A University of Oklahoma alumnus embedded with U.S. soldiers in Iraq will teach from a war zone for a fall class that will use Web-based video conferencing.
Mike Boettcher will co-teach the journalism and international studies course with Zach Messitte, an associate professor and director of OU's International Programs Center.
Boettcher covered wars for 28 years as a broadcast journalist for CNN and NBC, but says he became frustrated with the way the U.S. media covered war.
Beginning this week, he will be embedded with the U.S. troops for 15 months — the same amount of time as a soldier's deployment.
"We don't believe you can honestly tell the story of a soldier unless you sacrifice like them," Boettcher said.
The U.S. Army has given him travel orders that allow him to go anywhere in the country, Boettcher said.
"They want the story out," he said of the soldiers who have to spend long months away from family in the 120-degree heat.
Boettcher decided this would be the perfect opportunity to create a new kind of class for students to learn about war coverage.
He approached OU President David Boren about the idea, and Boren agreed to it.
Boren connected Boettcher with Messitte and Joe Foote, dean of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The class, "War and the Media," will be made up of half international studies students and half journalism students.
Students will learn about current events, studying how the media are covering the war, as well as how the media have historically covered wars.
"What I'm trying to get them to do is look at it both historically and what's going on today," said Messitte, who worked at CNN and as a press secretary.
Brian Blackstock, an International and Area Studies senior, said he initially was skeptical when he heard about the class from his adviser but became sold when he learned Messitte was involved.
"I've never had anything with this kind of technical stuff," he said. "I'm excited. ... It'll be a really nice classroom instead of all the bummy ones I'm used to."
Boettcher said he plans to teach live via teleconferencing using mobile satellite systems and will feature guests like soldiers, Iraqis and other journalists. Students will be able to ask questions in class as he watches them over the Internet.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
