All of my coursework has taught me invaluable information. The following includes a few of the courses that I particularly loved:

Consumer Media Culture: This undergraduate course taught me how to critically analyze advertisements and their impact on society as a whole. By studying both older and newer advertisements, I learned how advertising itself changed throughout the years, and how it advanced alongside the development of technology. By thoroughly analyzing different forms of advertisements, I now understand more about how modern society impacts the common themes found in advertisements, and how the messages sent by certain advertisements can strengthen damaging stereotypes found in our society.

Pedagogy of Peer-Led Learning: In order to become an effective Learning Assistant at Rutgers, I took this undergraduate course which taught me how to design classroom activities, encourage cooperative learning, as well as taught me significant concepts such as different learning theories, metacognition, mental models and conceptual change, and distinct questioning techniques. I learned the importance of dialogic discourse and how to motivate students to take an active role in their own learning journey.

Communication Ethics: This graduate-level course taught me about ethical communication practices, especially in organizational settings. Through detailed lectures and real-world examples, I learned that ethical matters are in no way straightforward, clear-cut, or simple. There are multiple ethical frameworks that exist, and depending on those which are utilized, one can have different opinions of what the “right” answer looks like. To be an ethical person is a difficult task, as unconscious biases that can affect an individual’s thoughts and actions exist, regardless of one’s intentions.

Crisis Communication and Public Information: This undergraduate course taught me how to successfully deal with and manage organizational crises of different levels. Throughout the course, I learned about how media representatives can effectively represent their companies and provide accurate, yet appropriate information to the public. Conflicts and crises are unavoidable; what matters is our response and how we manage what we’ve been given.

Conflict Management: This graduate-level course focused specifically on conflict—what it is exactly and how it can be constructive rather than destructive. Throughout the course, I learned in great detail about perception, cognition, emotional intelligence, forgiveness, and much more. It has been commonly thought by many that conflict is a negative aspect of life; however, when managed appropriately, conflict can strengthen relationships and bring about new beginnings.