A joint international project of American and Kazakh students

In the 2024-2025 academic year, a joint international project of students from America and Kazakhstan is being implemented. In this regard, a meeting of professors and students of Pennsylvania State University (USA) and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University took place in the Farabi Library on March 14.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism K. Auesbayuly thanked the professors and students of the American University and expressed confidence that cooperation in the field of journalism education and international exchanges between the two countries will develop fruitfully in the future.

Kathleen O'Toole, PhD, College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, spoke about the international student project and noted that our cooperation in scientific and educational areas will continue to grow.

The UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communications of the Faculty of Journalism works closely with the Donald P. Bellisario School of Communications at Pennsylvania State University (USA).

Professor Kathleen O'Toole from Pennsylvania State University, as part of the international reporting course, came to Almaty with her students in early March this year, and together with students from the English group of the Journalism Faculty, they interview sources about gender equality, nomad clothing design, the education system, geopolitics, etc. and make videos for stories and videos on TikTok.

First, 9 Pennsylvania State University students conducted research on Kazakhstan in January-February 2025 and searched for ideas for creating television stories.

Upon returning to the United States, they are fully developing print and multimedia materials and preparing a special issue that will be widely covered in Pennsylvania (including two major cities-Pittsburgh and Philadelphia).

Students from the two countries who participated in this project will receive special awards from the Pennsylvania State University.

As part of this project, online lectures were held in December, January, and February by the faculty of Pennsylvania State University and Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

Shaheen Pasha, assistant teaching professor at the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University, shared her professional experience on the world-famous American television channel CNN, and Steve Kraycik, an associate professor and Director of Student Television, spoke about his personal secrets in creative work with students and technological innovations.

Students from both countries expressed their opinion about the benefits and experience that this international project has given them.

Yesbol Umirzhanov, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at KazNU, met with American professors and students and expressed great gratitude on behalf of the University leadership.

During the meeting, the foreign guests visited the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Museum and the head of Ardak Zhumekekyzy introduced them to information about our university, which has a 90-year history.

Oshanova Oryntay,

Head of the UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communications,

Associate Professor