Study abroad in Europe offers glimpse of world war history

A group of Randolph students recently spent two weeks in Europe learning about two wars that challenged and changed the continent, as well as the world.

History professor Gerry Sherayko and communication studies professor Jennifer Gauthier led the students on an international study seminar titled “Museums, Memorials and Memory: Britain and the Two World Wars.”

They visited a variety of sites that memorialize World War I and World War II in England, Belgium, and France, including the Churchill War Rooms, Coventry Cathedral, and Flanders battlefield, as well as other historic sites. The journey allowed students to take an in-depth look at the way war is memorialized.

“By studying and having discussions about these war memorials, we have learned a lot about how each nation and its people remember the past, as well as how public memories have contributed to the construction of a British national identity,” said Phuong Tran ’15. “Without being on the site and experiencing the memorials ourselves, we would never be able to understand how the British cherish and value their past.”

You can view some of the photos from the international study seminar in this Facebook photo album.

Independent filmmaker Joshua Zeman to speak at Driver Lecture

Randolph College will host New York filmmaker Joshua Zeman for a film screening and lecture on independent film making at 7 p.m. Thursday in Nichols Theatre.

The lecture is part of the Sara Driver ’77 Digital Filmmaking and Lecture Series, which is funded by Martha (Lou) Miller Driver ’50 and Al Driver.

Zeman will show his critically acclaimed horror documentary Cropsey, which explores a boogeyman-like figure in New York urban legends. In 2010, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times called Cropsey “one of the best movies of the year” and “one of the scariest movies of the year.”

Communication studies professor Jennifer Gauthier said the lecture will provide students, as well as the general public, with the opportunity to learn about the independent film industry from a professional. “He has a wealth of experience in many different roles, including producing, directing, screenwriting, and serving on film festival juries,” she said.

Zeman has been creating independent films for more than 10 years. In addition to Cropsey, which he wrote and directed with Barbara Brancaccio, Zeman is the writer and director of The Urban Legends Project, a documentary premiering this spring that examines the true crimes that inspire urban legends. Currently, he is directing his first narrative feature, No Man’s Land, which focuses on a well-respected journalist who agrees to interview a family of right-wing extremists involved in a tense standoff with the FBI.

Zeman is currently in residence at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts in Amherst, Virginia.

CNN journalist Josh Levs meets with Randolph students

“Journalism can now take place anywhere, any time, and even when others try to prevent it,”
CNN reporter Josh Levs recently told Randolph College students. But as modern technology allows almost anyone to become a journalist, the world actually has a greater need for professional journalists, he said.

Levs explained that professional journalists can bring fact checking, analysis, and ethical understanding to help people understand what is happening in the world.

Levs stressed that the important stories of our time are not the ones that dominate headlines, such as conflicts and political moves. “The story of our time is what is going on in science and technology,” said Levs. New technologies allow people to communicate with people around the world, including parts of the world that once were unreachable. One cell phone video posted online can be seen by millions of viewers and encourage people to take action.

Although many people can become the source of information, professional reporters can help consumers make sense about what they are seeing and hearing. “Journalists need to be the reality check,” said Levs. “Explanations are essential.”

Journalists also need to find ethical answers to questions about privacy. In a world where it is possible to capture people on film without their knowledge, journalists must decide what will be conveyed to audiences and what is an invasion of privacy. “You have to fight for what is right in this era of unlimited information,” he said.

Levs, who has earned nicknames such as “Truth Seeker in Chief” and “Mr. Reality” in his reporting career, came to Randolph as a guest of the communication studies department, which offers a multimedia journalism minor.

Randolph hosts CNN reporter for "The New Era of Journalism"

Josh Levs has earned nicknames such as “Truth Seeker in Chief,” “Mr. Reality,” and “Senior Everything Correspondent” thanks to his undying work ethic and his innovative approach to journalism. On Thursday, he will talk with Randolph students about how to approach journalism today.

Levs will present “The New Era of Journalism” at 7 p.m. Thursday in Nichols Theatre in the Randolph College Student Center. He will address the challenges of reporting in the multimedia journalism age, when news can be written, shared, and commented on by anyone on a blog or on social media websites. Levs is well known for his own savvy use of social media to collect and share news.

 

“Josh’s talk will be particularly interesting to students because he is keenly aware of the changes in journalism with the rise of new media,” said Jennifer Gauthier, a communication studies professor. “I want students to really think about how they can help create positive change in the world through new media forms. Josh has done just that. He will be an excellent role model for ethical engagement in the world using new media technologies.”

 

In his years of working for National Public Radio and CNN, Levs has collected many high honors in journalism, including five Peabody Awards and two Edward R. Murrow Awards. A scholarship in his name is awarded at Yale, his alma mater.

 

The event is free and open to the public.

New York internship gives Randolph student advertising experience

More than 10 years ago, Bobby Crosby ’14 went to work with his uncle at a cable TV network in New York City. The fast-paced work environment and the bustling city fascinated him. “I came back and told my mom, I love the big city, and I want to work there someday,” he said.

Crosby is already fulfilling that dream with an advertising sales internship for A+E Networks, the parent company for cable stations such as A&E, Lifetime, and History. For the next several weeks, he will work closely with account executives and support their advertising efforts.

“I really want the hands-on experience that the internship will give me with sales and a better grasp on the entertainment industry,” said Crosby, a business major minoring in sociology and communication studies. “I also want to apply all the information that I’ve learned at Randolph.”

Crosby, one of the captain’s on Randolph’s men’s lacrosse team, has completed internships every summer of his college career. Two years ago, he worked for a commercial real estate agent. Last summer, he interned with a consulting firm in Paris, France. He believes those experiences helped him when he applied for the internship with A+E Networks.

In the first couple of weeks of the internship, Crosby spent most of his time conducting research on new products, programs, and other developments with prospective advertisers. He then shares that research with account executives, which helps them make the case when they meet with the prospective advertisers. “It gives the account executive some more fire power,” Crosby said.

He also has been assigned to create commercial ideas for a new television show that has not been released. When he has time away from the advertising research, he watches the show and studies the demographics of its target audience. This will help him develop ideas for advertisers.

During the 10-week internship, Crosby travels daily from his hometown of Bethel, Connecticut, to New York City—a two-hour train ride. Then the day is full of assignments, but it is worth having the busy summer, he said. “The internship is definitely keeping me busy, but I've already gained an immense amount of knowledge in just this short period of time.”

Randolph hosts communication studies academic conference

Topics ranging from the British Monarchy to Harry Potter to breast cancer awareness campaigns were discussed this past Saturday when Randolph College hosted the Student Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) Conference. In its 11th year, SURF brings together communication studies students from area colleges to present about a variety of field related topics.

Ryan Blackwell '13 explains the role that cultural citizenship
plays in the popular NBC television show Community.

In addition to sharing knowledge about communication studies, the conference offers a unique opportunity for networking among students, professors, as well as the general community.

Three Randolph College students presented at the conference:

Ryan Blackwell ’13, discussed the role of cultural citizenship in the NBC show Community.

Kaitlyn Kolster ’15 talked about her analysis of Hollywood’s portrayal of C.S Lewis’ series The Chronicles of Narnia.

Samantha Wittie ’13 recounted her research about the Bravo television network and it’s presentation of the gay and LGBT community through the lens of the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Jennifer Gauthier, a communications studies professor who helped in organizing the conference, praised the Randolph students’ use of theory and the relevancy to important issues such as race, class, gender, and sexuality. “Our students presented high quality research that represented our department’s expertise in critical media studies,” she said.

Kaitlin Kolster '15 analyzes the portrayal of the Chronicles of Narnia in film.

"Miss Representation" to be screened at Randolph

A popular documentary coming to Randolph College this weekend challenges viewers to consider media’s power to affects how society views women and girls view their futures.

The College will screen Miss Representation at 7 p.m. Sunday in Nichols Theatre, on the third floor of the Student Center. The 90-minute film documents how media’s portrayal of women has led to fewer women serving in prominent positions in politics and modern culture.

The event aims to encourage people to start “thinking about the language that we use to talk about women, especially about young women and their aspirations in society,” said Jennifer Gauthier, a Randolph communication studies professor.

Gauthier noted that the representation of women in the media has become a more widespread topic of discussion in recent times, but that the actual language being used to describe them is not given as much attention. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion about language used in the media, featuring Dean of the College Carl Girelli, who has a Ph.D. in linguistics, and Pattie Wilson, an alumna who anchors Good Morning Virginia for WSET, a local ABC television affiliate.

Since its premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Miss Representation has been shown at numerous other film festivals, aired on television, and screened in schools worldwide. It features powerful interviews with women such as Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, and Gloria Steinem.

The screening is part of the Ruth Borker Gender Studies Film Series.

Multimedia journalists visit campus this weekend

Two well-known multimedia journalists will visit Randolph College this weekend to teach students about the craft of online storytelling and hold a public discussion of their work.

Brad Horn, a videographer at the Washington Post, and his wife, Coburn Dukehart, the picture and multimedia editor for NPR.org, will present “Changing the World One Story at a Time” at 2 p.m. Sunday in Martin 315.

Sponsored by the Driver Lecture Series, the event offers students a valuable opportunity for students interested in journalism, said Jennifer Gauthier, a communication studies professor.

“This is the main goal of the Driver program—to give students the opportunity to interact with professionals in the film and video field, see what careers are out there, and get practical advice on breaking into the business,” Gauthier said. “Other students will certainly learn from the passion of our guests to change the world using their talents, which is what we encourage all Randolph students to do.”

For the public lecture, the Horn and Dukehart will show and discuss some of their work. Horn has worked on projects such as a short documentary about the struggles small farmers face in getting their fruits and vegetables to consumers, and a recent production marking the 10 years since the arrest of two snipers who had terrorized the Washington, D.C., area. Dukehart has worked on multimedia projects such as a story about soldiers dealing with traumatic brain injury and a profile of a composer in a desert monastery.

Earlier in the day, students interested in journalism will attend a workshop and actually film and edit a story with the presenters. This type of experience strengthens the college’s multimedia journalism minor, which was added to the curriculum last year. “This initiative was designed to meet the interests of students in journalism and prepare them for the changing world of journalism, so they have the skills they need to compete when they graduate,” Gauthier said. “It is a unique program for a liberal arts college because it pairs the history and theory of media with practical skills.”

The Sara Driver ’77 Digital Filmmaking Course and Lecture Series was funded by Martha (Lou) Miller Driver ’50 in honor of her daughter, an alumna who is renowned in the independent film industry.

Students present and win awards at communication research conference

Two of our communication studies students recently won accolades at the Student Undergraduate Research Forum, a conference that honors research about communication.

Hannah Asher ’12 won first prize in the conference for her research about page layout and font styles in the magazines Cosmopolitan and Maxim. Her paper, titled “Comic Books and To Do Lists,” compared the men’s magazine Maxim to a comic book for its frequent use of cartoon-like images, its cluttered layout and its block text fonts. Meanwhile, Cosmopolitan features more color variations, softer fonts, and more organized layouts—including to-do lists. She argued that these design elements reinforce traditional gender roles that claim women must be more organized and in control of themselves while men can slack.

Julianna Joyce ’13 won second prize with her presentation about race depictions in Disney film. She noted that Disney animations that portray racial minorities perpetuate negative racial stereotypes. Even when minority characters are portrayed as protagonists, they usually have more Anglican features than antagonist minorities in the same movies, according to her research. Joyce conducted some of her research during the Summer Research Program in 2011.

Two other students also participated in the conference. Xavier Suarez ’12 presented his research about ska music and its contribution towards a Latin American cultural identity. He analyzed songs and music videos by Latin American bands Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Maldita Vecindad, and Los Rabanes, and discussed how the rhythms, lyrics, and themes of those songs create a hybrid culture from the various countries in that region.

Catherine Godley ’13 also presented research about the magazines Cosmopolitan and Maxim, but, unlike Asher, she focused on the images used in the magazines and what they say about gender roles. While prior research has focused on images in the magazines’ advertisements, she studied the images that editors themselves chose for magazine illustrations. She documented how both magazines (even Cosmopolitan, which is geared toward a female audience) cast women in weaker roles than men.

Randolph College gives students many opportunities to share their work with others, which is a very important part of the academic experience here and in graduate schools. In addition to regional and national conferences, our students participate in the Symposium of Artists and Scholars, which highlights the best academic research and creative work at the College each spring, and the Summer Research Program, which concludes with a mini-conference.