Conference to discuss impact of mass media

- March 19, 2007


“The Mass Media, Children, and Values: A Conference Promoting Media Literacy in Young People Today” is the topic of a day-long conference on Friday, March 30. It will take place at the Bishop Center, from 8:45 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.

The conference, sponsored by the Neag School of Education, the Alliance for a Media Literate America, and the Action Coalition for Media Education, is designed for teachers, health care professionals, counselors and prevention specialists, media leaders, parents, and others interested in exploring the huge, and often negative, impact of today’s mass media on children and youth.

During this fifth annual Northeast Media Literacy Conference, presenters and participants will discuss practical ways to incorporate media literacy concepts, methods, and materials into school, health, and community programs.

Keynote speakers include Sharon Lamb, and Jackson Katz. Lamb’s keynote address is titled “Packaging Girlhood – The Media Effects on Girls’ Identity and Values.”

She is a well-known clinical psychologist, author of The Secret Lives of Girls, and co-author of a new book, Packaging Girlhood.

Lamb is an expert on girls and sexuality, aggression, and the media, and conducts research on abuse and victimization.

Katz’s keynote address is titled “Mixed Messages About Manhood: The Impact of Today’s Media Culture on Boys and Their Values.”

Katz is a leading anti-sexist male activist, gender violence prevention educator, author, and filmmaker.

His new book is The Macho Paradox, and he is well known for his timely films including Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity and Wrestling with Manhood.

In addition to the keynote speakers, the conference program comprises 18 workshops.

Topics includes: Media Images of Females and Males; Media Literacy Research; Popular Culture as Reflected in Music, Art, and Theater; Helping Students Understand Their Pop Culture Choices through the Mass Media; The Depiction of Bullying and the Mass Media; Media Representations of Alcoholism and Tobacco Use; Violence and Sex in Television, Video Games, and Films; Media Literacy and Developing Critical Thinking Skills; and Integrating Media Literacy in Teacher Education Programs.

Please call 800-622-9905 or 860-486-3231 for a brochure and registration information, or at http://www.education.uconn.edu/conferences/medialit/