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For communication instructors charged with safely and constructively educating students, incorporating social media in communication coursework presents a variety of problems. Among them are how to grade social media and how to respond to students' social media mistakes, knowing these mistakes and corrections could follow students into their careers. This project surveyed journalism faculty (n = 125) and students (n = 323) to learn how each assess the challenges and opportunities of using social media in journalism coursework. Both groups expressed concerns about privacy, but faculty were also concerned about the legal consequences of students making mistakes publicly online.

Social media use has become essential for journalists. Although previous research has explored how journalists use social media, less is known about how journalism and mass communication programs incorporate social media in their coursework. Based on our survey of 323 students and 125 faculty in American universities, this study offers a comparative analysis of social media use among journalism faculty and students, both personally and in coursework. Faculty and students in our sample report using Facebook more frequently for personal reasons, whereas Twitter is the main platform required by faculty members for class assignments. We also found that students' majors and faculty's experience in the industry influenced not only how they evaluated the utility of social media in coursework but also how they utilized various platforms in classes.

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2008.00323.x Byline: Andrea Hickerson (1), John Gastil (1) Abstract: Despite increasing enthusiasm for political deliberation as a rejuvenating tonic for representative democracy, some theorists question the extent to which deliberative forums adequately incorporate diverse individuals and communication styles. Unfortunately, the theoretical debate between the deliberative theory and the 'difference critique' has reached an impasse. To advance this important literature, we derive two formal propositions from each perspective and test these rival claims in the context of the jury system, the most prominent institutionalized deliberative practice in the United States. Surveys of over 3,000 jurors who served in local courthouses indicate that gender and other demographic differences are poor predictors of jurors' satisfaction with their service experience, including their perceptions of deliberation. The study also shows that emotion-a dimension of deliberative experience presumed to be gendered-is important for both men and women. On balance, the results call into question the power of the difference critique, at least in the context of modern jury deliberation. Abstract (French) Resume Evaluation de la critique de la deliberation basee sur la difference : le genre, les emotions et l'experience des jures Malgre un enthousiasme grandissant pour la deliberation politique vue comme un tonique rajeunissant pour la democratie representative, certains theoriciens se demandent dans quelle mesure les forums de deliberation integrent adequatement une diversite d'individus et de styles de communication. Malheureusement, le debat theorique entre la theorie deliberative et la ' critique de la difference ' a atteint une impasse. Afin de faire avancer cette litterature importante, nous tirons deux propositions formelles de chaque perspective et nous testons ces affirmations rivales dans le contexte du systeme de jury, la pratique deliberative institutionnalisee la plus importante aux Etats-Unis. Une enquete aupres de 3 000 jures ayant servi dans des palais de justice municipaux indique que le genre et d'autres differences demographiques sont de mediocres variables explicatives de la satisfaction qu'ont les jures de leur experience, incluant leurs perceptions de la deliberation. L'etude demontre egalement que l'emotion (une dimension de l'experience deliberative presumement genree) est importante tant pour les hommes que pour les femmes. Tout compte fait, les resultats remettent en question la puissance de la critique de la difference, a tout le moins dans le contexte des deliberations modernes des jurys. Abstract (German): Abstract Zur Unterschiede-Kritk der Deliberation: Geschlecht, Emotion und das Erlebens als Geschworener Trotz des zunehmenden Enthusiasmus fur politische Deliberation als einen Jungbrunnen fur die reprasentative Demokratie, stellen einige Theoretiker in Frage, in welchem Ma[sz]e deliberative Foren unterschiedliche Individuen und Kommunikationsstile angemessen berucksichtigen. Leider ist die theoretische Debatte zwischen deliberativer Theorie und der 'Unterschiede-Kritik' in eine Sackgasse geraten. Um diese wichtige Literatur fortzufuhren, nehmen wir zwei formale Pramissen jeder Perspektive und testen die gegensatzlichen Annahmen im Kontext des Geschworenen-Systems als der prominentesten institutionalisierten deliberativer Praxis in den USA. Eine Umfrage unter uber 3000 Geschworenen, die in regionalen Gerichten gearbeitet haben, zeigt, dass das Geschlecht und andere demographische Unterschiede schwache Pradiktoren fur die Zufrieden der Geschworenen mit ihrer Aufgabe und ihrer Wahrnehmung von Deliberation sind. Die Studie zeigt auch, dass Emotion - eine Dimension des deliberativen Erlebens von dem angenommen wird, dass es geschlechtsspezifisch verschieden ausgepragt ist - fur beide Geschlechter wichtig ist. Zusammengefasst lassen diese Ergebnisse Zweifel an der Kraft der Unterschiede-Kritik, zumindest im Kontext moderner Geschworenen-Deliberation. Abstract (Spanish): Resumen Evaluando la Diferencia Critica de la Deliberacion: El Genero, la Emocion, y la Experiencia del Jurado A pesar de un entusiasmo creciente por la deliberacion politica como un tonico rejuvenecedor de la democracia representativa, algunos teoricos cuestionan hasta que punto los foros deliberativos incorporan adecuadamente individuos y estilos de comunicacion diversos. Desafortunadamente, el debate teorico entre la teoria deliberativa y la 'diferencia critica' ha alcanzado un punto muerto. Para avanzar en este tipo de literatura, derivamos dos proposiciones formales de cada perspectiva y pusimos a prueba estas alegaciones rivales en el contexto del sistema de jurados, la practica deliberativa mas prominentemente institucionalizada de los EE.UU. Encuestas de mas de 3,000 jurados que cumplieron sus funciones en cortes locales indican que el genero y otros datos demograficos diferentes son vaticinadores pobres de la satisfaccion de los jurados sobre la experiencia de servicio, incluyendo sus percepciones de la deliberacion. Este estudio demuestra tambien que la emocion-una dimension de la experiencia de la deliberacion que presupone la atribucion de genero-es importante tanto para los hombres como para las mujeres. En balance, los resultados cuestionan el poder de la diferencia critica, al menos en el contexto moderno de la deliberacion de jurados. Author Affiliation: (1)Department of Communication, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 Article note: Andrea Hickerson; e-mail: andrea3@u.washington.edu

Construction of refugees in news has been extensively researched. Less researched is the link between refugees and the construction of the receiving country's national identity. This discourse analysis of letters to the editor in Australia, Canada, and the United States found wide variance in the way refugees and refugee policy were linked to the construction of national identity. Letters were selected if they referred to the respective national anniversary and fell within a few news cycles of the respective national holidays. These tight criteria yielded a sample manifesting multiple discourses including the nation as protector, the nation as normative leader, the nation among nations, and the nation as a site of individual identity construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

War, political persecution, and human rights abuses all drive millions from their homes. Some qualify for asylum as refugees, often after spending years in camps and intermediary locations before attaining asylum. The United States has been criticized for taking in relatively few refugees as well as for playing a role in the conditions that lead people to seek asylum. Once in the United States, though, how are refugees constructed in community discourses? Is an international or local frame more prominent? The United Nations established World Refugee Day to bring attention to the problems refugees face. This study tracks US coverage of World Refugee Day, analyzing it both quantitatively and qualitatively, to determine how refugees as people and as a political issue are constructed in the US press. Discursive features and measures of framing are discussed as indicators of journalistic practices of newsmaking and localization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]