Rauf Arif, Ph.D. 

Assistant Professor

College of Media & Communication

Texas Tech University

QUESTIONS:

Where you work: College of Media & Communication (CoMC) @ Texas Tech University.

Where you got your Ph.D.: The University of Iowa.

Current favorite class: Social Media & Social Change. This grad level course explores the role that social media plays in social change, ranging from the comparative analyses of online political activism of authoritarian societies—such as the Arab Spring (2010/11)—to the most recent social movements in the Western settings—the Occupy movement, #Brexit, #MeToo, #Times Up, #Take a Knee and #BlackLivesMatter. This class looks at these modern social and political uprisings in the context of historical developments that have led to the most recent unrests and social movements of our time.

Current research project: My current research project is about understanding the role and contribution of communication in the development and sustainability of political uprisings in non-west societies, such as Pakistan, Egypt and Tunisia. As an outcome of my research work, I am happy to share my 2020 book, “Movements for Change: How Individuals, Social Media and Al Jazeera Are Changing Pakistan, Egypt and Tunisia” (Peter Lang Publishing). The book explores digital social movements in the context of digital media while discussing the historical contexts of the case studies.

Please follow this link to learn more about it: https://www.peterlang.com/view/title/71009?tab=aboutauthor&format=HC

Fun fact about yourself: I am a huge fan of Star Wars movies and The Mandalorian television series is my new obsession 🙂