Hayg Oshagan
Biography
Hayg Oshagan (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison ) is an Associate Professor of Communication.
Oshagan is Associate Professor and former Director of the Media Arts and Studies Program in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. Oshagan is also the founder and Chairman of New Michigan Media, the network of ethnic media, which aims to raise the visibility, enrich the content and strengthen the viability of ethnic media in Michigan. An Armenian immigrant from Beirut, Lebanon, Oshagan earned his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and has taught at Stanford University and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Oshagans research is on the effects of the mass media, on the ways in which media influence perceptions and frame debates, and on the role of ethnic media in ethnic communities and identity. He is a frequent public speaker and is nationally recognized for his efforts with ethnic media. His work on New Michigan Media has been supported by grants from the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the McCormick Foundation and the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan.
Oshagan has been editor of the Armenian Review, as well as a member of a number of boards including Governor Snyders Global Michigan Commission, the Executive Board of one of Armenias main political parties, Detroit City Council's Immigration task Force, and the Board of Directors of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, where he was also Chair of the Commission on the Status of Minorities.
As Chair of New Michigan Media, Oshagan meets regularly with media and ethnic community leaders in the region. His leadership has the support of the Latino, Arab, Jewish, African-American, Korean, Indian and Hmong community and media leaders.
Most recently, Oshagan organized the important conference Immigration and Michigans Economic Future at Wayne State University. The list of notable speakers included the President of WSU, then Mayor Bloomberg of New York City, and Governor Snyder of Michigan.
Oshagan has a busy public speaking schedule and many media appearances. He recently has appeared on WDET, American Black Journal, the Craig Fahley Show, PBS, WDIV- TV NBC, FOX Detroit, CBS/WWJ TV, and has been featured on WXYZ-TV Detroit 2020. Oshagan has also been quoted in numerous local and national newspapers. He was invited to the Mackinac Policy Conference in 2011 and gave a press conference on New Michigan Media.
In the last months, Oshagan's public activities related to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide have included,
Interview with Detroit News; interview with Arab American News; editorial in the Jewish News; article in the Armenian Weekly; interview on Catholic Radio; interview on ABN network; opening speaker of Responsibility 2015 Conference, Marriott Grand Marquis, Times Square, NY, NY; keynote at Northridge, CA event (1,000 people); keynote at Montebello, CA event (2,300 people); a leader of the March for Justice in Los Angeles, CA (140,000 people); keynote speech at Times Square, NY (15,000 people); private meeting, 1.5 hours, with Pres. of Armenia (also Ambassador and Foreign Minister of Armenia), Washington D.C.; private meetingwith Armenian Catholicos Aram I, Boston, MA.
Public Service (partial)
Founder and Director, New Michigan Media (NMM), the network of ethnic media in MI. 2009-2014. NMM is the collaboration of the largest ethnic media in the region. The publishers of The Arab-American News, The Jewish News, The Latino Press, The Michigan Korean Weekly, The Michigan Chronicle, The Michigan Citizen and I work together to advance issues of minorities in the region.
- 2014. Founding member of the Detroit Journalism Cooperative. Partners include MI Public Radio, DPTV, WDET, Bridge Magazine, and in collaboration with the Free Press and WXYZ. Grants from Ford Foundation, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
- 2013. Organized Dinner at the DSO, partner with NEI, bringing together 350 ethnic entrepreneurs from Asian, Latino, Arab, Jewish and African American communities. Gov. Snyder was keynote speaker. Grant from New Economy Initiative.
- 2012. Grant from the New Economy Initiative for Southeast MI (NEI), a consortium of the Ford, Knight, Kellogg, Mott, Skillman, Kresge, Hudson-Webber, Fisher and Community foundations, to effect culture change in the region by changing the narrative about Detroit with stories from minority communities.
- 2013. Extension of the NEI grant for Summer 2013.
- In application 2014. Project to inform minorities of legislative decision-making in Lansing, to engage minorities by hosting statewide debates with WXYZ-TV, to increase election turnout of minorities with a newspaper and social media campaign in ethnic media. Partners with Progress MI and Community Foundation.
- In discussion 2013. Agreement with Detroit Public TV to develop year-long series on immigration/immigrants and impact in the region.
- In application 2012: Co-PI (with the Vice-President of the Henry Ford Hospitals Multicultural Health Systems) for a 2-year grant to study minorities use of emergency rooms.
Detroit Immigration Task Force board member
Vibrant Communities/Michigan State University planning member
Armenian Genocide 100th Commemoration planning member, Eastern US.
Global Detroit board member, 2013-2014.
Americans for Immigration Reform strategy planning member. 2013.
Detroit Urban Innovation Exchange partner. 2012-2014
Michigan Department of Civil Rights partnership with New Michigan Media. 2012-2013
Advisor to NEI Innovation Network. 2012-2013
Advisor to State of MI on crisis information campaign for Detroit Emergency Financial Manager. 2013
Global Michigan, Advisory Board Member, State of MI Committee appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder. 2011-2012.
Advisor to the new Detroit Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs. 2012
Advisor to the new Wayne County Immigration Center. 2012
Organized conference Immigration and MIs Economic Future. Wayne State University. Detroit. This was a landmark conference on this topic, with over 500 attendees, and included speakers such as Mayor Bloomberg of NYC, President Gilmour of WSU, Peter Karmanos Jr. of Compuware and Governor of MI Rick Snyder. 2011
Academic Interests
Ethnic and minority media
Area of Expertise
Dr. Oshagan studies the effects of mass media, issues of public opinion and perception, and ethnic media. His research has been published in Communication Research, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Journal of Communication, National Journal of Sociology and several edited books. He has been editor of The Armenian Review. His current interests focus on ethnic and minority media for which he has received numerous grants, including ones from the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and thr McCormick Foundation..
Primary Research Interest
Media arts and studies, relationship of individuals to the mass media, public opinion and perception, ethnic media
Recent Publications
Moody, M., Subervi, F. and H. Oshagan. (2013). Ethnic and racial minorities’ participation in AEJMC: How much and what type of progress. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator. http://jmc.sagepub.com/content/68/3/269.abstract/
Ethnic Media: Their Influence on Politics and Participation. (2010). Proceedings of the Breaux Symposium. Louisiana State University
Courses taught by Hayg Oshagan
Winter Term 2025 (future)
- COM1010 - Oral Communication: Basic Speech
- COM1500 - Survey of Mass Communication
- COM3010 - Media Analysis and Criticism
Fall Term 2024 (current)
- COM1010 - Oral Communication: Basic Speech
- COM1500 - Survey of Mass Communication
- COM3010 - Media Analysis and Criticism
Winter Term 2024
Fall Term 2023
- COM1010 - Oral Communication: Basic Speech
- COM1500 - Survey of Mass Communication
- COM3010 - Media Analysis and Criticism
Winter Term 2023
Fall Term 2022
- COM1010 - Oral Communication: Basic Speech
- COM1500 - Survey of Mass Communication
- COM3010 - Media Analysis and Criticism