Media for Student Activism: Building Networks, Building Movements

Submitted by csmolarski on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 9:46am
Short Description: 

Student activists are constantly struggling to build community, and new media offer powerful tools for making that happen. Our workshop will explore the role of activist-produced media in creating news, transforming existing narratives, and empowering students in the university and the larger society. The panel will consider the role of alternative and mainstream media in recent organizing at CUNY, NYU and the New School, examine how activists can make effective use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools, and illuminate how educators can bring activist-produced video into the classroom.

Presenters
Presenter One Name: 
Angus Johnston
Presenter One Info: 

Angus Johnston is a historian of American student activism and student culture (PhD CUNY 2009). He has been involved in student activism at the local, state, and national level. As an undergraduate he founded a student activist newspaper, and in 2008 he created studentactivism.net.

Presenter Two Name: 
Chloe Smolarski
Presenter Two Info: 

Chloe Smolarski, a MFA candidate in the IMA program at Hunter college, is an educator, artist and media activist in NYC.

Presenter Three Name: 
Paul McBreen
Presenter Three Info: 

Paul McBreen is a doctoral student at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York in the program in Classics. He teaches as an adjunct at Hostos Community College (English 111) and Queens College (Introduction to Labor Studies). He also teaches GED Test Preparation at Local 32-BJ.

Presenter Four Name: 
Jerin Alam & Jackie Fernandez
Presenter Four Info: 

Jerin Alam, in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, takes undergraduate and graduate courses at Hunter, Baruch and City colleges for her marketing majors. She served as President of the Hunter Women’s Rights Coalition since 2007, in a Student Government executive position, and is in the NOW National Young Feminist Task Force.

Jackie Fernandez is currently a correspondent for New America Media, Senior editor/producer for The WORD, and regular CNN iReport contributor. As a correspondent for New America Media, Fernandez received press credentials to cover the Presidential inauguration and Democratic National Convention. As a senior editor of The WORD, she produced news packages about the last Presidential debate at Hofstra University, Prop 8 protest in NYC, and protests by City University of New York students against tuition increases, all of which have been featured on CNN. Fernandez is currently a senior at Hunter College. She has had internships at Anderson Cooper 360, NY1, and Glenn Beck. She is a Senior Director of the Coalition for the Revitalization of Asian American Studies and a Co-Director of the New York City Asian American Student Conference.

Presenting organization: 
CUNY