Dean of NU-Q, Everette Dennis, and Dean of SFS-Q, Gerd Nonneman, signing the agreement.
DOHA: A new joint programme in Media and Politics was recently inaugurated by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q). The programme will allow students to specialise in the study of journalism and communication in the political, diplomatic, and policy-making processes, as well as the role of politics in the shaping of mass media products and policies.
The joint programme will enable students to better understand how politicians, governments, and citizens influence, and are themselves influenced by, the media in its myriad forms and formats.
Dean of NU-Q, Everette Dennis, and Dean of SFS-Q, Gerd Nonneman, signed an agreement to commence the joint study programme between their universities.
“Media are a crucial link between citizens and governments of all kinds. This programme will enable future leaders to develop a deeper understanding of the subtleties of this powerful dynamic as they prepare to become practitioners in media, public affairs, or other fields,” said Dean Dennis.
For SFS-Q students, this is an 18-credit hour certificate programme and for NU-Q students, this is an 18-credit hour minor programme. Classification is in-line with each university’s tradition, while the content is identical. The courses are offered equally by Georgetown and Northwestern campuses in Education City, and most courses will be completed during the junior and senior year. Completion of the sequence requires a student to take six courses.
SFS-Q assumes responsibility for ensuring that the certificate is accurately reflected on the transcripts of its students completing the programme, and Northwestern assumes responsibility for ensuring that the minor is accurately reflected on the transcripts of their students completing the programme.
“The programme will provide a purposeful curricular grouping for students interested in the intersection of these two fields, and should prove quite popular at both institutions. We think these are exactly the kind of collaborative opportunities our joint presence in Qatar enables. The Education City environment acts as a catalyst for creating world class joint programmes that would not be possible anywhere else,” said Dean Nonneman.
Access to the programme will be by application in the second semester of the second year of university study. Students will be required to write a brief essay explaining why they are interested in the Media and Politics programme and how it relates to their studies and to their ambitions after graduation.
The Peninsula
