Equality Equals…? Conference

Equality Equals…? Conference

April 5th-6th 2013

Sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies Graduate Student Association at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Call for Anthology Contributors: Thinking Dead: What the Zombie Apocalypse Means"

UDC member Murali Balaji is looking for contributors for a new anthology titled, Thinking Dead: What the Zombie Apocalypse Means. The deadline for submitting a chapter synopsis is December 15.

Zombies are everywhere these days. Rather than run away, we're seemingly embracing them. The popularity of zombies has reached a pinnacle with shows such as the Walking Dead - the highest rated drama on basic cable - and movies such as the Resident Evil series, Dawn of the Dead and various incarnations of zombie flicks. What does our obsession with zombies say about us as a consumer society? This anthology seeks to interrogate our obsession with the undead from a critical lens, offering us a variety of perspectives on zombie culture, consumption and the notion of these apocalyptic scenarios as our eternal fear of the other and ourselves. 

Chapters must be 6,000-7,000 words in APA style. 

200 word chapter synopses sent to murali.balaji@temple.edu no later than Dec. 15 with full manuscripts delivered by Feb. 1.

New book from UDC member John Sullivan: Media Audiences: Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power

Source: sagepub.com

It's that time. Publishers and bookstores are hounding you for your book orders, right? Well, for your media studies courses, consider UDC member John Sullivan's new book: Media Audiences: Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power (2012, Sage Publications).

Whether we are watching TV, surfing the Internet, listening to our iPods, or reading a novel, we are all engaged with media as a member of an audience. Despite the widespread use of this term in our popular culture, the meaning of the "audience" is complex, and it has undergone significant historical shifts as new forms of mediated communication have developed from print, telegraphy, and radio to film, television, and the Internet. Media Audiences explores the concept of media audiences from four broad perspectives: as "victims" of mass media, as market constructions & commodities, as users of media, and as producers & subcultures of mass media. The goal of the text is for students to be able to think critically about the role and status of media audiences in contemporary society, reflecting on their relative power in relation to institutional media producers.

This is a junior-senior level text, but is also suitable for entry-level graduate courses in audience studies.

Request a review copy here and get a discounted personal copy here.

Table of Contents after the jump...

"Off the Menu" documentary explores the political economy of body and food through student work

Source: cinemaservesjustice.com

Lisa Tillman (Rollins College) has a documentary out that may be of interest to UDCers. The film is titled "Off the Menu: Challenging the Politics and Economics of Body and Food" (2011, Cinema Serves Justice).

What's wrong with the ways we relate to our bodies, to others' bodies, to eating, and to food - and what can we do about it?

The film was screened and discussed at a recent NCA session:

Topics investigated include body and beauty ideals, body image, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia, our cultural fear and hatred of fat, anti-fat prejudice, and inequalities related to the U.S. food system. 

The film features personal narratives and digital art composed by 24 students enrolled in a course called The Political Economy of Body and Food. A political economic lens helps us see: whose political and economic interests are served by the ways people in the U.S. tend to relate to our own bodies, to others' bodies, to eating, and to food? When we survey the contemporary landscape of body and food, who has what kind of power? Who profits, and at whose expense? How can everyday people resist and promote healthier relationships with body and food?

For a full-length preview, contact Lisa Tillman.

See the film's website for ordering information.

Do you have a book, call for papers, conference panel, creative work, or other project that you'd like other UDC members to know about? Let us know.

The Rise and Demise of Neoliberal University?

A Logos article from earlier this year, written by David Schultz, explores whether the neoliberal model for university education is in the process of fading away. Schultz begins:

Since the end of World War II two business models have defined the operations of American higher education. The first was the Dewey model that lasted until the 1970s. The second, a corporate model, flourished until the economic crash in 2008. What the new business model for higher education will be is uncertain, but from the ashes of the status quo we see emerging one that returns to an era before World War II when only the affluent could afford college and access was limited to the privileged few

Schultz goes on to suggest that consolidation of universities may make sense as student populations dwindle and academic institutions are forced to compete for students. At the same time, the corporate university privileges business-minded administration and moves away from a shared governance model that situates faculty at the center of university life. The rise of for profit colleges, shared on the New York Stock Exchange, also poses a challenge to those resisting the neoliberal turn in university education. Schultz offers the following as a rough prediction:

while many for-profit institutions may not be able to withstand market pressures, look to see many traditional colleges and universities will have no choice but to emulate that management style. It may not be a viable business model but given economic pressures for the future, that may be the only one that exists, rewarding a few schools that are able to provide a curriculum that is cheap enough that students want to attend. In effect, the new business model is a hyper-extension of the current model. This may mean even more alliance with corporate America along with curriculum pressures that further de-emphasize traditional liberal arts studies in place of professional education. One sign of that already is the movement to take professional degrees such as MBAs and now offer BBAs instead.

The race to the bottom and the emphasis on providing cheap education does a disservice to university life. Subsuming the university under the market model has become a more common refrain in recent years. However, similar to the recent history in the geopolitical realm, what cannot be taken by brute force can be taken through "structural adjustment" and the prying open of markets with the neoliberal crowbar.

Exploring and Remaking Critical Studies of Advertising, ICA Preconference

“Exploring and Remaking Critical Studies of Advertising,” an ICA Preconference organized by UDC member James Hamilton is accepting abstracts until Nov 30. More info at: http://criticaladstudies.wordpress.com/

Do you have pictures to share from UDC's Social Hour at NCA?

If you have pictures from UDC's Social Hour at NCA, please send them to T.C. Corrigan. He'll be putting together a slideshow from the event and posting it to the UDC blog. Thanks in advance.

UDC Social Hour at NCA this Friday

Going to NCA? Please join us!
UDC Social Hour 
Friday, November 16, 6:30-7:30 pm
BLUEZOO LOUNGE
Dolphin, First Floor

Please join us for a social hour for members, friends, and those interested in UDC (Union for Democratic Communications), a scholarly association that supports activist and artistic interventions in communications to bring about a more democratic, socially just, and peaceful world.

Newsbound explainer: "Super PACs unpacked"

Image: Newsbound.com

Check out Newsbound.com's latest explainer: "Super PACs unpacked." As Newsbound says:

The Center for Responsive Politics estimates that about $6 billion will be spent on this year’s federal elections. While approximately half will come from the campaigns themselves, the rest will be spent by “outside” spending groups such as Super PACs. These groups are raising more money than ever following a series of court rulings in 2010, but their future may be in question beyond the 2012 election.

 The explainer is basically an interactive powerpoint, and it is broken up into three sections:

1. What are PACs in the first place?
2. How did they become super?
3. How influential are they?

What do you think about Newsbound's explainer format?

Previous Newsbound explainers:
Breaking Down The Voter ID Battle
Drone Warfare
How Conventions Turned Into Campaign Commercials

NYT op-ed: Colleges and universities "probably do as much to repress free speech as any other institution in young people’s lives"

Image: NYTimes.com

In a New York Times op-ed today, Greg Lukianoff argues that colleges and universities "probably do as much to repress free speech as any other institution in young people’s lives." He provides examples of "free speech zones" for political protesters, and oaths students sign at some institutions promising (for example) "civility," "inclusiveness," and "kindness." While private institutions have greater leeway in restricting speech, Lukianoff explains that, "In a study of 392 campus speech codes last year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, where I work, found that 65 percent of the colleges had policies that in our view violated the Constitution’s guarantee of the right to free speech." You can read Lukianoff's full article here.

Does your institution employ similar restrictions on student speech? How are those restrictions received? Any UDCers studying or confronting this topic?

Full episode on the media from Best of the Left

Image: bestoftheleft.com

The award-winning podcast, Best of the Left just published a new episode focused exclusively on the media. The episode features clips from Rachel Maddow, David Pakman, Thom Hartman, The Young Turks, Media Matters, and CounterSpin.

What progressive podcasts do you listen to?

UDCers' work featured in tripleC's "Marx is Back" special issue

May 30, 2012

The open access journal tripleC recently published a special issue titled "Marx is Back." With 29 articles and more than 500 pages, the special issue features several articles from folks that are or have been associated with the Union for Democratic Communications. These include:

Vincent Mosco (who co-edited the special issue with Christian Fuchs)

* Introduction: Marx is Back – The Importance of Marxist Theory and Research for Critical Communication Studies Today

* Marx is Back, But Which One? On Knowledge Labour and Media Practice

Nicole S. Cohen

* Cultural Work as a Site of Struggle: Freelancers and Exploitation

Michelle Rodino-Colocino

* "Feminism" as Ideology: Sarah Palin’s Anti-feminist Feminism and Ideology Critique

Gerald Sussman

* Systemic Propaganda as Ideology and Productive Exchange

Lee Artz

* 21st Century Socialism: Making a State for Revolution

If we're leaving anyone out, please let us know. The full table of contents is available here. 

Great work all, and welcome back, Marx ...

Jeanne Hall lunchtime memorial scheduled for Saturday at UDC 2012

May 3, 2012

The Union for Democratic Communications is organizing a lunchtime memorial for longtime UDC member Jeanne Hall, who tragically and unexpectedly passed away on December 23, 2011 in State College, PA. Jeanne was an Associate Professor in the Media Studies/Film-Video department of Penn State's College of Communications for 20 years, and was co-organizer of UDC conferences at Penn State in 2002 and 2010. She was a passionate believer in the cause of social justice and a dear friend of many members of UDC. The memorial will take place during the conference's Saturday lunch from 12:15 pm to 1:45 pm and will include a DVD slide show and a brief film tribute. Those present at the lunch are welcome to share their memories of Jeanne during the memorial.

Donate to the Jeanne Lynn Hall Fund

April 19, 2012

Jeanne Lynn Hall, Associate Professor of Film-Video and Media Studies at the Pennsylvania State University, passed away December 23, 2011. She had just turned 53. Jeanne was a long-time member of the UDC. She organized both UDC conferences held in State College in 2002 and 2010. She worked very hard to make them a site for us all to come together and share in struggle for social justice and peace. Her personal touches on the conferences included customized folders for members that were especially dear to her. She worked hard on every program manually designing them with her extraordinary artistic talent. Those of you who knew her were fortunate to experience her energy, enthusiasm, warmth and love. Those of you who never met Jeanne might not realize how committed she was to the UDC and her impact in shaping what it is today. 

In honoring her please consider making a contribution to the Jeanne Lynn Hall Fund, which helps subsidize UDC conference travel costs for low income students and activists. You can contribute to the Jeanne Lynn Hall Fund by clicking on the "Donate" button below:

You can also visit here for information about donating by check.

UDC Newsletter -- Issue No. 1

Jan. 23, 2012

Download the Jan. 2012 UDC Newsletter here

Many thanks to John Sullivan for 

his work on this publication.

Call For Nominations -- Dallas Smythe Award

Sept. 23, 2011

The Dallas Smythe Award is given in memory of one of the great pioneers of the study of the political economy of communications and one of the great leaders in the struggle for democratic communications.  At each conference, the Union for Democratic Communications honors a critical media scholar/activist whose work exhibits the spirit of engagement, democracy, teaching, and feistiness to which the UDC is committed.

Past recipients of the Dallas Smythe Award include Robert McChesney, DeeDee Halleck, Herb Schiller, Tom Guback, Santiago Alvarez, Vincent Mosco, Eileen Meehan, Janet Wasko, Ed Herman, Peter Phillips, and Manju Pendakur.

The steering committee is soliciting nominations for the next award, to be presented at the 2012 conference in Tallahassee, FL, May 10-12.

Please send your nominations to Jennifer Proffitt at jproffitt@fsu.edu by November 1, 2011. Please include a description of your nominee’s qualifications and accomplishments.

Call for Papers -- UDC 2012 international conference -- "Climates of Change: Democracy Movements, Media and Global Environments"

Sept. 3, 201

The UDC 2012 international conference will be held May 10-12, 2012, in the Turnbull Center on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Florida. The conference theme is "Climates of Change: Democracy Movements, Media and Global Environments." Pleasevisit the conference website to read the call for papers and consider submitting an abstract. More details to come!

P.S. -- Great work Tallahassee Conference Coordinating Committee

Call For Papers -- Global Media Journal special issue -- "The State of Media Conglomeration: Synergy, Power, Resistance"

Sept. 3, 2011

Here is the call for papers for a Global Media Journal special issue: "The State of Media Conglomeration: Synergy, Power, Resistance." Deadline for Submissions: October 15, 2011

The focus of this special issue of the Global Media Journal-American Edition:  Is “Big Media” dead and buried, or alive and prospering—or both? Read more here...