Media, Technology and Civic Engagement – Spring 2017

What does it mean to be an engaged citizen in the era of the Internet and mobile phones? How has new technology and new media changed both the way we, as individuals and groups, engage with the world and the manner in which we define citizenship? The spring 2017 semester’s theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement, will explore how contemporary media technologies have both expanded and limited the possibilities for communication, social group formation, and political activism. Our hope is that our engagement with these questions can inform broader campus and community discussions and practices regarding the role of media and technology in civic life.

Marie Tessier

The New York Times

Suffragist 3.0: Women and Democracy Online

Thursday, April 27, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room 7 p.m.

As civic conversations move increasingly online, women’s voices are outnumbered by men’s voices by large margins. New York Times comment curator Marie Tessier addresses the dearth of women’s voices in comment sections, outlines the causes for it, and offers a call to action to bring women’s voices to equality in the 21st Century.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Churchill Fund, the Departments of American Studies, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement and also part of its Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.

Biography (provided by the speaker)

Marie Tessier leads the team moderating comments to the Opinion pages of NYTimes.com and contributes to opinion blogs. Tessier has worked at The New York Times since 2007, when the company first rolled out its moderation system. Before joining the Times, Tessier was a regular contributor to the Women’s eNews and Women’s Media Center news sites, specializing in violence against women. She was an adjunct professor of Read more

Aynne Kokas

University of Virginia

Hollywood Made in China

Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.

Using contemporary case studies, this talk will demonstrate how the growth of China’s media market is transforming Hollywood from the inside out.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Department of East Asian Studies. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology, and Civic Engagement.

Biography (provided by the speaker)

Aynne Kokas is an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Virginia. Kokas’ research broadly examines Sino-U.S. media and technology relations. Her book, Hollywood Made in China (University of California Press, 2017) argues that Chinese investment and regulations have fundamentally altered the landscape of the U.S. commercial media industry, most prominently in the case of major conglomerates that rely on leveraging global commercial brands. Her next project Networked Chinawood examines the cybersecurity and policy implications of digital media in the Sino-U.S. relationship. Kokas has been a visiting fellow at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is also a current term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Read more

Robert Deitz

George Mason University

Thoughts on Cybersecurity in an Age of Trump

Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.

Cybersecurity is an increasingly hot topic in public policy, particularly since the CIA has identified Russia as an intruder into the U.S. presidential election. Cyberattacks threaten our economy and our national security. This talk will discuss ways to address cyber intrusions.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Churchill Fund, the Department of Political Science. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement and also part of its Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.

Biography (provided by the speaker)

Robert L. Deitz is a professor of public policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University. He grew up in Gettysburg, Pa., and graduated from Middlebury College, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. After serving in the U.S. Army, he received his MPP from the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude. He then clerked for Justice William O. Douglas and, after Read more

Eiko Otake

Renowned Performance Artist

Residency: Sunday, April 2 – Saturday, April 8, 2017

During her residency, renowned performance artist Eiko Otake will bring her new solo project, A Body in Places, to several unexpected sites; engage students and faculty from different disciplines; and “occupy” campus for a magical week of immersion in new ways of seeing. Look for Otake around campus during the week.

Performances

Monday, April 3, 2017
Waidner-Spahr Library, 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A Body in Places

Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Holland Union Building, 1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
A Body in Places

Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Bosler Memorial Library, 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
A Body in Places

Lecture

Thursday, April 6, 2017
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
A Body in Fukushima

Using her body as a conduit, Eiko Otake tries to make the distance between here/now to the Fukushima meltdowns malleable.

This residency is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues, supported by the Cecil Andrew and Adeline Ewing Fund, and co-sponsored by the Departments of Theatre & Dance, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and East Asian Studies. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement Read more

Kevin Sanson

Queensland University of Technology

Location, Location, Location: Hollywood’s Precarious Mobility

Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.

Drawing from interviews with location managers in Atlanta, London, and Budapest, among other key production hubs, this talk moves past abstract discussions of ‘runaway production’ to map the transformations mobile film and television production engenders within the work worlds of key local crew positions.

This event is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Center for Global Study and Engagement and the Department of International Business & Management. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement.

Biography (provided by the speaker)

Kevin Sanson is a senior lecturer in the creative industries faculty at Queensland University of Technology. Previously, he was the research director of the Carsey-Wolf Center’s Media Industries Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Sanson also is a founding member and current managing editor of Media Industries, the first peer-reviewed, open access journal for media industries research.

His current research examines the spatial dynamics of screen media production, focusing especially on working conditions and practices of local hires in global production hubs. Read more

Erin Hudson

Documentary Filmmaker

Residency: Tuesday, March 7 – Thursday, March 9, 2017

Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.
Film Screenings: Afloat and Our Time is Now

Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Keynote: Inviting Empathy through Documentary Filmmaking

Documentary filmmaker and community artist Hudson will share her process of storytelling exploring how she finds, receives, shares and engages stories based in human dignity, vulnerability, and emotional truths.

This residency is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and a Civic Learning and Engagement Initiative Grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and co-sponsored by the Departments of English and German, and the Film Studies Program. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement.

Biography (provided by the speaker)

Passionate about sharing stories with depth, dignity, and respect, Erin Hudson founded the documentary film production studio, Rotation Films. She works as an independent director, producer, editor, and cinematographer. Her films have been screened in festivals world-wide, including Telluride Film Festival, Full Frame, and True/False. Her most recent feature film, Our Time is Now, was broadcast locally and nationally through the PBS program, American Graduate. Read more

Kristen Warner

Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama

Black Women Defense Squads in Online Fandom

Thursday, March 2, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.

Live Stream Link

A predominantly online phenomenon, defense squads are the domain of female fans who vigilantly watch for mentions of their loved character and who respond to criticisms as a collective force. Warner will examine Black women fans of the CW’s The Flash to explore their devotion and protection of female character Iris West.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Departments of English and Sociology, and the Film Studies Program. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement.

Biography (provided by the speaker)

Kristen Warner is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at The University of Alabama. She is the author The Cultural Politics of Colorblind TV Casting (Routledge, 2015). Kristen’s research interests are centered at the juxtaposition of televisual racial representation and its place within the media industries, particularly within the practice of casting. Warner’s work can be found in Television and New Media, Camera Obscura and Read more

Lalo Alcaraz

Political Cartoonist, Satirist & Television Writer

Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Stern Center, Great Room, 7 p.m.

“La Cucaracha” and Political Satire

Alcaraz will present an illustrated lecture on his cartoons, work in political satire, and writing/producing in Hollywood.

This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Churchill Fund, Departments of Latin American, Latino & Caribbean Studies; Spanish & Portuguese; and The Trout Gallery. It is part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series and also part to the Clarke Forum’s semester theme, Media, Technology and Civic Engagement.

Biography (provided by speaker)

Lalo Alcaraz is the creator of the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip, “La Cucaracha,” which is read in American newspapers nationwide, including the Los Angeles Times. Lalo’s comics are syndicated by Universal Uclick, home of “Doonesbury” and “The Boondocks.” Lalo produced editorial cartoons for The LA Weekly from 1992-2010 and now creates editorial cartoons in English and Spanish for Universal. Lalo’s books include Latino USA: A Cartoon History (2000 by Basic Books), and Migra Mouse: Political Cartoons On Immigration (2004). Alcaraz also authored the first collection of his daily comic strips, “La Read more