Teaching Western Business Journalism in a Developing Nation

Abstract

Teaching overseas in the Middle East/North Africa region presented an opportunity for the instructor to grow as an instructor and to share information in a new context, while being intensely exposed to a different culture. It came with challenges in local languages, customs, and expectations. Distance from home and the nature of being "foreign" added new facets to the instructor's life and to the presentation of materials in classrooms. This case study details the challenges of teaching Western-style business journalism in the region. The experience provided a road map for instructors traveling to the region and suggestions for future studies. Ultimately, the experience suggested that instructors making repeated trips to one region would enjoy more success than multiple instructors making a single trip to a location.