The American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA) is an organization dedicated to research and education in journalism and communication history. Members like Associate Professor Erin Coyle are dedicated to this mission and contribute to the ongoing discourse around the past, present and future of journalism.
Coyle is a long-time attendee of AJHA conferences and national conventions and was encouraged by her colleagues to apply for the 2022 National Award for Excellence in Teaching, which honors professors for their dedication to teaching the history of journalism and mass communication.
To apply, Coyle examined her syllabi from her 14 years of teaching – with three being at Temple University and 11 at Louisiana State University (LSU).
“Dr. Coyle really deserves this award. She’s a nationally recognized scholar and a beloved teacher. We are fortunate to have her as a professor at Temple,” said Professor David Mindich.
A key principle of her pedagogy, Coyle said, is her work with undergraduate and graduate students. At both LSU and Temple, she has been fortunate to work on research with doctoral candidates as well as undergraduates, which serves as a learning experience for both her and the student.
“It’s exciting to work with students because we all bring different experiences and I think it leads to more innovative work,” Coyle said. “It’s really an honor to get to work with students in this way.”
In fact, Coyle received another award, The Jean Palmegiano Award for Outstanding International/Transnational Journalism Research, for a paper that she wrote with a current Temple doctoral candidate and her former student from LSU.
The Throttling of the Free Press in Cuba: Exploring Transnational Journalism and Sigma Delta Chi’s Advocacy for Press Freedom in Cuba (1956-1962) was written with current Temple doctoral candidate Annette Masterson and Assistant Professor of Journalism at St. John’s University Elisabeth Fondren.
“I am delighted that our paper was recognized,” Fondren said. She has worked with Coyle on several research projects that examine freedom of speech and freedom of press.
Masterson first met Coyle when she was assigned to be her research assistant in the fall of 2021. Together, they worked on a book chapter about conceptions of press freedom, but Masterson wasn’t ready to stop collaborating with Coyle once it was finished.
“That’s a testament to her process and mentorship,” Masterson said. She continued asking to work with Coyle and is delighted that she was able to work on the paper that was honored at AJHA with her and Fondren. “That’s not something that doctoral students always get to experience,” she said.
As Masterson prepares to defend her dissertation in the spring and pursue a professorship, she noted that she has learned how to interact with students in a respectful and collaborative way from Coyle.
Before coming to Klein College of Media and Communication in June 2020, Coyle was intrigued by the community-centered journalism education students received.
“I really believe in what the journalism department is doing at Klein. I love the department’s mission. I was, and still am excited about the extraordinary work that my colleagues are doing,” Coyle said.
Coyle accepted both the 2022 National Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Jean Palmegiano Award for Outstanding International/Transnational Journalism Research at the AJHA convention in September 2023.