Meet a Grad Student

MEET A GRAD STUDENT: DANFORD ZIRUGO

Zirugo found the Hubbard School matched his research interests.

❙INTERVIEW BY AMANDA FRETHEIM GATES

Danford Zirugo is a Zimbabwean doctoral student who, as a journalism studies scholar, is interested in discourse and journalism practice in post-colonial societies. Zirugo is also a product of the Erasmus Mundus program through which he acquired a dual M.A. in Journalism, Media and Globalization from Aarhus University in Denmark and City, University of London, where he specialized in financial journalism. Previously, Zirugo has worked as a journalism lecturer in Zimbabwe.

Q Why did you choose to attend the University of Minnesota?

A First, the fact that this is an R1 University was of great interest to me. Second, my research interests and those of some of the professors in the department. Third, the funding support to students is also great, from assistantships to conferences, to research and other fellowships. Fourth, the research output from the faculty members was also inspiring.

Q What have you found to be some of the best features of the Hubbard School Ph.D. program?

A Hubbard is such a great journalism school with great professors and there are so many great things to talk about. Out of these great things, what I have found outstanding to me is the research aspect and the high level of support it gets from the department. This includes the research we do for class papers and the presentations we do, which I can call some kind of “mini conferences.” They are really helpful for students. The support for research is so great that whoever takes advantage of it, they will benefit a lot.

Q What Hubbard School professors have inspired you in your work, and why?

A I would say all the professors I have taken classes with have inspired me to write an article even in areas I never thought I would be interested in. In fact, of all the classes I have taken so far, I have managed to come up with a paper that has at least gone under review (yes, getting a paper under review is an achievement worth celebrating). In terms of journalism studies, I would say these journalism studies professors: My advisor, Matt Carlson, whose work I have followed since my days as a master’s student, and Valerie Belair-Gagnon’s work, have been of great inspiration. Working with them has been a great opportunity for me. But as I have mentioned, all the following professors (not in any ranking order): Colin Agur, Giovanna Dell’Orto, Jisu Huh, Jane Kirtley, Claire Segijn, and Benjamin Toff with whom I have taken classes have inspired me because I have managed to come up with either a conference or journal paper from their classes. This has been possible because of the manner in which they deliver their courses and their flexibility in allowing students to explore their interests and make them fit into their courses. This is not to mention the great feedback.

Q What parts of your current research projects excite you most?

A I am excited with research that I have done into areas I never really thought I would venture into, like freedom of expression and journalism, journalism and new media or news media and immigration, as well as doing a quantitative conference paper—thanks to Claire Segijn’s quantitative methods class; she is a great professor because I have always considered myself a qualitative person. The most interesting aspect has been to see these papers move from a class paper to a publication or a conference paper.

Q What advice would you give to someone considering graduate school?

A I would say choosing the school that matches your research interests is really great. Prospective students should also decide what they want to get out of the program, which I think is also of great importance in choosing a graduate school. Once in, I would say write, write, write. This is not just for the sake of publications. The most important aspect of it is that through writing, your advisor and professors can easily see your strengths and weaknesses, which helps them determine how best they can assist you.