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Social Media in War & Protest

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You're Invited! 

You are invited to “Social Media in War & Protest,” an educator workshop organized by the KU Area Studies Centers to explore the theme of the Digital Age.

Designed as a professional development workshop for community college educators, though all educators are welcome and encouraged to attend, this virtual two-day event will challenge educators to analyze the connectedness of the world through social media and the impact of accessibility of information on difficult topics of war and protests.

Attendees will hear from scholars at the University of Kansas from each of the four area studies centers. First, attendees will hear from a keynote speaker who will equip educators with the tips and tricks to identify misinformation, AI, etc. within social media. Following the keynote, in 45-minute sessions, a speaker from each center will present on a topic related to a war or protest within their region and how social media has affected that topic around the globe.

Please join us on Friday, April 25, 2025, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. (CST) and Saturday, April 26th, 2025, from 11:00-2:00 pm (CST) on Zoom.

For any questions, please reach out to Mego Londeen at megolondeen@ku.edu.


Meet Our Speakers for Day 1

Friday, April 24th, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Dr. Jack Zhang

JIAKUN JACK ZHANG is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas (KU).
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CEAS Presentation

This presentation highlights the suppression of dissenting voices and activism on social media, as well as the global impact of these practices—such as influencing international platforms to comply with Chinese censorship rules and exporting surveillance technologies to other countries. It underscores how China's digital policies reshape the global conversation on freedom of expression.

Dr. Rebecca Johnston

Rebecca Adeline Johnston is a historian of Soviet culture and power with an interdisciplinary focus on information warfare in the Russian and broader post-Soviet space. She is currently a Cyber Social Fellow/Researcher for the KU Center for Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies.
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CREES Presentation

How and why the Russian government influences public information broadly: social media, traditional media, cultural and educational institutions, domestic and international audiences, and more. Specifically, we'll look at what Russian state goals for informational control have been since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 
 


Meet Our Speakers for Day 2

Saturday, April 25th, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Dr. James Yékú

James Yékú is an Associate Professor of African and African-American studies at the University of Kansas, specializing in African literary and cultural studies, and digital humanities research.
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KASC Presentation

Description Coming Soon!

Dr. John Paul Henry

Assistant Researcher affiliated with the KU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
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CLACS Presentation

Technological advances and ongoing inequalities intersected in San Isidro, Cuba, culminating in a July 11, 2021, historic protest. In this talk, John Paul Henry will trace the origins of the activist group (the San Isidro Movement) from an overlooked neighborhood in Havana and how artists in this group used video footage to create a political movement that spread across the nation. 
 


This is a free workshop made possible by Title VI National Resource Center grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education.