Prof. Etse Sikanku is an Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication at the University of Media, Arts and Communication-Institute of Journalism. He obtained his PhD in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa. He holds a master’s degree in journalism and communication studies from Iowa State University and a BA (first class) in Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon. He received the 2011 outstanding doctoral student award for research from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa.
Prof. Sikanku’s work has appeared in top-rated globally recognized journals such as the International Journal of Communication, Howard Journal of Communication, International Communication Research Journal, Communication and the Public and the Journal of Black Studies. He’s the co-author of an article on political crisis communication in an international crisis communication handbook by the highly recognized Routledge Press. Prof. Sikanku is a scholar of political communication, media representation, political reporting, comparative communication, political framing, campaign communication and international communication. His first book “The Afrocentric Obama and lessons on political campaigning” was the subject of a book talk at Harvard University in the fall of 2016. He was also a guest speaker at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and Iowa State University based on his first book.
Sikanku has written, provided extensive scholarship and in-depth analysis on the role of communication (specifically frames) in a variety of local and international media, public and intellectual outlets/platforms. He has also contributed extensively to public discourse and public policy nationally and internationally. In fact, he is one of few scholars who still practice in the field of journalism serving as a television host, special assignment reporter and radio talk show host on national and international issues. He served as an international correspondent for CITI fm during the 2008 and 2014 Presidential elections in the US. He is broadly interested in the role of public communication in national and global affairs particularly in democratic and political deliberation.
His academic career includes teaching appointments at the University of Ghana Department of Communication Studies and the University of Media, Arts and Communication-Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-IJ).