{"id":77082,"date":"2021-02-10T11:16:43","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T19:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/?p=77082"},"modified":"2021-02-10T11:23:43","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T19:23:43","slug":"from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/","title":{"rendered":"From Oregon to Ghana and Back: Erik Palmer&#8217;s 2019\u201320 year in West Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-4ykj694-2974df3fcab1b56db33697aefeab2a4d\">\n.avia-section.av-4ykj694-2974df3fcab1b56db33697aefeab2a4d{\nbackground-color:#f3f3f3;\nbackground-image:unset;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section av-4ykj694-2974df3fcab1b56db33697aefeab2a4d main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_submenu  avia-builder-el-first  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap fullsize'  ><div 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el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana.webp 1200w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-300x169.webp 300w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-1030x579.webp 1030w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-768x432.webp 768w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-705x397.webp 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana.jpg\" height=\"675\" width=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-1030x579.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-705x397.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" class=\"wp-image-77083 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-77083 avia_image  sp-no-webp\" alt=\"SOU Erik Palmer From Oregon to Ghana\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  > <\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d{\npadding-bottom:0;\nfont-size:28px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:28px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d .av-subheading{\nfont-size:20px;\n}\n\n@media only screen and (min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 767px){ \n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:0.8em;\n}\n}\n\n@media only screen and (max-width: 479px){ \n#top #wrap_all .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d .av-special-heading-tag{\nfont-size:0.8em;\n}\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-7328db37996676f62d4132decc41083d av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_textblock  top-30 av-inherit-size av-linked-heading'><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >From Oregon to Ghana and Back<\/h1><div class='av-subheading av-subheading_below'><p>Comm Program Chair Erik Palmer spent the 2019\u201320 academic year on sabbatical in West Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-js26a39q-94b38af98eb913c9a2b82a97fb6b9dde '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span class=\"heavy-man\">Just where was Erik Palmer last year?<\/span> Instead of his usual gig serving as the Communication Program&#8217;s chair and teaching courses such as <em>Strategic Social Media, Creative Industries<\/em> and <em>Design Thinking<\/em>, Dr. Palmer completed a sabbatical year in Ghana, supported by a Fulbright award from the U.S. State Department.<\/p>\n<p>Now back in his regular groove at SOU, Palmer reflects on his Fulbright experience with the help of recent Digital Cinema graduate Audrey Sliger, who conducted this interview.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">How did you come to the decision to spend your sabbatical year in Ghana?<\/span><br \/>\nThe original motivation was mostly personal. My wife pitched the idea that our family (including our 15-year-old daughter) should do something adventurous with my sabbatical opportunity, and that started us on the road to Ghana.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">What drew you to apply for a Fulbright program?<\/span><br \/>\nGhana was at the top of our list of possible destinations because I earned my Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, and the journalism school there has a long history of partnership with the University of Ghana. Two of my UO colleagues have also completed Fulbrights in Ghana (Leslie Steeves and Sung Park), and they were both extremely helpful as I connected with UG and assembled my application.<\/p>\n<p>Most people interpret &#8220;sabbatical&#8221; as an easy break or recovery period, but the truth is that faculty on sabbatical are still doing scholarship and service that delivers value back to SOU. One benefit of the Fulbright Program is that it gives you a lot of structure and a lot of resources, so you don&#8217;t have to invent everything yourself, and that was really helpful for me.<\/p>\n<p>The Fulbright is also very inspirational because it represents important higher values in scholarship and public service. Especially since I was working in the framework of journalism, I was honored to be able to promote values of democracy and press freedom in Ghana.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-k5392j-30298b390f96b3faf7fed052306b1b7c\">\n.avia-image-container.av-k5392j-30298b390f96b3faf7fed052306b1b7c img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-k5392j-30298b390f96b3faf7fed052306b1b7c .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-k5392j-30298b390f96b3faf7fed052306b1b7c av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock  pop-12'   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand.webp 1200w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-300x129.webp 300w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-1030x441.webp 1030w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-768x329.webp 768w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-705x302.webp 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand.jpg\" height=\"514\" width=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-1030x441.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-768x329.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-News-Stand-705x302.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" class=\"wp-image-77086 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-77086 avia_image  sp-no-webp\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  > <\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-js26a39q-94b38af98eb913c9a2b82a97fb6b9dde '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span class=\"heavy-man\">How was your experience teaching multimedia journalism at the University of Ghana?<\/span><br \/>\nMost overseas Fulbright scholars are assigned as lead instructors in courses at their host institutions, but I was fortunate to have co-teachers in all of my courses there. Those colleagues did a lot to help me navigate the cultural and organizational differences between UG and SOU.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see in the photo, I was also able to provide a lot of one-on-one coaching for students during lab sessions, and go into the field with students and their cameras, and that really helped accelerate their learning.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">How different is it teaching in Ghana compared to teaching at SOU?<\/span><br \/>\nAmong the biggest differences, the program I taught in is a professional masters program. So all of the UG students already have their undergraduate degrees, and they have typically also completed one additional year of national service. Several of the students also have established careers, and even more years of additional experience. So it is generally an older student community, who arrive with a lot of direct focus on careers in the media.<\/p>\n<p>It is also a very intensive program. The students are committed to classroom learning and lab sessions from 8:30am-5pm almost every day, and complete extensive homework and preparation outside of class. The curriculum includes a lot of skills courses such as print and broadcast journalism, and also a lot of theory and research courses. For the students, it&#8217;s very demanding and very competitive.<\/p>\n<p>One important takeaway for SOU students: UG is one of the premier universities in Ghana, but SOU has far better production facilities and equipment. For example, when we teach Broadcast Journalism at SOU, we have access to a well-equipped studio, a tricaster, DSLR cameras, and other resources that are all in-line with industry standards at U.S. television stations and newspapers. Those resources are mostly not available to students in Ghana. All of our students and faculty in Ashland should feel blessed to have access to all the good stuff at the <a href=\"https:\/\/dmc.sou.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Digital Media Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"heavy-man\">If you can, elaborate a bit on the research you&#8217;re doing on photojournalism.<\/span><br \/>\nAs students who have taken <em>COMM460E \u2014 Visual Communication<\/em> with me will know, one of my key research interests is doing content analysis to help understand the mix of strong photojournalism and other kinds of visual content produced by news organizations and distributed via social media.<\/p>\n<p>That same interest guides my research in Ghana, but the landscape of photojournalism here is really very different from what we see in the United States. News organizations in Ghana mostly use photography to provide visibility to political leaders and other authority figures. It is much less common to see more complex forms of visual storytelling in the media there.<\/p>\n<p>One might be tempted to suspect that the differences between Ghanaian and U.S. photojournalism happen because the Ghanaian media are less sophisticated or developed. But part of my learning there suggests that there are also cultural reasons for the differences, and that a contributing factor to how journalism works in Ghana is connected to different styles of communication.<\/p>\n<p>In Ghana and elsewhere in Africa, a movement has recently emerged among photographers to promote an African Voice in photography. Exemplified by websites and social media channels such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/everydayafrica\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@EverydayAfrica<\/a>, these photographers seek to tell a more authentic version of daily life in Africa. They create images that do more than frame Africa as a continent of disease, famine, war and poverty. In addition to looking at content, I\u2019ve been conducting interviews with Ghanaian photojournalists and documentary photographers to help better understand how they think about photojournalism, ethics, and African values.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kaehn766-a50d850924ee76c0498f2a824c62c226\">\n.avia-image-container.av-kaehn766-a50d850924ee76c0498f2a824c62c226 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-kaehn766-a50d850924ee76c0498f2a824c62c226 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-kaehn766-a50d850924ee76c0498f2a824c62c226 av-styling-no-styling avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock  pop-12'   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride.webp 1200w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-300x200.webp 300w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-1030x687.webp 1030w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-768x512.webp 768w,https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-705x470.webp 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride.jpg\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-1030x687.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-Bus-Ride-705x470.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" class=\"wp-image-77088 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-77088 avia_image  sp-no-webp\" alt=\"SOU Erik Palmer From Oregon to Ghana Bus Ride\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  > <\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-js26a39q-94b38af98eb913c9a2b82a97fb6b9dde '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span class=\"heavy-man\">Any other notable experiences or people you&#8217;d like to share?<\/span><br \/>\nIt was totally unplanned, but I stumbled into a stellar subculture of comic book fandom in Ghana, especially including several fans affiliated with the online community <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squidmag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SquidMag<\/a>. I hope to do more research on fandom in Africa, and also bring some of my insights regarding global fandom into my Winter term course <em>COMM218 \u2014 Comics: Culture &amp; Politics<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But my signature moment in Ghana might have been our field trip with students to visit the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, which is the national broadcaster there. The most common form of public transit in Ghana is an oversized van that seats about 25, with folding seats in the aisles, and the goal is always to fill every seat. So our trip to the GBC felt like an adventure to me, even though a raucous trotro ride is an everyday experience for most Ghanaians.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/academics\/communication\/\">Learn More About the SOU Communication Program Here<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Interview by Audrey Sliger (@audreysliger), 2020 graduate in Digital Cinema at Southern Oregon University, currently a free-lance cinematographer and photographer in Southern California<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box av-n7tq3s-bdb693aeae85f5754a76aaa95adf56bb av-social-sharing-box-default  avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  av-social-sharing-box-fullwidth'><div class=\"av-share-box\"><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this entry<\/h5><ul class=\"av-share-box-list noLightbox\"><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/&#038;t=From%20Oregon%20to%20Ghana%20and%20Back%3A%20Erik%20Palmer%E2%80%99s%202019%E2%80%9320%20year%20in%20West%20Africa' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=From%20Oregon%20to%20Ghana%20and%20Back%3A%20Erik%20Palmer%E2%80%99s%202019%E2%80%9320%20year%20in%20West%20Africa&#038;url=https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/?p=77082' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue932' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on X'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on X<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=From%20Oregon%20to%20Ghana%20and%20Back%3A%20Erik%20Palmer%E2%80%99s%202019%E2%80%9320%20year%20in%20West%20Africa&#038;url=https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-mail' ><a  aria-label=\"Share by Mail\" href='mailto:?subject=From%20Oregon%20to%20Ghana%20and%20Back%3A%20Erik%20Palmer%E2%80%99s%202019%E2%80%9320%20year%20in%20West%20Africa&#038;body=https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue805' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share by Mail'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share by Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-6yt73c-e7ab01bc47506500b574d639596a0f33\">\n.flex_column.av-6yt73c-e7ab01bc47506500b574d639596a0f33{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-6yt73c-e7ab01bc47506500b574d639596a0f33 av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just where was Erik Palmer last year? Instead of his usual gig serving as the Communication Program\u2019s chair and teaching courses such as Strategic Social Media, Creative Industries and Design Thinking, Dr. Palmer completed a sabbatical year in Ghana, supported by a Fulbright award from the U.S. State Department.<\/p>\n<div class=\"avia-button-wrap avia-button-left\"><a class=\"avia-button avia-color-dark avia-size-large avia-position-left \" href=\"\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/\" aria-label=\"Read More about Erik Palmer's trip to Ghana\">READ MORE<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":77087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,284],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-featured","post_format-post-format-aside"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>From Oregon to Ghana and Back Erik Palmers 2019-20 year in West Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Southern Oregon University Communication Program Chair Erik Palmer spent the 2019\u201320 academic year on sabbatical in Ghana West Africa.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Oregon to Ghana and Back: Erik Palmer&#039;s 2019\u201320 year in West Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just where was Erik Palmer last year? Instead of his usual gig serving as the Communication Program\u2019s chair and teaching courses such as Strategic Social Media, Creative Industries and Design Thinking, Dr. Palmer completed a sabbatical year in Ghana, supported by a Fulbright award from the U.S. State Department.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/from-oregon-to-ghana-and-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SOU Academic Programs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SOUAshland\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-10T19:16:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-02-10T19:23:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-on-Facebook.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sean Glassford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Just where was Erik Palmer last year? Instead of his usual gig serving as the Communication Program\u2019s chair and teaching courses such as Strategic Social Media, Creative Industries and Design Thinking, Dr. Palmer completed a sabbatical year in Ghana, supported by a Fulbright award from the U.S. State Department.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sou.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2021\/02\/SOU-Erik-Palmer-From-Oregon-to-Ghana-on-Twitter.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@souashland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@souashland\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sean Glassford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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