The Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas is committed to democratic ideals and social justice values. We relate to the media as a dialectical space for criticism and celebration. The media are complex tools whose effects do not always coincide with the intentions. The media can promote democratic participation, support social justice, and offer considerable joy, but they can hinder democracy, ignite violence, and manipulate individuals and society. Our goal for this conference is to facilitate critical discourse about our mediated society with the intention to deepen our understanding and support each other’s work in the transformation of society, to make it socially fairer and environmentally sustainable.
Structure, Organization and Activities
The 2023 International Symposium will involve a hybrid series of presentations, dialogues, keynotes, cultural activities and engagements over a four-day period focused on Peace, Culture and Social Justice.
Everything will be disseminated open-access via ZOOM and Facebook Live, then uploaded to DCMÉT’s YouTube channel with the consent of presenters.
We are planning for roughly 18 sessions in English and 7 in French and 10 in Spanish. We will also have approximately10 sessions in Korean as well as 4 keynotes that will be simultaneously interpreted.
The one-hour sessions will be structured as dialogues with 3-4 presenters around themes that will be cultivated and developed through several meetings before the Symposium. A central focus will be on peace, culture and social justice with critical overlapping analysis and engagement emphasizing overlapping themes, such as democracy, global citizenship, transformative education, Indigenous knowledge, rights, development and reconciliation, social media, the environment, and solidarity.
Two program coordinators for each language are responsible for developing the sessions, and they are also members of the Organizing Committee, which will be led by Paul R. Carr (the Chair-holder of the UNESCO Chair DCMÉT) and co-chaired by Gina Thésée (the Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair DCMET). There is also a local organizing committee in Seoul, and a communications sub-committee that will coordinate media relations and dissemination in the four languages of the Symposium.
Escape The Echoes is a one-hour educational escape game that helps students develop media literacy skills through an engaging, team-based gaming experience.
The game requires teams to navigate through a series of digital media puzzles and activities that involve the utilization of one or more media literacy skills. Specifically, the game focuses on the formation of media filter bubbles and their impact on human behavior and society. The game is designed to be played in an in-person, virtual, or hybrid setting at schools or other educational institutions.
Join using this link.
Join Renton Technical College for an engaging panel discussion on what it means to thrive as a digital citizen in the age of confusing and unreliable information environments. Gain insights, ask questions, and leave empowered to take charge of your digital presence and make more informed choices. This is a hybrid event.
Location: Renton Highlands Library 2801 NE 10th St, Renton, WA 98056
*In-person attendees will receive a t-shirt SWAG while supplies last!
*Online attendance available. Register here!
For more info and media literacy resources, click here.