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April 26, 2008
11:00 to 2:00
Communications Building, rooms 126 and 104
Moderator: Ralina Joseph, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication
Five Communication alumna talk about creativity, inspiration and the blank page:
Deb Caletti – author, fiction
“ The Nature of Jade” , Caletti’s latest book, was a summer 2007 Booksense pick, and has been nominated for the American Library Association's Best Books of 2007
Carlene Cross – author, nonfiction
Cross is the author of “Fleeing Fundamentalism: A Minister's Wife Examines Faith” and “The Undying West: A Chronicle of Montana's Camas Prairie”
Mary Daheim – author, nonfiction
Daheim writes two series set in and around the Pacific Northwest: the Alpine Mystery Series (random House) and the Bed and Breakfast mystery series (Harper Collins).
Tina Kim – comedian
Kim is a comedian our of Los Angeles, CA. She has executive produced the very first Asian American stand up showcase in New York city and Boston and performs at colleges, corporate events, and produces her own shows across the nation.
LaChris Jordan – playwright/actress
Jordan is the author of Piney Ridge and Sadie’s Kitchen and has acted on the stage and for television. She was recently named as one of the "50 Playwrights to Watch" by the Dramatist Guild.
Two Communication faculty talk about their recent books:
David Domke: “ The God strategy: How religion became a political weapon.” (Under contract with Oxford University Press, publication November 2007, with Kevin Coe).
The God Strategy shows that U.S. politics today is defined by a calculated, deliberate, and partisan use of faith that is unprecedented in the modern history of the nation. This becomes evident through the book's examination of the public messages of political leaders over the past seventy-five years — from the 1932 election of Franklin Roosevelt to the early stages of the 2008 presidential race. Beginning with Ronald Reagan's election in 1980, what emerges is a set of religious signals sent by both Republicans and Democrats in speeches, party platforms, proclamations, visits to audiences of faith, and even celebrations of Christmas. The God Strategy documents how this has occurred, who has done it and why, and what it means for the American experiment in democracy.
Christine Harold: “OurSpace: Resisting the Corporate Control of Culture” ( University of Minnesota Press, 2007).
In OurSpace, Christine Harold examines the deployment and limitations of “culture jamming” by activists. These techniques defy repressive corporate culture through parodies, hoaxes, and pranks. Among the examples of sabotage she analyzes are the magazine Adbusters’ spoofs of familiar ads and the Yes Men’s impersonations of company spokespersons. While these strategies are appealing, Harold argues that they are severely limited in their ability to challenge capitalism. Indeed, many of these tactics have already been appropriated by corporate marketers to create an aura of authenticity and to sell even more products. For Harold, it is a different type of opposition that offers a genuine alternative to corporate consumerism. Exploring the revolutionary Creative Commons movement, copyleft, and open source technology, she advocates a more inclusive approach to intellectual property that invites innovation and wider participation in the creative process of capitalism itself.
The capstone to the Department of Communication’s Open House on April 26 will be a hor-derves reception and a smogasbord of short (45-60 minute) conversations focused on contemporary communication and media. Atendees will have the opportunity to choose among three conversations headed by Department of Communication Ph.D. and M.A. students, on
The 2008 Presidential Campaign: Barack Obama, Race, and America — Race has moved to the foreground of the campaign due to comments by Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Obama’s high-profile speech. What are some important things we’ve learned so far?
Generation Youtube: What Our Youth Are Telling Us — Today’s youth grow up on the internet, with cell phones, listening to Ipods, and text-messaging in their sleep. Should we be worried or encouraged?
Journalism 2025: Snapshots From the Future — Internet blogs, cable TV, talk radio, and other fairly recent media forms now drive much of our news culture. Where will we be in two decades, and will it be good for democracy?
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