Kairos, the undergraduate magazine of the SC&I Journalism and Media Studies Department, recently published its spring 2023 edition, "The View from Abroad." Focusing primarily on stories written by JMS students who traveled to Ireland and Italy during the spring semester, the issue also includes articles about the American and Ecuadorian media and a story about the Rutgers Women's Ultimate Frisbee team.

The JMS students who traveled to Europe took the trip with their classmates and faculty members, Associate Professor of Professional Practice Mary D’Ambrosio, and Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Regina Marchi, who taught the classes Global Journalism in Italy and Irish Media, Politics, and Cultural Survival, respectively.

A feature story about Ireland, written by John Mahoney, “Reviving Irish,” reports on the Irish language community in Ireland. Mahoney discovered, through the class and the trip to Ireland, that “the Irish language is a key component of building a community and identity” in Ireland, and the Irish media play a critical role in unifying the 2% of the population in Ireland today who still speak Irish. He wrote, “for Irish speech to thrive, there must be Irish-language media,” and he described the trips the class took to RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, the country’s only Irish-language radio station, and to the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), for a lecture by Dr. Dorothy Ní Ulgín, the director of NUIG’s Irish language program.

In “A book for the ages,” by JMS student Alyson Kaufman, she wrote, “The Book of Kells is best known for the elaborately beautiful detail and meticulous handwriting that fills its gilded pages. A religious manuscript of Christian gospels written in Latin, it is believed to have been completed by Irish monks on the Island of Iona near Scotland around the year 800. Following the ransacking of the monastery of Iona by Vikings, survivors brought the manuscript to a settlement in Kells, Ireland — hence the name. The book was moved to the library of Trinity College in Dublin in 1646.”

Covering the class trip to Bolongna, Italy, JMS students wrote the stories “Bologna welcomes Ukrainian arrivals,” “How biking connects people to their city,” and “Italians hate this war — and are demanding their government stop arming Ukraine.”

Elle Jimenez, Hailey Kershaw and Bridget Patterson, co-authors of the article “Bologna welcomes Ukrainian arrivals,” wrote, “As of October 2022, there were 170,646 Ukrainian refugees in Italy, with Milan, Rome, Naples, and Bologna their main destinations, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and Italian government statistics. The shock of this war is being felt throughout Europe. But in Bologna, obvious signs of support for Ukraine and its refugees are everywhere, from anti-war graffiti, to yellow and blue lights shining over the central Piazza Maggiore, to protests and demonstrations, to the rush of refugee aid volunteers.”

They also added, “The Italian government has authorized three-month, €300 monthly grants to Ukrainian arrivals who find independent accommodation. Ukrainians are also eligible for a special 12-month residence permit that allows them to work, access education and healthcare and claim Italian social security benefits.” Their article was the winner of the 2023 Rutgers School of Communication and Information Immigration Reporting Award.

“How biking connects people to their city,” was written by JMS students Caroline Poskrobko and Sophia Silva, who wrote, “There’s a movement underway in Bologna to increase bike mobility. The many bike racks make the city look welcoming to cyclists. But they’re a facade for the pressing issues that plague the city’s biking community.” Some of these issues include improving road safety for bicyclists, creating bike parking spaces, and adding more bike lanes.

Other stories in this issue include “Media messaging after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade” by Brian Ogir and Emily O'Rourke, who took Marchi's class Media and Social Change; the documentary “Whiteness in media: the impact of the white ideal,” by Amal Essa, who took Teaching Instructor of Journalism and Media Studies David Love’s class Media, Movements and Community Engagement; and more content.

Information about Kairos, and the full Spring 2023 edition, are available on the Kairos website.

Learn more about the Journalism and Media Studies Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.

Photos, top to bottom:

“Gearóid Mac Donncha, the director of programming at Raidió na Gaeltachta, discusses the history and importance of the radio station in maintaining a national community of Irish speakers.” Photo by John Mahoney

The Book of Kells: courtesy of Kairos

“Anti-war protestors gather in Bologna’s central Piazza Maggiore.” Photo by Bridget Patterson

Photos: Courtesy of Mary D'Ambrosio