Justine, from Nigeria, is a current Journalism, Media & Communication PhD student within Strathclyde's Department of Humanities
Tell us a little bit about your background before beginning the course...
Before embarking on a PhD programme in the UK, I was a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Jos, Nigeria where I have been involved in teaching, research, and community service since 2021. I also worked as the Editor of Bauchi Caritas Newspaper and Communication Director for Bauchi Diocese, north-eastern Nigeria where I served as a Catholic priest for 14 years - I was a Dean and Consultor in the Diocese. I also worked as a freelancer/Syndicated writer for Vatican News, La Croix International, Premium Times, Sahara Reporters, Union of Catholic Asian News, etc. I am the Nigerian Correspondent of The Pillar, a US-based Catholic News Agency. Before beginning my doctoral studies in October 2022, I was appointed Senior Fellow for Religious Freedom Policy, Religious Freedom Institute, Washington DC.
What drew you towards undertaking a research degree?
I escaped an attack by Boko Haram on 4 December 2011 in Azare, Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi where I was serving as an Associate priest. In that attack, the Jihadi sect killed six people in the town while destroying two financial institutions. Boko Haram which kills scores including abducting schoolchildren aspires to upturn liberal democracy in the West African state and replace it with strict Islamic Law (Sharia). The Al Qaeda-linked terrorist organisation had overrun the local police station close to St. Francis Xavier Parish rectory where I was domiciled. I, the pastor (parish priest), and the security ran into the bushes for safety.
11 years later after my escape, I started reflecting on my experience as one who has lived in this insecure region for over 20 years. I realise that the intractable nature of the Boko Haram insurgency is occasioned by the fluid nature of its tactics – hit-and-run on the one hand and religious indoctrination which is rife in the northeast on the other. I concluded that the current bomb and bullet approach by the government is incapable of bringing the war to an end. I thought that an ideological war could only be quailed through ideas. I became compelled to pursue a higher degree to sandwich my lived experience with scholarly insights toward contributing to a policy framework that would serve as a catalyst for sustainable peace in Nigeria, Cameroun, the Lake Chad badly affected by the insurgency.
Tell us about the format of the programme. What is a typical working week like?
My programme in the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication is 3 years. In the first instance, I am required to attend 60 credits’ of research-based seminars – most of which are interdisciplinary. After attending each seminar, I upload evidence (photo or text) of the event. This is followed by a summary and eventually, a reflecting essay that indicates how I am using what I learned in my research. Because I work as a tutor and teacher, the experience is part of the whole package. It allows me to interact with students, mark scripts, score students and collaborate with staff and colleagues. I also supervise the thesis of a Master’s student. So, a typical working week will be having one or two seminars to attend, and teaching/tutoring for two or four hours respectively. Additionally, I create time for my research by at least reading three to four articles/books a week and writing a summary of it or a draft of the dissertation. The highlights for me include the success of my first-year review, having supportive supervisors, the teaching experience, attending conferences and insights from the seminars which I am integrating into my research. These could be bedlam but it is worth it.
Tell us a little bit about the research you are conducting...
My research focuses on religiously motivated violence. It investigates the place of strategic communication in Boko Haram's media offensive in juxtaposition with the Nigerian government's counterinsurgency operations. The study which uses the qualitative method focuses on why the insurgents deploy media resources as tools for mass destruction, yet the military is stuck with the kinetic approach. Drawing lessons from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Palestine, it aspires to debut a home-ground solution. This afro-multidimensional strategic communication combines both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches while emphasising traditional values of dialogue, town hall meetings, intelligence gathering and the use of civilians to woo the insurgents.
What is the research community at Strathclyde like?
The research community in Strathclyde is robust – it is built on integrity, innovation, research, diversity, and mutual respect. Both home and international students from Africa, Asia, the US Canada, Australia etc are provided with a serene environment based on best practices. Academic resources/platforms such as Andersonian Library, the Strathclyde Doctoral School, Doctoral Researchers Group, Doctoral School Multidisciplinary Symposium and The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) Post Graduate Research Conferences engender scholarship and social integration. Both professors/lecturers and other researchers are willing to form synergy and assist other postgraduate students to succeed. The seminars are handy and students are eager to engage.
What are your future career goals?
My future goals include being an accomplished scholar/teacher in journalism, media and communication, a digital journalist, a community mobiliser and a global leader. Completing this degree will help me to accomplish these in three ways – First, I am currently gathering more experience and teaching skills as a tutor and teacher under the Graduate Teaching Assistantships for PhD Students. Without a doubt, this will impact my teaching positively; second, the 60 credit units’ worth of seminars I am attending and writing reports is adding to my previous experience as a journalist. It is further furnishing me with the required skills of digital journalism for the contemporary newsroom and classroom; third, I am deeply convinced that the whole post-graduate experience especially the conferences I have been attending and the contacts/resourceful personalities I have been meeting would make me a better community mobiliser and a global leader who is open to learning new things and working with others to make the world a better place.
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this course?
Our motto states, “Strathclyde is the place of useful learning.” For those considering this unique University in the heart of Scotland, I want to happily invite you to the land of “fish and chips.” Known for renowned inventors like Alexander Graham Bell (Telephone inventor) and James Goodfellow (ATM inventor), a search for a university of choice in Scotland takes you to Strathclyde, home to all, a center of excellence and innovation where our shared humanity travels from the class to the lab, through the scenic campus to the breathtaking streets of Glasgow.
For prospective postgraduate research students, a relevant first-class and second-class upper at the Master’s Degree level makes the academic journey a rewarding adventure. Those below this mark are offered an irresistible recipe - the Master of Philosophy route with a variety of lectures/classes in this subject area, preparatory to the Ph.D. programme. In whichever case, practical experience in research (publications), good command of spoken and written English as well as excellent interpersonal skills translate the Strathclyde-experience into an El Dorado academic pilgrimage worth undertaking. Why not consider becoming a Strathclyder today?