Sheng Zou is part of the University of Michigan Graduate Student Cohort of the Summer 2021 U-M/UPR Curriculum Design Program. Learn more about Zou and why he chose to apply to this year’s program below!
Sheng Zou
Dr. Sheng Zou is an interdisciplinary media scholar and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan’s International Institute. He completed his Ph.D. in Communication at Stanford University. His research interests span a range of topical areas, including global media industries, new media and social transition, digital journalism, platform economy and labor, emerging technologies and governance. Zou has written extensively
on various aspects of popular culture, media/tech, and politics in China. He also had rich experience teaching about globalization, digital media, technology and society at Stanford. Recently, he has been working on a research project that examines COVID-related mis- and disinformation in a transnational context.
I applied to the U-M/UPR Summer 2021 Curriculum Design Program because I recognize the importance of teaching global health topics in the COVID era not just from STEM perspectives, but from the standpoint of social sciences and humanities. We should enable students to grapple with the complex politics in the construction of discourses around health issues, and the meanings people assign to these issues. That is what I encourage the teachers and educators in Puerto Rico to do when they introduce health topics into their classrooms. My participation in this program is also motivated by my belief in the significance of boosting the exchange of knowledge and educational resources across different communities. I would love to translate my research and expertise into resources that Puerto Rican teachers can access to inspire their students.
– Sheng Zou on his decision to apply to the 2021 Summer Program