Kuwait, home to the only international distinguished alumnus of Arkansas State University, Anas Al-Rasheed, is known for the most freedom of the press in the Middle East.
The College of Communications will be sending four ASU journalism students and their trip adviser, Gil Fowler, associate dean of the Honors College and professor of journalism, to the Middle East, where they will spend a week studying how different Kuwait and its media are compared to the United States.
Nominated by the faculty of the College of Communications, students, Andy Geswein, Andrew Wilson, Stephanie Fischer and Sara Gay, will leave for Kuwait City, Kuwait, Sunday, Oct. 28., and return Nov. 6.
"I think (the trip) will be a great experience," said Wilson, a senior radio-tv major from Harrison and the editor of The Herald. "Dr. Fowler speaks a lot about the food. Apparently, the food is really good over there."
Geswein, a senior radio-tv major of Huntington, Ind., said he wanted to learn of both the culture and the differences in media.
Fowler said, "I certainly think it will be a challenge and a once in a lifetime opportunity that will open their eyes to the media and culture as it exists in other parts of the world."
During the media trip, the students will examine Kuwait media by visiting both Arabic and English newspapers, television stations, radio stations, possibly the Time Magazine - the Arabic edition, and KUNA, the Kuwait News Agency, which is similar to the United States' Associated Press Service.
"We will also visit some universities and museums, as well as the marketplace," Fowler said. "We may actually go into the desert, but most of our work will be there in the city."
Throughout the trip, the four students will be expected to keep diaries, practice their media skills, and document their trip, including keeping up a trip blog on The Herald's online blog site at asuheraldblog.blogspot.com.
For Geswein, he plans to tape the experience using a Mini-DV camera. Once back, he hopes to share the tape with other students and local residents on ASU-TV.
"It's rare for American students to be (in Kuwait)," Wilson said. For this reason, Wilson said a joint press conference is usually held with the American students and the Kuwait media on these trips.
This trip is made possible by a grant from ASU's Middle East Studies Committee. The grants by the committee were made possible by a donation to ASU from Saudi Arabia to promote education of the Middle East among ASU students.
While in Kuwait, the group will be hosted part of the time by Al-Rasheed. Al-Rasheed, a 1991 College of Communications graduate of ASU, will be honored by the university at the Oct. 13 homecoming football game as the first international distinguished alumnus.