21st-Century Scholarship: Smith Will Host Student Media Studies Conference

Professor of Film Studies Alexandra Keller understands the value of Smith’s student outreach skills and the college’s strong alumnae network.

“I’ve seen that with students in our major, which is a relatively new one at the college,” said Keller, who is director of Smith’s Film Studies Program. “They really understand the benefits of that network.”

A two-day conference that opens Friday, April 24, on campus promises to widen the circle of connections even further, Keller said. Smith is the host for the Third Annual Society for Cinema and Media Studies Undergraduate Conference, which features scholarly presentations from undergraduate film and media studies students from around the world.

Panels will be held in the Campus Center Carroll Room and Seelye Hall 201 from 9 a.m. Friday, April 24, through 5:15 p.m. Saturday, April 25. Discussion topics include “Expanded Documentary,” “Race, Ethnicity and the Moving Image,” “Queer Media” and “Currents in Animation.”

All sessions are free and open to the public.

The Society for Cinema and Media Studies is a leading scholarly organization dedicated to promoting a broad understanding of film, television and related media. Conference participants are coming to Smith from Ireland, Hong Kong and Canada—among other countries.

“I’ve been impressed by the diversity of higher educational institutions represented and the quality and range of proposals” for conference presentations, Keller said.

The event has also drawn Smith alumnae who can offer students “a real sense of how this field produces professions,” Keller said. Among them are Lokei Kaimana ’04, currently a Mendenhall Fellow at Smith, and Kate Fortmueller ’05.

Sarah Lerner ’15, a panelist for an April 24 session on “Media Aesthetics,” said she is excited about the chance to connect with others in her field.

“As a future film and media scholar, the opportunity to share my work with peers and future colleagues is invaluable, as is the opportunity to listen and engage with new scholarship,” Lerner said.

In addition to offering networking opportunities with other emerging media scholars, the conference comes at an opportune time for Smith, Keller said, as campus-wide discussions about digital scholarship, media literacy and re-imagining Neilson Library are underway.

“We are building a 21^st-century library, and this conference is about 21^st-century media scholarship,” Keller noted. “It’s very well timed for our community.”