Dr. Jansen has published a review of Harri Englund’s book, Human Rights and African Airwaves: Mediating Equality on the Chichewa Radio (Indiana University Press, 2011). Englund is a social anthropologist publishing widely on issues of poverty and human rights discourse and advocacy, drawing from his ethnographic fieldwork in Malawi, Africa. Dr. Jansen’s review is available here on H-Net.
The history of public relations has recently attracted the interest of critical media scholars. Edward L. Bernays, the author of several pioneering PR books, has profoundly influenced how critical scholars have conceived of public relations. Bernays deceptively claimed that Walter Lippmann provided the theory and that he provided the practice, creating the false impression that Lippmann was an apologist for PR. Lippmann actually denounced government and corporate publicity agents as propagandists and censors. Yet critical PR scholarship has uncritically accepted and amplified Bernays’ misrepresentation. This article seeks to correct this error by comparing the key texts: Lippmann’s Public Opinion (1922) and Bernays’ Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923).
The article is published with a Creative Commons open access license and can be downloaded for free.
Congratulations to Frankie and Gracie Santana, two HYPE teens, whose video (“A Trillion for Education”) was named a finalist in the national If I Had a Trillion Dollars Youth Film Festival. The teens recently traveled to Washington, DC, to attend the festival with HYPE co-director Jenna Azar and Muhlenberg student Cara Sciblo. There Frankie and Gracie screened their documentary for members of Congress, and made the case for the video’s core argument—for more school funding—to an aide to PA senator Bob Casey. The Santanas and HYPE were featured in a major Morning Call story.
Film Studies major Sarah Sheldon (Class of 2014) has been honored at the Hybrid Awards, which were presented in March, 2013 at Dublin City University (DCU), where Sarah is currently participating in the Media and Communication Dublin study abroad program. Sarah’s film won for “Fictional Video of the Year” in a highly competitive field of over 200 student-created videos. Emmy Award-winning director Dearbhla Walsh served as one of the judges and presented and Sarah with the award. Her student film, entitled “The Story,” was made for Dr. McEwan’s Advanced Electronic Media Production class, and can be viewed online here. Congratulations, Sarah!
A major address by Lawrence Lessig, hosted by Muhlenberg on April 15, is now available online. Lessig, the famed legal scholar and free culture activist, spoke to a packed audience of students, staff and faculty on ”What Does It Mean to Say Our Congress Is Corrupt?” The talk was the culminating event in the Center for Ethics’ year-long “Market\Values” program, directed by the Media & Communication Department’s Sue Curry Jansen.
The Media and Communication Department is hosting “Alumni Week,” March 18-22, 2013. Throughout the week over 15 alumni are returning to campus to visit classes, lead master classes, speak on panels, offer informal career coaching and guidance, and promote internship opportunities in their organizations.
Organized and planned by Dr. Sue Curry Jansen, alumni from varying regional, national, and international companies will be engaging current students and faculty in discussions about their diverse careers as television producer, freelance photographer and filmmaker, publishing, advertising, and public relations practitioners, communication consultants, event coordinator, and more.
Dr. John Ramsay, Provost of Muhlenberg College, and his wife Michele visited Dublin this week to check up on the study abroad program, to visit their son Luke (’14), and to talk with students. The highlight of the visit was a dinner at the Eden Bar & Grill near Grafton Street with the 2013 Dublin students and Dr. John Sullivan, the Resident Director of the Dublin Study Abroad program this semester. Also present were Judd Brotman and Jennifer Potter-Brotman, parents of current Dublin student Alexander Brotman (’14) and members of the Muhlenberg College Parents’ Council. Excellent food, a sophisticated atmosphere, and lively conversation made for a memorable evening! The current 2013 Dublin students include: Hallie Boviard, Alexander Brotman, Sarah Crandall, Erin Cummings, Allison Diamond, Jordana Eisenberg, Madison Ferris, Erin Flaherty, Emma Gillam, Catherine Haverkampf, Molly Israel, Anne LaRocca, Megan Lentz, Leah Lewin, Luke Ramsay, Stephanie Scott, Sarah Sheldon, Jena Verlin, Dylan, White, and Kelly Wilbur (all Class of 2014). Click here for more pictures from the evening. Additionally, if you’d like to keep up with what some of the students are doing in Dublin, have a look at Megan Lentz’s weekly blog that she is keeping for the Muhlenberg College Admissions office.
Dr. Sullivan has published a textbook with Sage Publications entitled Media Audiences: Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power. The book examines the scholarly study of media audiences from a number of different perspectives: as objects of media influence, as creations of media institutions, as media users, and as fans and digital cultural producers. The book grew out of Dr. Sullivan’s many years of teaching Audience Analysis (COM 314), and his students in that course used the book for several years in draft form. The book was also beautifully illustrated with charts and figures by Media and Communication alum Stephanie Plumeri (’12).
Dr. Kahlenberg returns to teaching this semester after a Spring ’12 sabbatical. We are delighted to have her back on campus and in Walson Hall. During her sabbatical, Dr. Kahlenberg worked on several research projects, including a journal article, book chapter, and a content analytic project involving Media and Communication major Melissa Bodnar as a research assistant. Welcome back, Dr. Kahlenberg!
Dr. Jansen has published a review of Harri Englund’s book, Human Rights and African Airwaves: Mediating Equality on the Chichewa Radio (Indiana University Press, 2011). Englund is a social anthropologist publishing widely on issues of poverty and human rights discourse and advocacy, drawing from his ethnographic fieldwork in Malawi, Africa. Dr. Jansen’s review is available here on H-Net.
