University of Southern Mississippi students at an AJHA Southeast Symposium

by Natascha Toft Roelsgaard (Ohio University), Graduate Student Committee Chair

As we begin a new year, the American Journalism Historians Association Graduate Student Committee plans to foster an even stronger graduate student network for our current student members and those interested in joining.

There are so many ways to get involved with the AJHA. The association offers a reduced-rate membership for students and a chance to submit your original research and present it to some of the leading scholars in journalism history. We have three annual conferences: the national convention, the Southeast Symposium, and the Joint Journalism and Communication History Conference (co-sponsored with the AEJMC History Division). The Southeast Symposium specifically focuses on student research.

While AJHA attracts some of the brightest minds in the field, the association is much like a big academic family. You will have ample opportunity to discuss your research with other scholars, discover new resources, and form collaborations. Networking with fellow journalism historians often stretches beyond the conference walls.

Our committee’s goal for 2021 is to facilitate online workshops and establish a co-mentoring program for our graduate student members. The workshops will be hosted by senior scholars, and the topics will include navigating your research agenda, teaching, publishing and presenting at conferences, grant funding, and transitioning from graduate school to a professional job.

Our co-mentorship program will pair students with similar research areas and interests. The co-mentorship program is a great opportunity for you to share your work with another student scholar, give and receive feedback, and help you stay on top of your deadlines. We are also launching a new Facebook group for graduate students, where members can ask questions, share resources, and pair up for mentoring or reading groups.

Faculty members: If you have graduate students you think might be interested in getting involved in the Graduate Student Committee, please send them my way.

Graduate Students: If you are interested in becoming a member of AJHA, attending online workshops, working with the Graduate Student Committee, and/or participating in the co-mentorship program, please reach out to me at nataschatoft0@gmail.com