A unique series of events will take place in Spring 2012 that will infuse Southern Illinois with the spirit of exploration and imagination, as well as enable us to learn about and experience aesthetic, scientific, historical, political, and technological aspects of Antarctica.  These events are invitations to consider how past and present human endeavors in Antarctica have significant implications for the future of our planet and even outer space. In addition, as the leaders of this initiative, we hope to demonstrate how MCMA and the media arts can engage multiple communities across campus and throughout the South of 64 region.

The centerpiece of Antarctica Imagined Geographies is the media arts installation created by MCMA Dean and Professor Gary Kolb and Associate Professor Jay Needham (Radio & Television), exhibited in the rotunda of Morris Library on the SIU Carbondale campus from March 19 – May 4, 2012.

Altogether 23 events will take place on- and off-campus, including: 1 concert, 3 reading-discussions with author Lucy Bledsoe, 4 panels with SIU faculty members and guests, 5 workshops on core drilling and climate change, and 6 lectures by world-class scientists, scholars, and media artists.

We hope these events will attract and engage a variety of audiences across age groups and communities, and enable all of us to learn about Antarctica and related issues of global importance such as, climate change, international zone management, science and technology in the service of humankind, the spirit of exploration, the humanities and arts as essential contributors to expressions of the human experience and spirit.

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For more details and up-to-date information:

• Become a friend of Antarctica Imagined on Facebook

• Visit our websites:  www.Antarctica-Initiative.org

www.lib.siu.edu/antarctica

• Contact the initiative’s facilitator:  Peter Lemish, Ph.D (Journalism) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

CARBONDALE - How media report on conflicts can have an effect on those conflicts perceptions and resolutions, according to a presentation Tuesday by Peter Lemish of the Global Medial Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The presentation, hosted by The Southern Illinoisan, was part of 11 Days for Peace, the Carbondale community initiative that began Sept. 11 on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, and will conclude Sept. 21, on International Day of Peace. Peace-related events were planned for each day.

Lemish's presentation, "How to Report on Conflict: The War Journalism/Peace Journalism Debate," showed the stark contrasts between ways in which media report on conflicts, with one approach emphasizing the violence of conflict and the other approach not only reporting on all sides involved in the conflict, but putting it into context, noting the processes of resolution and following the issues long-term.

The thought-provoking presentation led to lively discussion among those in attendance.

"I thought it was fascinating," SIU radio-television faculty member Eileen C. Waldron said. "So often you're reading and watching the reporting on conflicts but not getting the whole picture."

Southern Illinoisan Editor Gary Metro was among the journalists attending the event.

"We're interested in alternative ways of reporting on conflict as well as peace. This was an eye-opener. It presented journalism in a way we don't think of every day," Metro said.

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Global Media Research Center is announcing a diverse fall 2011 speaker series that will expand to off-campus events.

Established in 2004, the Global Media Research Center’s mission includes assembling a core group of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students to research global media issues, establish national and international partnerships to promote research, and play host to visiting scholars and artists as it seeks to develop new courses addressing global media issues.

All of the events are free, and open to the public. The Global Media Research Center is within the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts.

Deborah Tudor, associate dean and interim director of the Center, said she is pleased the Global Media Research Center continues to offer such a diverse speaker series, and that some of the sponsored activities are going out to the community this fall.

“That is something the Center wants to do more,” she said.  “We welcome collaboration with community organizations that are interested in global issues as they pertain to media.”

The fall 2011 schedule begins with three events later this month that are part of a series of community-wide, “11 Days of Peace,” observance.  The events showcase peace-related activities in observing the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The three events are:

• Tuesday, Sept. 13 -- 7 p.m., Southern Illinoisan, 710 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale.  Peter Lemish, a visiting assistant professor in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, will present, “How to Report on Conflict: The War Journalism/Peace Journalism Debate.”

• Saturday, Sept. 17 -- 7 p.m., Attucks Park, 400-800 N. Wall St., Carbondale.  An outdoor film screening of documentaries “Concrete, Steel & Paint,” and “Workers Republic.”  The Big Muddy Film Festival and the Carbondale Park District are event co-sponsors.

• Tuesday, Sept. 20 --12:35 p.m., Gaia House Interfaith Center, 913 S. Illinois Ave.  “Human Potential for Peace: Summary Discussion of Historic Peaceful Societies.”  This is a session of the SIUC Honors Program course, “Cultures of Peace.”

Additional information about the “11 Days for Peace” is available at carbondale.lib.il.us/peace.html.

The Global Media Research Center will also host three events on campus during the semester.

At 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 20, Steve Macek, an associate professor of speech communication and coordinator of urban and suburban studies at North Central College in Naperville, will present, “One Hundred and Fifty Years of Chicago Labor Media.” An expert in labor media, Macek will discuss the history of labor movements, organizations, and media coverage of labor issues, Tudor said.  The presentation will be in the Communications Building, room 1032.

Also during that week, graduate students within the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts under the direction of Jay F. Needham, an associate professor of radio-television, will participate in a global sound performance, “There and Back Again: A Collective Work for Internet & Radio.”

Audience members in the Communications Building’s Anechoic Chamber and at the Future Places Festival in Porto, Portugal, will participate in a real-time event through the Internet.  According to the festival’s website, the event runs Oct. 19-22, and is “four days of exhibitions and events addressing the potential and the impact of digital media on local cultures.”  The specific date and time for SIUC to participate is still being determined.

“Part of our initiative is to work more with artists who have that same kind of global media art element to their work,” Tudor said.

At 3 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3, Kelly Caringer, a doctoral student within the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, and Peter Lemish will examine how media officers operate within non-governmental organizations, such as various peace and refugee organizations.  The presentation, “Roles of Media & Media Officers in Global Civil Society Organizations,” will be in the Communications Building, room 1032.

More information is available at gmrc.siu.edu, or by contacting Laura Germann at 618/453-7709 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .