HYUNJIN SEO
Oscar Stauffer Professor & Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at University of Kansas
Director of KU Center for Digital Inclusion
(Specializing in digital/emerging technologies, collective action and digital inclusion)
Teaching Areas
I find teaching to be very rewarding. When my students say that my class “has opened up a career possibility that I [they] had not previously considered,” I am thrilled. Most of all, I am excited about helping students realize their dreams. I try to make my classes inspiring by illustrating why new knowledge matters and how they can use it to better society. See my teaching portfolio at KU's Center for Teaching Excellence.
Social Media
Developments in information technology and online social networking have posed opportunities and challenges for those who practice and research strategic communication. What are the implications of new digital communication technologies, in particular social media, for organizations’ building and managing relationships with their target audiences? How can organizations – corporate, governmental, and nonprofit – use social media to improve their image and brand? This course explores possible answers to these and other questions related to advertising, marketing, and public relations in the networked age. This course combines theoretical and hands-on approaches to developing and implementing effective ways for organizations to analyze, create and share social media content, engage key audiences via relevant digital channels, and integrate social media initiatives into overall communication strategies. Students use various platforms and tools to conduct social media analytics, evaluate social media campaigns, and develop social media planning for the organization chosen for their case study.
Strategic Campaigns
In this course, the capstone of the Strategic Communication track, students develop a communication campaign for a real-world client by utilizing theoretical concepts and hands-on skills acquired through this and earlier classes. Students work in small groups to identify specific strategic communication objectives, conduct secondary and primary research to investigate relevant issues, and create an effective campaign to address client’s needs. Students also devise measures to assess the campaign once it is implemented. In this course, students are expected to approach issues and problems through critical and analytical thinking and demonstrate high professional ethics in working with group members and interacting with the client.
Research Methods
This course is to help students build skills for designing, conducting, interpreting, and presenting research related to marketing and strategic communications. These include basics of qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis, techniques for measuring key concepts in strategic communications, and ethical conduct of research. This course also covers how developments of information technology have affected ways of conducting social science research. As part of the class, students work in groups to identify research problems, design and conduct research, and report research results relevant to the organization chosen for this class. Research is an integral part of communications planning and management, and businesses and other organizations are investing more and more resources on research in support of effective decision-making. Thus, research skills have become increasingly relevant to students’ career goals in the field of mass communications.
Public Diplomacy
In the age of information technology and online social networking, “connectedness” is increasingly considered as a measure of power, and it is at the heart of public diplomacy in the 21st century. How can countries – whether through governmental or nongovernmental institutions – be effectively connected with global publics in this digital environment? How would this environment affect global publics’ understandings of those countries and international events? This course explores possible answers to these and other questions related to implementations and challenges of public diplomacy in the networked age.We examine characteristics of the networked information society, various types of connectedness, the actors involved, and specific case studies related to the topics. In exploring these issues, the course combines theory, research, and practice of public diplomacy. Students are expected to critically assess scholarly papers and form their own perspectives on central issues. We learn research methods that can be applied in implementing and evaluating network-based public diplomacy. In addition, students are expected to engage in serious discussion with seminar guest speakers who are practicing public diplomacy in government, nongovernmental organizations, and United Nations.