International Lecture Series - ART AND MENTAL HEALTH
November 03, 2022
The Department of Media Studies (PG) organized a session on ‘Art and Mental Health as part of the International Lecture series on November 3rd, 2022. The resource person for the session was Dr. Cheryl McGeachan, who is the senior lecturer at the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences University of Glasgow, Scotland. The participants for the lecture included faculty members, students of MA JMC, and people from outside. A brief profile reading of the international resource person started the session.
Dr. Cheryl began her lecture on the concept of how mental health is such an essential element in today's world. She went on to explain how therapy via art is such an effective way to maintain stable mental health. She stressed the fact that art can be tremendously beneficial to our health and contribute to overall happiness and mental well-being. Art therapy can relieve stress for adults and kids alike. There is a positive connection between art and mental health. Artistic activities such as sculpting, painting, or drawing are known to lower stress levels and promote mental calmness, she explained. She further correlated art and mental well-being through her amazing slides as she showcased various visuals as examples while the participants went on to listen to her in awe.
The session finally ended with a question-and-answer session where Dr. Cheryl enthusiastically answered all the queries. The vote of thanks was proposed by Mr. Vishnu Achyuta Menon, Faculty of the Department of Media Studies (PG) concluded the session on a positive note.
International Lecture Session on “Puppetry and Storytelling in Asia”
September 27, 2022
The Department of Media Studies (PG) organized an International Lecture series on ‘Puppetry and Storytelling in Asia’. The resource person for the session was Dr. Jennifer Goodlander, who is the Associate Professor of Department of Comparative Literature in Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. The participants of the lecture included faculty members, students of MA JMC as well as external participants.
A brief introduction about the resource person kick-started the lecture session. The resource person then began her presentation on the said topic.
Dr. Goodlander began her presentation on the concept of puppetry as a global tradition. She went on to explain how this traditional form of art is an excellent medium of storytelling and highlighted that a puppeteer can be an important source of storyteller.
Through her illustrated videos and pictures, she briefly touched upon puppetry traditions of Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. She pointed out the importance of involving the new generation and getting them interested in order for this ancient art form to survive and continue to thrive. She explained the religious reflections and aspects which are present in some of the puppetry traditions, which mostly depicts the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
“Village culture is never changing as compared to modern culture,” Talking about the importance of preserving such traditional art forms, Dr. Goodlander remarked that while modern culture changes, village culture remains unchanged. She pointed out that technological industrialization, urbanization and globalization lead to mass culture and universalism. This is important in terms of continuation of traditions which can change accordingly overtime.
Dr. Goodlander further explained the topic of art forms evolving over due time with an example of fusion culture. This art form has changed due to advancement of technologies as well as involvement of new generation and it is known as “Fusion Wayong” which is a Puppetry art form originating in Malaysia. This art form is a classic example of traditional Puppetry mixed with today’s Hip-hop culture.
Dr. Goodlander captivated her audience with her own small rendition of Puppetry, explaining how Jesters played an equally important role in Puppetry. Her Puppetry skills managed to make several faces smile.
The lecture ended with a question-and-answer session where the resource person exuberantly answered all the queries. The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Dr. Ravi Kumar, faculty of the Department of Media Studies (PG).
International Expert Lecture Series- Global Media Ethics
September 03, 2022
Department of Media Studies (PG) organized an International Lecture series on ‘Global Media Ethics’ via the zoom platform on 03-09-2022. The resource person for the session was Dr. Anita Varma from the School of Journalism and Media, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas, Austin. The faculty members, students of MA JMC as well as externals were all part of this session.
The session started with a brief introduction about the international guest, her works, and contributions which was then followed by a presentation given by the resource person herself. Dr. Anita Varma in her presentation started with understanding the concept of ethics and then ventured into a broader term of discussion that being ‘Global Media Ethics’. She mainly pin-pointed and focused on three main words/terms that were strongly tied with the understanding of Global Ethics, those words being: Dignity, Social Justice, and Solidarity.
It was interesting how she explained the depth of those words and the role they play in using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Furthermore, inclusion as an act of solidarity, perspectives, and emotions were all topics covered in her presentation. In addition to this, she gave a gist of three stories one of them being titled “After Homes The collapse in Earthquakes Puerto Ricans Ask: Are We Safe?”
The reason behind this was to make the participants understand solidarity as an ethical media practice that starts with people living the issue. Dr. Anita Varma summarized her delivery on the topic ‘Global Media Ethics’ by mentioning three key takeaways. The first is “Ethics is about doing what’s right even if it is easier, faster, or more profitable not to bother”, followed by the second “Global media ethics is concerned with advancing unifying principles such as dignity, justice, and solidarity” and finally “Climate change offers one case of why global media ethics matter”.
The session concluded with a question-and-answer interaction where the guest enthusiastically answered all the queries that the participants had. The vote of thanks was proposed by Mr. Viju V V faculty of the Department of media studies (PG) after which the session ended. Overall, it was a very interesting and thought-provoking session.
International Lecture Series on Radio Engagement & Well-being for Older Adults
August 29, 2022
Department of Media Studies (PG) organized a lecture series on the topic “Radio engagement and well-being for the older adults”. Dr. Amanda E Krause, lecturer, at the Psychology College of healthcare sciences at James Cook University, Australia was the resource person for the day. The session took place on an online platform, zoom where all the media students and faculties participated in the session. The event began with a welcome speech delivered by Dr. Juby Thomas, Coordinator of the Department of Media Studies (PG).
Dr. Amanda Krause discussed her research in the field of changing trends of music engagement in the digital climate and the impact of music engagement on well-being. She started her session by defining what well-being is, further discussing how health is a multidimensional phenomenon that includes different aspects. According to Dr. Amanda, older adults often listen to music to regulate their mood, facilitate social connectedness, provide enjoyment and help to express identity.
In addition to the above, she spoke about how aging and well-being have both positive as well as negative experiences. She discussed the strategies that support the well-being of older members in our diverse communities. Furthermore, she opined on the implications and the impact of radio engagement. She concluded her session with a quote "It's wonderful that all this stuff is on the radio for nothing".
The session came to an end with the question and answer round asked by the faculties and students of the Department of Media Studies. Altogether it was a very insightful session about “Radio engagement and its well-being for older adults”.