the only passion in McCune’s life; she is also very passionate about her blogs. For about two years, McCune has been writing blogs on her blog post Web site, mccunication.blogspot.com. “I originally thought that it would be an adjunct to my class,” says McCune. “I wanted just to discuss interesting things happening in the media world that I did not have time to do in class.” Although her blogs started as a media tool to enhance her class, they have evolved into a media forum to express her opinions on today’s society. “It’s half and half,” says McCune. “Before, a lot of what I put on my blog is about new media events and what I thought about it, now I’m finding myself changing and putting out things I’m interested in and just fun writing.” The topics McCune touches on ranges from her thoughts on political candidates to music videos by musicians OK Go. The diversity in her topics and the great writing is what makes McCune’s blogs so entertaining. “I think they’re [McCune’s blogs] great,” says Nichols. “I don’t know when she finds time to do them.” “Her blogs are very opinionated, and sometimes funny,” says Ma. “She said whatever was on her mind.” McCune did say whatever was on her mind, and she realized the negative effect this might have on her students. Before she would require her students to leave a comment on her blogs, but now she realizes that this may not be the best thing to do. “They became too political,” says McCune. “Over the last year, I was doing a lot of self-censoring of myself thinking if this is the most politically correct thing to say, especially since my students will read this. I don’t want to get into heated arguments with my students.” Even though she does not require her students to leave comments, McCune still writes her opinionated blogs. It is through blogs that McCune realized something she knew for years. “I found out that I like writing, and blogs provided a venue for me to start writing again,” says McCune. Related Links: www.mccunications.blogspot.com Back to Orange Journalism Home Page Orange Journalism: |
