Hakan Karaaytu

Hakan Karaaytu joined Alfred University in 2023, now working as an assistant professor for the Communication Studies department. Hakan is studying Ph.D. in Mass Communication-Journalism at Ohio University. He teaches undergraduate courses on Digital Journalism, Social Media Strategy, Introductory News-writing & Reporting, and Mass Media and American Life.

Hakan's primary area of research is political communication. Hakan has a background in Middle Eastern Studies and can command multiple fields -communications, journalism, political science, history, and sociology- with ease. Hakan also has editing and journalism experience both in the US and Turkey.

Hakan earned his bachelor’s degree in education and planned initially to teach the Turkish language at Erciyes University in Turkey. He pursued a second bachelor’s degree in the Radio, Television, and Cinema undergraduate program, and has master’s degree from the university in Media and Communication. Hakan also served as the president of the student council for two years at the Zirve University, which had approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

Hakan enrolled in the master's degree program at Niagara University in New York, where he built an interdisciplinary major in media studies, social justice, and theory. He completed his thesis study titled Independent Journalists Reporting on Political Issues in Turkey, using Traditional and New Media. His thesis focused on how President Erdogan and the AKP (Justice and Development Party) Government, who have been in control for 17 years, have transformed the entire media system into a non-objective, manipulative device serving as the mouthpiece of the president.

He has always been interested in theater education, and in 2009 he took the director position at the Stage Head theater community during his undergraduate. Hakan organized, directed, and played the leading role in Moliere's masterpiece Les Précieuses Ridicules. Hakan also still regularly plays soccer and is a very strong supporter of Beşiktaş which is one of the famous teams from the Turkish Super League.