Sue Ellen Christian

Photo of Sue Ellen Christian
Sue Ellen Christian
Professor of Communication, Presidential Innovation Professor 2021-2024
Office: 
(269) 387-3145
Location: 
218 Sprau Tower, Mail Stop 5318
Mailing address: 
School of Communication
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5318 USA
Office hours: 

Office Hours (virtual or in-person): Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to noon and by appointment. Connect on WebEx at https://wmich.webex.com/meet/sueellen.christian or arrange to meet in person.

       Teaching Assistant: Daniel Ebo. [Office Hours (virtual or in-person): Tuesday and Thursdays 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
       Office is 211 Sprau Tower. Connect on Webex at https://wmich.webex.com/meet/daniel.ebo.]

Education: 
  • M.A., University of Michigan
Teaching interests: 
  • Journalism writing and reporting
  • Multimedia journalism/storytelling
  • Global media literacy
Research interests: 
  • Journalism pedagogy
  • Diversity and inclusion in journalism
  • Media news literacy
Bio: 

Sue Ellen Christian is a professor of communication with a joint appointment in Gender and Women's Studies at Western Michigan University. Christian was a staff writer for 10 years at the Chicago Tribune. She has received the 2016 Michigan Professor of the Year, Michigan Association of State Universities, 2014 WMU Distinguished Teaching Award, and the 2009 College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award.

  • Current and recent work: 1) Christian, S.E. (2020, expected). Overcoming Bias: A Journalist's Guide to Culture and Context, Second edition. New York and London: Routledge. 2) Christian, S.E. (2019). Everyday Media Literacy: An Analog Guide to Your Digital Life. New York and London: Routledge.
  • Book Chapter: Christian, S.E. (2019, invited). "Avoiding Stereotypes and Stigma," In: S. Lehman & V. Wagner, (Eds.). Reporting Inequality: Tools and Methods for Covering Race and Ethnicity. New York: Routledge.
  • Student Projects: Christian, S.E., Editor. (May, 2017). Encore Magazine, "Student Take Over" edition. Edited and produced an edition written by students in the JRN 4100 capstone reporting course.
  • A member of the Kellogg Foundation grant work entitled "Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation" (2017-18).
  • College of Arts and Sciences Women's Caucus, co-chair
  • Broncos FIRST, Faculty Fellow