Events

Program with Dr. Jason Johnson (Hiram College, Ohio) and Prof. Dr. Torben Schmidt (Leuphana University of Lüneburg)
•    "U.S. Election 2012, candidates, platforms and the use of social media in the campaigns" (Jason Johnson, 45 minutes plus discussion)
•    "Social media in the EFL classroom - with special emphasis on teaching the U.S. Election 2012" (Torben Schmidt , 45 minutes plus discussion)
•    Concluding discussion with faculty and participants

Dr. Jason Johnson, Hiram College, Ohio, is the author of “Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell.” He serves as Politics Editor for The Source magazine and Chief Political Correspondent for Politic365.com. He has worked as a campaign manager and assistant state director in a series of legislative campaigns in South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. In 2001, Johnson worked on the London mayoral race, served as an international election observer during Mexico’s turbulent 2006 presidential election and was an honored guest of the Independent Electoral Commission in Johannesburg, South Africa during the parliamentary elections in 2007. Dr. Johnson has been quoted as an expert on politics by The Hill, the Wall Street Journal, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, is a regular commentator on Al Jazeera English, has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel and CNN and as a featured guest on National Public Radio affiliates WCPN and WHYY, as well as appearances on NPR’s Morning Edition. Johnson’s weekly op-ed column appears in the Chicago Defender, the Michigan Chronicle, the New Pittsburgh Courier, and the Memphis Tri-State Defender. Professor Johnson is a graduate of the University of Virginia and received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.

Prof. Dr. Torben Schmidt, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, is an expert on teaching English as a Foreign Language and the use of social media in the classroom. He and his students will be partners for the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in a series of programs on the 2012 presidential election with a special emphasis on social media. Prof. Dr. Schmidt received his teaching degree (state exam) in Mathematics and English from Gießen University in 2002 and his PhD from Frankfurt University in 2007. In 2010, he served as guest professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax (Canada). Prof. Dr. Schmidt has been granted several prestigious research and teaching fellowships as part of the Excellency Initiative of the German government.