Dr. Li Chen, Associate Professor of Media Communication, started teaching at West Texas A&M University in 2016. Chen received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Fudan University in Shanghai, China in 2009, a master’s degree in media studies from Syracuse University in 2011, and her Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Iowa in 2016.
One of Chen’s favorite aspects about the Department of Communication involves the subject itself.
“Communication is one of the very few activities that can never be replaced by artificial intelligence tools, so it’s a skillset people always need,” Chen said. “So the things we teach at the Department of Communication are important, so I enjoy teaching at this Department.”
In addition, Chen’s other favorite aspect about the Department of Communication involves her colleagues.
“When I was new to WT, and when I was a junior faculty member, all those senior faculty members were so helpful to me,” Chen said. “Without their support I could not have quickly transitioned from a Ph.D. student to a faculty member very quickly.”
Finally, Chen’s most favorite aspect about the Department of Communication is getting to teach her students.
“I enjoy teaching them, this is because I feel like teaching those students is a mutually beneficial process,” Chen said. “When I teach them about concepts, they are teaching me about many things too. They have raised many critical questions that I have never thought about before.”
Outside of the classroom, Chen is an avid watcher of the Peking Opera.
“Peking Opera is a kind of musical performance like the Broadway musical performances.” Chen said. “Even though I do not give the performance, I have adopted its philosophy and aesthetic values and have applied them to my own teaching.”
In addition to her hobbies, Chen loves to observe the stray cats that roam around the WT campus.
“I have been observing and chasing feral cats for at least six years.” Chen said. “At night, I walk around on campus to find, observe, and mingle with cats – so I might appear to be the most suspicious person on campus at night. According to my most recent cat census data, there are at least 16 cats on campus.”
