Patience Akpan

Biography

Dr. Patience Akpan-Obong is an associate professor of science, technology and society in the School of Letters and Sciences at Arizona State University Polytechnic. She holds a PhD in Political Science (University of Alberta, 2003), a Master’s degree in Journalism (Carleton University, 1996) and a National Diploma in Mass Communication from The Polytechnic (now Cross River State University of Technology) in Calabar, Nigeria (1984). She researches the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in socioeconomic development. She is equally interested in the impact of science and technology on culture, women and technology, social change and ICTs, and processes of globalization in the context of developing countries. Her research in these areas is widely published. Research publications include Information and Communication Technologies in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges for Development (New York: Peter D. Lang, 2009) as well as many peer-reviewed academic articles. A second book, Letters to Nigeria: Journal of an African Woman in America (North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace) was published in March 2013. In the classroom, Dr. Akpan-Obong teaches courses in science, technology and society, social change, political science and women’s studies. Prior to becoming an academic, she practiced as a journalist for several years in Nigeria and Canada, and currently contributes to Saturday Punch, a nationally circulated weekly newspaper based in Lagos, Nigeria. A self-described “Global Citizen,” Dr. Akpan-Obong has travelled to 15 countries on five continents. She believes that travel is perhaps the best educational tool ever “invented.” Sedona, Arizona is one of her favorite places in the world.

Research Interest

communication technologies,social change, political science and women’s studies