Teaching
Teaching has been a central part of my academic and community work for more than two decades. I have taught across universities, colleges, and community settings in Ethiopia and the United States, working with undergraduate and graduate students, first-generation college students, multilingual learners, immigrants, and refugees.
My teaching connects communication theory to practice. Whether I am teaching media studies, strategic communication, intercultural communication, public speaking, research methods, or digital literacy, I ask students to examine how communication shapes institutions, communities, identity, access, and public life.
I approach teaching as a space for inquiry, clarity, and participation. My goal is to help students develop the analytical confidence to evaluate information, communicate across difference, and apply what they learn beyond the classroom.
Teaching Areas
Strategic Communication and Public Relations
Advertising, public relations, strategic communication research, message design, audience analysis, campaigns, media relations, and ethical communication.
Media, Journalism, and Digital Communication
Media and society, digital media, critical media studies, journalism, global media, digital storytelling, media professions, and communication law and ethics.
Intercultural and Community Communication
Intercultural communication, migration and diaspora communication, multilingual communication, communication across cultural difference, and community-facing institutional communication.
Communication Foundations and Research Methods
Public speaking, introduction to communication, small-group communication, argumentation, qualitative and quantitative research methods, content analysis, and digital research methods.
Digital and Information Literacy
Digital literacy, information evaluation, online safety, platform awareness, and practical communication skills for immigrant and refugee communities navigating digital information environments and public institutions.
Teaching Across Institutions
Hamline University
As an Assistant Professor, I taught across the communication curriculum, including public speaking, intercultural communication, media studies, research methods, and digital communication. My courses often connected communication theory with contemporary questions of technology, culture, identity, and public life.
Selected courses: Introduction to Communication · Public Speaking · Small Group Communication · Introduction to Critical Media Studies · Media in the Digital Age · Intercultural Communication · Communication Research Methods · Media in Global Perspective
University of Oregon
At the University of Oregon, I taught in journalism, media studies, and strategic communication while completing my PhD. This work strengthened my experience teaching both foundational and professionally oriented courses in a large research-university setting.
Selected courses: Media Professions · Media and Society · Gateway to Media · Principles of Advertising · International Communication · Communications Law · Gender, Media & Diversity · Advertising and Culture
Arba Minch University
My teaching career began at Arba Minch University in Ethiopia, where I taught journalism, communication, writing, research methods, and media law and ethics. I also supervised student research and capstone work and took on broader academic leadership responsibilities during my time there.
Selected courses: Principles of Journalism · Media Law & Ethics · Research Methods · Public Speaking · Argumentation and Debate · Senior Capstone Project · Sociolinguistics · Business Writing · Technical Report Writing
Community and Adult Learning
My teaching also extends beyond the university classroom. In community-based settings, I have taught digital literacy and practical communication skills to adult learners, including immigrants and refugees.
At the International Institute of Minnesota, I work with immigrant and refugee communities on digital literacy, information evaluation, employment communication, and navigating online systems connected to education, work, and public services. This work has strengthened my interest in accessible communication, language access, and community-centered teaching.
Teaching Approach
Across academic and community settings, several principles guide my teaching:
- Make complex ideas usable. I translate theory into examples, cases, exercises, and decisions students can work with.
- Teach across difference. I design learning environments that take cultural, linguistic, and experiential differences seriously.
- Connect research and teaching. My courses draw from my research on platforms, journalism, migration, political communication, and institutional communication.
- Build communication confidence. Students should leave a course better able to speak, write, analyze evidence, and make informed judgments.
- Link the classroom to public life. Communication education should help students understand institutions, communities, media systems, and the information environments they navigate every day.
Selected Teaching Experience
- Assistant Professor, Hamline University
- Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon
- Lecturer, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia
- College teaching, Twin Cities, Minnesota
- Community-based digital literacy and adult education, immigrant and refugee communities
- Digital literacy and employment communication, International Institute of Minnesota
Teaching Portfolio
A full teaching portfolio, including syllabi, assignments, teaching materials, and student-evaluation materials, is available upon request.
For additional information, see my CV or contact me at endalk2006@gmail.com.