UPLB DHUM Communication Division Assistant Professor Pauline Gidget R. Estella recently published a book chapter entitled, “COVID-19 as a Catalyst of Global Risk Society: Institutionalization, De-Westernization, and Datafication of Crisis Communication Research.” She co-wrote the said research with Martin Löffelholz and Yi Xu in the book “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Risks in East Asia: Media, Social Relations and Theories” published by Routledge in October 2022.
Asst. Prof. Estella shared that the research project was heavily influenced by decentering perspectives in communication studies.
“While research in the area continues to be dominated by the mainstream European-North American paradigms, it is the Global South that is most vulnerable to crises,” she said.
Following the call to contribute to international communication research, she also emphasized the significance of global crises studies.
“We now live in a world of crises, and in an increasingly interconnected world, crises are more global and manifold in nature, as what the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us. It is imperative for international research on risk and crises to cope with the evolving nature of crisis”, she explained. “This work is a step toward that direction.”
Asst. Prof. Estella is taking PhD in Communication at Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany.
Meanwhile, two students taking BA Communication Arts presented their research papers at the recently held Communication and Media Studies Conference. BACA students Janine Lardizabal and Sarah Mae San Jose attended the in-person conference themed “Humanizing Communication Education in a Digital Ecosystem” last October 20-22 at the Centro Escolar University Manila. They presented their papers during the parallel session on Communication Theory, Language and The Media.
Lardizabal presented her on-going thesis work entitled, “Estado ng mga Akdang Pampanitikan sa Paaralan sa Paghubog ng Ponolohiya ng Bata sa Panahon ng Pandemya: Mga Karanasan mula sa Cabay Day Care Center.”
San Jose discussed the paper she co-authored with Kyle Beatrice Gutierrez and Ma. Carla Galenzoga from their Introduction to Discourse Analysis class, “History Has Its Eyes On You, Trolls: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Emergence of Historical Revisionism on Selected Social Media Platforms.”
Both presenters were accompanied by Assistant Professor Cheeno M. Sayuno, PhD who co-presented with Lardizabal. In an interview, Asst. Prof. Sayuno said that he considered said event as a great learning opportunity for students to widen their understanding about communication and the media.
“I’m proud that the students are able to put their works out there, beyond the classrooms and manuscripts. It’s a great opportunity for students to appreciate research more and to join conversations about the field”, he expressed.
Their representation at CMSC 2022 was made possible through the UPLB Department of Humanities, as well as support from selected DHUM faculty members.
The Communication and Media Studies Conference 2022 was organized by the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), a national organization of teachers of communication, broadcasting, and journalism in the Philippines.
/MST 10-26-2022