The media department at the University of Sciences and Arts in Lebanon (USAL) organized a session at the university to discuss the graduation projects of the media students for 2019-2020 in the three specializations - radio and television, public relations and electronic media - in the presence of a panel composed of specialized lecturers from inside and outside the university alongside a number of journalists in Lebanon.
At the outset, a speech by the head of the university's media department Farouk Rizk, in which he held: “The exceptional circumstances the country is passing through, especially the health situation imposed by the coronavirus epidemic, have doubled the challenges on the students; but the media profession is a profession of permanent challenge and constant passion.”
Rizk praised the projects submitted this year “in terms of the subjects chosen, which echoed human concerns, and in terms of their professional execution”, affirming “the importance of the graduation projects as an important stage for the students, not only because it is a pivotal moment in their lives but also because it is a stage crowning a series of teaching experiences and skills the students have received in different fields”, and valuing “the students' exceptional efforts, which will serve as a bridge to the labour market”.
Before a panel composed of the lecturers Abdullah Shamseddine, Randala Jabbour and Reda Moussa, the radio and television students presented documentary films addressing the following subjects: “The Silent Execution” by student Nour Maryam Al-Zein, on the social and psychological effect left by the withdrawal of citizenship from Bahraini opposition figures; “The Mountain Tortoise” by student Jacqueline Obeid, about the summit climber Joyce Azzam; “From Here” by student Maryam Sharif, about the varied faces of life in the Bekaa town of Yammouneh; “The Cedar Behind the Bars of the Dollar” by student Malak Darwish, on the present economic situation and the fall of the lira against the dollar; “The Neighing of Victory” by student Reem Shukr, about equestrian sport and the relationship that forms between a rider and their horse; “A Livelihood That Does Not Die” by student Iman Hamieh, about the lives of fishermen and their striving to obtain their daily livelihood from the sea; “The Resurrection of Al-Khiyam” by student Maryam Abdullah, through which she re-read what happened in the July 2006 war and how this town resisted the Israeli attacks; and finally the film “The New Suburb” by student Hamza Bashir, about the traffic plan being carried out by the union of the municipalities of Beirut's southern suburb.
In the public relations specialization, a panel composed of the lecturers Dr. Jihad Al-Mallah, Ms. Grace Hawi and Dr. Lana Al-Abdullah discussed the following projects: the “Let Us Be Many” campaign by student Ghada Haidar, to encourage volunteering in the Red Cross; the “Support Your Child” campaign by student Malak Harb, to offer psychological support to children amid crises; “To the Rhythm of Music” by student Hassan Haidous, on the effect of music on people with Down syndrome; and “So That Your Right Is Not a Bullet” by student Batoul Nasser Eddine, on the danger of firing bullets at celebrations in the city of Hermel.
In the electronic media specialization, the panel composed of the lecturers Ihab Mortada, Reda Moussa and Diaa Jaffal discussed the following subjects: the “A Trip and a Return” campaign by student Aya Salameh, to encourage expatriates to return to the homeland; and AG PHOTOGRAPHY, WEBSITE by student Ayman Ghaddaf, on how to turn ordinary photographs into innovative images. At the close of the discussions, the panels noted the students' projects, especially the “The Silent Execution” project by student Nour Maryam in the radio and television specialization, the “Let Us Be Many” campaign by student Ghada Haidar in the public relations specialization, and the “A Trip and a Return” campaign by student Aya Salami in the electronic media specialization.
