Wednesday 25 February 2015

"The Raven on the Jetty" screening

Our thanks to Erik for screening his new film, The Raven on the Jetty, this afternoon, and for the compelling introduction and rich discussion: Bressonian aesthetics in the Lake District, the intimacy of soundscapes, narrative after causality, snow and sunshine and psychological change, and learning from child actors.

Friday 20 February 2015

Times Higher: "Me and my PhD supervisor: tales of love and loathing"

When a PhD supervision session constitutes just another blocked-out hour in a besieged diary, it can be all too easy to forget that it could make an impression that stays with the student for the rest of their research career.

We asked five academics for their recollections of the PhD supervision they received, and the way it had informed their own approach to tutoring. Three had enjoyed excellent supervision that had deeply influenced their own practice. But two had not. One recalls exchanges with their tutor characterised by yawns and silences, while another was treated with a “cutting harshness”, valuable only as an exemplar of how not to conduct yourself.

Full: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.aspx?storyCode=2012205

Grad Prog at MediaCity 25/2: "The Raven on the Jetty"

Professor Erik Knudsen will be presenting his film The Raven on the Jetty (which won the 2014 Madrid International Film Festival Jury Award) and discussing perspectives on cinematic narrative.



The session will last from 3.30-5.30 in The Egg, MediaCityUK, University of Salford campus.
 
Perspectives on Cinematic Narrative: The Raven on the Jetty
Professor Erik Knudsen, will give a presentation entitled “Perspectives on Cinematic Narrative: exploring through creative practice the transcendental narrative as an alternative to dominant narrative structures in film”. Erik will screen and discuss his latest feature film, The Raven on the Jetty, in the context of its research aims and objectives. The format for this meeting will be a brief introduction highlighting some of the questions and problems Erik is exploring around cinematic narrative, screening of The Raven on the Jetty concluding with a short Q & A session.

Thursday 12 February 2015

PGR Programme

Our thanks to Prof Noha Mellor for her very well attended talk the other day: new paradigms of news gatekeeping, the "social space", and the challenges and conceits of non-aligned editorial positions.


Saturday 7 February 2015

Salford GradProg talk this Weds: "The Egyptian Dream: On Egyptian National Identity and the Uprisings"

11th February, Room 2.19, MediaCityUK

External Speaker: Prof Noha Mellor (3.30-4.30)

The Egyptian Dream: On Egyptian national identity and the uprisings

After being celebrated by Barack Obama as “the power of human dignity”, the 2011-Egyptian revolution later turned into violent outbreaks and ongoing socio-ideological fragmentation. In this lecture, I discuss one of the central problems in Egypt in post-independence era, namely the inability of its leaders to construct a coherent and solid ideology that could appeal and unite the majority of Egyptians. Indeed, there exist rhetorical and social strategies of inclusion and exclusion, thereby dividing society into those who are regarded as true representatives of Egypt versus others who may constitute an economic, political or social burden. I’ll discuss the role of religion, education, language and culture in constructing this sense of Egyptian-ness and how the issue of identity has been used in political discourse.


Professor Noha Mellor’s main research interests are Arab journalism, mediated religion and media and gender. Besides her academic experience, she has previous professional experience in journalism as News Producer both for the Danish Broadcasting and the BBC World Service, and contributed to international media outlets such as the New York Times and Financial Times. She contributes her expertise in Arab journalism to current trans-national initiatives to promote peace such as the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and was also the EUROMED and Media representative at the EU Ministerial Meeting on Culture, 30 May 2008, Athens. Books include Modern Arab Journalism (Edinburgh), Arab Media Industries (Polity) and, forthcoming, Cyber Islam and Social Media and the Pan-Arab Newsroom.


Internal Speaker: Dr Benjamin Halligan (4.45-5.45)

Viva Survival Guide

This session will deal in detail with the Viva: what to expect, how to prepare, how to defend your work, and the possible outcomes from the Viva.

Salford conference: Social Media and Feminism at MediaCityUK

All info and booking (free), available here: http://www.salford.ac.uk/news/social-media-and-feminism