Media scholars to gather at Victoria

victoria-university-of-wellington

Thu Feb 01 2007 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Media scholars to gather at Victoria

Thursday, 1 February 2007, 3:23 pm
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington

MEDIA RELEASE

1 February 2007

After two decades of significant growth in the number of media studies courses and students, tertiary scholars of media, film, popular music and digital media are to hold their first national conference at Victoria University next week.

The MEDIANZ Conference, hosted by Victoria’s School of English, Film, Theatre, & Media Studies, will be held in the Hugh McKenzie Building, Kelburn Parade, from Thursday 8 February to Saturday 10 February.

The conference, which includes an address by the Minister of Education and Minister of Broadcasting, the Hon Steve Maharey, himself a former Media Studies lecturer, involves 85 speakers from all New Zealand universities and many polytechnics as well as public bodies such as the Ministry of Education, New Zealand Film Commission and New Zealand Film Archive.

Conference co-organiser, and Victoria Media Studies Lecturer, Dr Geoff Stahl, says the conference will examine the development of teaching and scholarship in the disciplines.

“The purpose of the MEDIANZ Conference is to take stock of what has been a very significant growth in the last two decades and create a professional organisation to further facilitate development in the fields and engage in constructive dialogue with a variety of partners in the education sector, industry, government and public bodies.”

Fellow co-organiser and Victoria Media Studies Lecturer, Dr Thierry Jutel, says a sector forum is long overdue.

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“While not all lecturers and researchers working in these areas research New Zealand media, we are all working in New Zealand for New Zealand students and we need to have a forum to engage productively with each other. I remember fifteen years ago when only a handful of us were teaching in these areas in New Zealand. There are now dozens of lecturers and researchers across the country.

“While media are a constant presence in our lives and shape our identities and everyday realities, the acceptance of Media Studies as an acceptable course of study was a long time coming. First-year courses with several hundred students are common and our goal is to create a media literate population as well as innovative practitioners.”

A wide range of topics will be discussed, from New Zealand film history and the New Zealand film industry, public service and television, to creative industries, media literacy and knowledge transfer. One of the plenary sessions will bring together scholars and representatives of public bodies (Te Māngai Pāho, Ministry of Culture & Heritage, Television Archive, NZ Film Commission, NZ Film Archive, Broadcasting Standards Authority, New Zealand on Air and Screen Council) to discuss research opportunities and exchange of ideas.

Key note speakers include: Dr Roger Horrocks of the University of Auckland, who will trace the development of the field in New Zealand; and Graeme Turner, of the University of Queensland, who will speak on the parallel development of cultural studies in Australia and its coming of age as a key area in Australian universities.

ENDS

The programme can be viewed at: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/seft/SEFTMS-news-events/Event\_1.aspx

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