Ghana and Africa film industry gem, Juliet Asante is set to take up Mass Communication as a course in one of the Webster University Campuses.
The award-winning actress/producer made this announcement via her Facebook account when she posted, “I am happy to announce that I will be lecturing Mass Communication for the fall season at one of the Webster’s University Campuses. Webster’s University is an exciting university with campuses worldwide. Stay tuned in for more information. To find out more about the university, you may go to www.webster.edu”
The SilveRain movie maker in a conversation during the weekend disclosed that she is very excited about this development. She said, ” I am really excited and look forward to the class. I will be meeting my students for the first time next week”.
Miss Asante brings to the position, a wide range of experience and expertise. The ace Ghanaian movie producer has two degrees from University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast in addition to two Masters Degrees; one in Public Administration and another in Public Policy, both from the Harvard Kennedy University, where she took Mass Communication as one of her courses. Juliet Asante used to run a school called Eagle Drama and once lectured in Accra Polytechnic as she did her National Service.
In response to how she got the offer, Juliet, who also mentors on Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in USA said, ” There are many parts to what I do on daily basis that involve mass communication. Whether you are talking about the mode or medium of communication, one can not achieve success in what I do without mastering mass communication of all forms. I think that blend of theory and practice is what attracted the school to me”.
Asked why she took the offer, she replied, “It falls within my professional capacity as well and so when the school asked me to take it on this fall, it was a good fit”. She also added that she loves academia and finds ways to merge it with her passion; Art.
Miss Asante, gave a hint of what her students should expect. She said, ” I also love to interact with people, to impart knowledge and also to be impacted by knowledge. For me, teaching or lecturing is a two way process.
It is sometimes hard to determine who is the teacher and who is the student, because both parties take away so much from the process.
My role will be to guide my students to own their voice and to understand the medium enough to aim at some form of mastery or at the very least, some form of control.”
The “TIAW’s 100 most impactful women- The True Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation Personality” award recipient, is responsible for some of the most successful shows on Ghana Television and has left some prints working with MNet on shows such as “Studio 53”, “Tinsel” etc
She believes that film is a unique and very impactful form of mass communication and can be one of the most effective form of mass communications. She therefore takes seriously, what she communicates through her films. Explaining why she takes what her films communicate seriously, Juliet Asante said, ” film has the ability to affect mindsets, shift cultures, bend history etc, it can be used both for good and to not so good.
As a filmmaker, this is one of the burdens I live with. My work is not just Art, not just self expression, not just a form of escapism, not just entertainment, no, it is much much more than you think!” and added that her goal for the class is “to help future key players in the space understand the power of their voices”.
With all these at the back of their heads, Mass Communication students of Webster’s University (Ghana campus) should brace themselves for exciting lecture sessions.
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