Fariba Pajooh
Biography
Fariba is a Ph.D. student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. She is an experienced journalist and reporter, originally from Iran, with over 15 years of experience across the globe. Her focus was on Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Fariba's academic field of interest is influenced by the intercultural exposures she underwent while covering the events outside of her culture for the news media. The two main theories at the center of her academic work are parasocial contact theory and contact hypothesis, in both the argument is that virtual and in-person contact in the right context is to reduce prejudice about the "other" among a group. Fariba aims to use her journalism background and her international, intercultural work experience in the academic setting to design and teach long-term solutions for conflict among groups. While she believes in celebration of the difference and constructive conflict among cultures, she thinks the world is a better place by finding scientifically backed solutions to keep the conflict among two different ideologies at a manageable level.
Fariba earned her Masters in Journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University in 2017. She was also nominated for the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize of 2020, given her journalism background.