Gen Z: How do you consume civics education in the digital age?
Our virtual Public Square featured a lively discussion on how Gen Z consumes civics education in the digital age. If you missed the live event, you can watch it now and explore additional resources below.
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Panelists
Mi-Ai Parrish
Marie-Louise Paulesc
Mi-Ai Parrish leads Arizona State University Media Enterprise and is the Professor for Media Innovation and Leadership at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is president and CEO of MAP Strategies Group, based in Phoenix. Ms. Parrish served as president and publisher of The Arizona Republic/AZCentral.com and market president at USA Today Network, where the team won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for The Wall, a multi-layered, multi-media examination of the southern border with Mexico.
Prior to The Arizona Republic/USA Today Network, Ms. Parrish held similar leadership roles at the Kansas City Star, and (Boise) Idaho Statesman, and an array of newsroom roles at (Minneapolis) Star-Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, among others. Parrish was the first Korean-American publisher in mainstream media, and first woman publisher in Kansas City. Professor Parrish is the chairwoman of Poynter Institute Board of Directors, vice-chairwoman of Banner Foundation Board of Directors, and secretary of Greater Phoenix Leadership. Her board of directors service includes the Associated Press, Common Sense Media, the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy, The 19th News, Arizona Community Foundation, and others. She's served four times as a Pulitzer Prize juror. Ms. Parrish holds a bachelor’s of science in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Dr. Marie-Louise Paulesc is an Associate Teaching Professor at Arizona State University, with a PhD in Human Communication and a background in Journalism and Public Relations. Dr. Paulesc is a dedicated educator who fosters critical thinking and interdisciplinary exploration through creative pedagogical approaches and engaging course design. She has taught over 30 distinctive courses at both lower and upper division levels in areas such as Communication, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, Film, Culture, and Journalism, delivered through online and face-to-face formats. Combining theoretical frameworks with practical applications, she helps learners engage with complex ideas and deepen their understanding of these fields. Her teaching also highlights the importance of media literacy for navigating modern communication landscapes.
Her main scholarly interests are rhetoric in the public sphere and collective memory, with current research focusing on collective remembering and its representation in media and the arts.
Moderators
Liam Julian
Emily Fox-Million
Liam Julian is Vice President of Programs & Public Policy at the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy. He was previously managing editor of Policy Review magazine in Washington, D.C., and a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. His writing and commentary on public policy have appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, National Review, and RealClearPolitics, and on NPR programs including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He also directed development of Advanced Placement curricula at the College Board, including leading the redesign of the AP U.S. Government and Politics course.
Emily Fox-Million is a new broadcast producer in Phoenix, Arizona. She expects to graduate in spring 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Fox-Million is currently a production intern for ABC15 Arizona and has previously interned at The Arizona Republic and Hillel at ASU. She was also a featured speaker at TEDxMountainAve in 2022.