Center for Popular Economics 2011 Summer Institute Schedule
Center for Popular Economics
2011 Summer Institute
Smith College, Northampton, MA
July 24-29
Workshops and Panels – free and open to the public. Please join us!
PLEASE NOTE: This schedule is subject to change. For the most up-to-date schedule of public events, times and locations, please check the CPE site.
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Center for Popular Economics
Summer Institute 2011
Organized in collaboration with Free Press, Center for Media Justice and the Smith Association for Class Activists.
All Workshops and Evening events are free and open to the public, and will be held at Smith College in Seeleye and Bass Halls, Northampton MA.
Sunday| July 24th
7-9 PM | Media, Democracy and the Economy | Seeleye 201
John Nichols, author and Washington correspondent for The Nation
Leading media scholar and author, John Nichols will set the stage for the week, exploring the role of the media in enriching or undermining democracy as well as the ways in which our profit-driven economic system shapes, and in turn is shaped by, the media.
Latenight| Reception for Summer Institute Community | Seeleye Foyer
Monday| July 25th
1:30-3 PM | Workshops
Workshop 1| Seeleye 204 – Employment and Labor | Josh Mason, Center for Popular Economics
Workshop 2 | Seeleye 304 – Democracy & Journalism | Tom Stites, The Banyan Project
What does democracy demand of journalism? How’s that going? What are the economic challenges and opportunities? And what can we do? This workshop will explore these four questions.
Workshop 3 | Bass 210 – The Political Economy of the Arab Uprising | Yasser Munif.
What are the origins of the Arab uprisings which led to the toppling of authoritarian regimes in several countries? Are we witnessing real revolutions or simple regime change? What is the role of the media in these revolts? And finally what are the implications of these revolts on the Western World? This workshop investigates the origin and significance of the recent Arab uprisings.
3-3:30 PM | Break
3:30-5 PM | Workshops
Workshop 1 | Seeleye 204 – Debt and Deficits – Crisis? | Jerry Friedman, CPE & Prof. Econ., UMass
Workshop 2 | Seeleye 304 – Media and Militarism | John Fitzgerald, CPE and Historians Against the War
This workshop will feature an introduction to media literacy documented with a number of samples of the advertising and propaganda of militarism from the mass media.
Workshop 3 | Bass 210 – Net Neutrality|Misty Perez, Free Press
7-9 PM | Building a Movement for Media Justice | Seeleye 201
Amalia Deloney, Center for Media Justice
Seeta Peña Gangadharan
Khalil Shahyd
We live and work in a changing media landscape characterized by unprecedented consolidation of ownership and increased influence of U.S. news and entertainment media around the globe. As new information and communication technologies contribute to the restructuring of relationships of production and distribution and connect people and places across the globe in new ways, real concerns emerge regarding the formation of a ‘digital divide’ between those who can access and make use of these new technologies and those who cannot. Today, media and telecommunications provide the connective tissue for democracy and a critical vehicle for social change. More than ever, our movements for racial and economic equity depend upon media policies that close the digital gaps and provide a path to real opportunity and social change. Join us for an interactive panel that explores the innovative models and grassroots actions that community-based groups across the US are using to advance media justice.
Tuesday| July 26th
7-9 PM | Plenary – The Factory in the Living Room: How Television and Advertising Exploits Its Audience | Seeleye 201
Sut Jhally, Prof. of Communications, UMass
Sut Jhally argues that they way to understand commercial media such as television is to switch from the idea that they are putting things into people (messages and meaning) and instead view them as taking/extracting something from the audience (economic value). Television watching in the home is organized according to the logic of the industrial factory. But in the living-room factory, there are no child labor laws.
Wednesday | July 27th
1:30-3 PM | Workshops
Workshop 1 | Seeleye 204 – Community Media and AIDS/HIV in Africa | Kiaran Honderich, Center for Popular Economics
Workshop 2 | Seeleye 304 – The Attack on the Public Sector and Labor | Thomas Herndon, Zhun Xu, Center for Popular Economics
This workshop will look at and bust up some of the myths that are being used in the attack on the public sector and unions.
Workshop 3 | Bass 210 – From Paper to Persona: Why Journalism has to Change |Bill Densmore, Media Giraffe
The economic underpinnings of legacy journalism are in a shambles. Craigslist took away classifieds and gave them to the community, free. Google and Facebook are getting really efficient at targeting display advertising. What will sustain fact-based, accountable, community journalism? Densmore describes how formerly news-papers can become “infovalets” for their readers, helping them to find the information they need to be informed, engaged (and entertained) citizens. In this discussion, Densmore will lay out how this could work, and ask for feedback on its feasibility, implications and public appeal. Option prerequisite: http://www.papertopersona.org
3-3:30 PM | Break
3:30-5 PM | Workshops
Workshop 1 | Seeleye 204 – Political Economy of Prisons | Geert Dhondt, Center for Popular Economics
The U.S. incarcerates more of its own people then any other nation in the world. While the U.S. has roughly 5% of the worlds population, it houses almost 25% of the worlds prisoners. In the last four decades, local, state and federal prisons grew sevenfold. 2/3 of all prisoners were white in 1965, today 2/3 of all prisoners are Blacks and Lationos. What can explain this massive growth? Why did this happen? How is this boom in incarceration related to crime? What are some important consequences of this mass incarceration? What can the study of mass imprisonment add to our understanding of race and class relations in contemporary capitalism?
Workshop 2 | Seeleye 304 – Africa and global development | Mwangi wa Githinji, Prof. Economics, UMass
Workshop 3 | Bass 210 – Winning Heart, Heads and Minds-Why Arts, Culture and Media is Fundamental to our Movement| Betty Yu, Hakim Bellamy, Steven Renderos
Re-framing media justice issues like broadband rights, access and power as a civil rights issues means that we need to win hearts and minds through popularizing stories that put a human face on how net neutrality, wireless access and phone justice impact social justice communities. Arts, culture and media workers play a vital role in helping to tell these stories and a holistic movement that connect social justice issues to media policy change goals. This skills share session will highlight spoken word, podcasting and videomaking as accessible and affordable tools to advance media justice movement building.
7-8:30 PM | Seeleye 201 – Film: This Land is Our Land.
This film explores the notion of the commons – natural and socially created resources that should serve the public good, such as clean air, clean water or a healthy press. The showing will be followed by discussion.
8:30-10 PM | Summer Institute Coffee House & Open Mic | Chapin House, Common Room
Open mic – be brave and share your talents!
Thursday| July 28th
1:30-3 PM | Workshops
Workshop 1 | Seeleye 204 – Up Against the Wall Street Journal – Role Play | Center for Popular Economics
Workshop 2 | Seeleye 304 – Food Sovereignty and Agro-ecology | Helen Scharber, Center for Popular Economics
Venezuela is a net food importer, but in recent years, the government has taken steps to promote food sovereignty. In this workshop, participants will learn about Venezuela’s attempts to grow and produce food in ways that are healthy for workers and for the environment.
Workshop 3 | Bass 210 – Women’s Economic Empowerment for Self Reliance |May Oluchi Okonkwor
3-3:30 PM | Break
3:30-5 PM | Workshops
Workshop 1 | Seeleye 204 – Introduction to the Solidarity Economy | Emily Kawano, CPE & US Solidarity Economy Network
The Solidarity Economy is global movement that seeks to build an alternative to the destructive and unstable system of neoliberal (corporate dominated) capitalism. It’s a big tent that seeks to draw together the many strands of work and practice engaged in building ‘another world’ that puts people and planet front and center.
Workshop 2 | Seeleye 304 – TBA
Workshop 3 | Bass 304 – TBA
7-9 PM | The Economic Crisis and Aftermath | Seeleye 201
Nancy Folbre, CPE Staff economist
Jerry Epstein, CPE Staff economist
Heidi Garrett-Peltier, CPE Staff economist
The economic crisis laid bare the predatory, reckless and unstable nature of neoliberal (corporate dominated) capitalism. Coupled with the challenges of climate change, the economy continues to stand on very shaky ground. The panelists will explore this particular historical moment, looking at three important dimensions. Nancy Folbre will discuss growing economic inequality and the attack on the public sector, Jerry Epstein will examine the financial meltdown and the fallout, and Heidi Garrett-Peltier will look at the potential of a green economy to help get the economy back on track.
Friday| July 29th
3:00-6:00 PM | Solidarity Economy Tour or Free Time
On this walking tour, we’ll visit some local initiatives that are part of creating an economy for people and planet. We’ll start with the Hungry Ghost Bakery and hear about the Wheat Patch Project which aims to re-establish local grain growing. We’ll drop by the Media Education Foundation, see their community space, and hear about their work. Then we’ll visit a community arts space in Thorne’s Market where we’ll hear about various economic alternative initiatives that are connected through the Change Exchange network. Valley Time Trade will give a presentation on their system of time-based barter. Finally, we’ll walk to the Montview Farm to see their forest garden and education center.
Be sure to sign up for this tour in advance, as there will be limited space. Priority is given to Summer Institute participants. We’ll be back in time to catch dinner, though we may be a bit late. Contact: Emily@populareconomics.org