Journalism professor and Herman Award winner uses timely topics to prepare students for job market
Damian Radcliffe’s official title is Professor of Practice and the Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism. But he says he doesn’t see himself as a professor.
“I don’t profess. I guide and mentor students. My role is to help students see their potential and to take their work to the next level,” he said. “I see myself as a guide in terms of hard skills but also in building confidence and awareness of how the industry works and their role within it.”
In recognition for his work guiding his students, and for demonstrating outstanding achievement and expertise in teaching, Radcliffe received the Herman Award for Specialized Pedagogy, which comes with a wood apple and a $5,000 award.
Asked why his students find his courses engaging, the British-born Radcliffe joked, “It’s all down to the accent.”
More seriously, he credits his informal, conversational teaching style along with keeping his journalism classes timely and relevant.
“Everybody’s voice gets heard,” he said. “Also, a lot of stuff we’ll be doing feels very contemporary and very of the moment,” whether it’s a discussion about journalism on TikTok or how to negotiate rates as a freelancer.
“I’m bringing a perspective they don’t always hear in other classes, and this is grounded in what I’m doing in the here and now,” he said. “I practice what I preach.”
Radcliffe spent two decades working in media, including online, commercial media, public media, and the non-profit sector, before joining academia at the UO in 2015.
“It felt like a natural transition,” he said, because in his professional career, the thing he most enjoyed was mentoring and coaching other people. “It’s something I benefited a lot from in the early stages of my career. When I took on managerial roles, I enjoyed paying that forward and sharing lessons.”
Students rave about how hands-on his courses are, and how available he is for support and consultation.
- “Even in a lecture hall of 350 students you can tell he is passionate about his work and his students.”
- “I felt like I was being prepared for my future by a professional.”
- “No SOJC student should leave UO without taking this course.”
- “He is very passionate about helping his students and I'm forever grateful to be in his course!”
Radcliffe teaches a wide range of courses, from labor-intensive skills classes, both undergraduate and graduate, to large lectures of nearly 400.
He also leads popular summer international trips for students, as well as annual trips to New York City for professional development, helping many students land internships and jobs. He organizes co-curricular opportunities, including “Demystifying Media,” a visitor series that brings in high-profile journalists and media experts to engage with students both individually and in small groups.
This fall, he launched a new 300-level course on the Business of Media that is compulsory for all SOJC undergraduates and targeted near their end of their time at the UO and SOJC. The course aims to connect the dots for students so they see the media and communication industries as part of an interconnected, holistic, multi-modal whole, rather than in silos, he said.
Having a broad-based, strategic understanding of the media landscape will give students a leg up when they enter the job market, he said.
Development of the class was funded by a grant from the Tom and Carol Williams Fund for Undergraduate Education.
— By Tim Christie, Office of the Provost Communications