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Anna Popkova is an Associate Professor at Western Â鶹´«Ã½Ó¦Óà University School of Communication, and an allied faculty member at WMU Global and International Studies program. Her research examines the relationships between media institutions, media discourses, policymakers, various publics and communication technologies as these apply to such issues as the politics of national identity at national and transnational levels, state and non-state public diplomacy, and the role of culture, technology and communication in shaping the traditions of public participation and civic discourse worldwide. Most of Dr. Popkova’s work focuses on Russia and Russia-U.S. relations and has been published in the International Journal of Communication, New Media and Society, International Communication Gazette, The Hague Journal of Public Diplomacy, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journal of Communication Inquiry and elsewhere.

Dr. Popkova’s teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of linking theory and practice. In her service-learning course on public relations campaigns, students have researched and developed campaigns for a number of organizations such Rootead Enrichment Center, Colleagues International Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Children’s Trauma Assessment Center, Restore Justice Community Program and Friendship House, Western Â鶹´«Ã½Ó¦Óà University Study Abroad program, Western Â鶹´«Ã½Ó¦Óà University International Student Support unit, Western Â鶹´«Ã½Ó¦Óà University Ethics Center, Western Â鶹´«Ã½Ó¦Óà University Invisible Need Project, and others. Since 2019, Dr. Popkova has also been teaching a graduate seminar titled Strategic Communication in Changing Times, exploring the challenges and the opportunities associated with communicating strategically and ethically during times of dramatic social, political, cultural, organizational and technological change.

Dr. Popkova’s research and teaching have also been informed and enriched by her professional experience working as a publicity, marketing, and public relations coordinator, media specialist, and special events assistant for a variety of educational, nonprofit and governmental organizations in the United States and Russia.