Dr. James Carstens is a course director in the New Media Journalism master’s program at Full Sail University and has been learning about, teaching, and working in the journalism industry for more than 30 years.

“Journalism plays such an important role in our culture, in business, in politics, in almost everything,” says Dr. Carstens.

As a course director, Dr. Carstens credits much of his passion for instruction to his education.

“I would have to say my experience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill getting my Ph.D. was an amazing experience. [It] really opened my eyes to higher education and what the challenges of teaching would be.”

Dr. Carstens believes teaching journalism requires a deep understanding of the industry and its history, which he gathered while working for several newspapers, including the St. Petersburg Times, the Maryland-Times Press, and the Mobile Press-Register.

“To be an effective journalism teacher, you learn all about the history, the trends, the effects of it, the laws, the ethical issues, and that helps you deal with things like social media.”

The rise of the internet, followed shortly by the rise in social media, has altered journalism and how Dr. Carstens teaches his students.

“[Social media has] changed communications, the way they get their news, the way they participate in news or share ideas and opinions. So, it’s really interesting,” he remarks. “One of the benefits of the online New Media Journalism master's program is that everything has kind of moved online in the real world.”

Dr. Carstens has also taught at several schools across the country, including the the University of Alabama, Florida State College at Jacksonville, and Salisbury University. Teaching for several higher-education institutions has taught him that staying relevant is the key to successful instruction – which is why he likes Full Sail.

“[Full Sail] focuses on teaching students real-life skills and real-life knowledge, as opposed to some of the more maybe esoteric or historical or theoretical knowledge.”

“It's really exciting to be a part of that,” Dr. Carstens says candidly. “It's a great environment to work in.”