kirstie Hettinga
ABOUT ME
I joined the faculty at California Lutheran University as an assistant professor of communication in 2013. I earned tenure in 2019, and was promoted to full professor in 2024. In 2021, I began serving as coordinator for Cal Lutheran's interdisciplinary Spanish media minor.
I teach courses in journalism including "Media Writing" and "Working on the Echo," which gives students credit for contributing to the student newspaper. I also teach "Intro to Mass Communication," "Advanced Reporting & Editing," "Content Creation for Digital Platforms," "Freedom of Communication" and "Latinx Media in U.S."
I spent two years (2011-2013) as a visiting assistant professor of media & communication studies at Ursinus College, just outside of Philadelphia. At Ursinus, I taught courses in journalism such as print journalism, online journalism and writing for the media, as well as news analysis, media history and media ethics. I also served as the adviser to the weekly campus newspaper, The Grizzly, and oversaw the launch of its first online version in January 2012.
I earned my doctorate in mass communication from The Pennsylvania State University's College of Communications. My bachelor's and master's were both earned at California State University, Fresno. My undergraduate degree is in mass communication-print journalism and theatre arts and my master's degree is in mass communications.
My research interests surround the area of news media, especially accuracy, accountability, and transparency in journalism. I am particularly interested in corrections and how news outlets handle mistakes. More recently, I have become interested in how student journalists learn about these issues.