SPREADING THE NEWS: MASS MEDIA IN AMERICA, PAST AND PRESENT
THE LIBRARY’S ANNUAL AMERICAN STUDIES SUMMER INSTITUTE, in partnership with UMass Boston, offered participants an opportunity to critically examine the news media in the United States. Of the 48 people attending the Institute last summer, 33 were middle and high school teachers. Guest presenters provided thought-provoking lectures and led discussions about the development of various media from the penny press to the Internet.
Speakers included Professor Christopher B. Daly of Boston University, who gave teachers an historical overview of the development of newspapers from colonial days to the early 1900s, and Professor Michael Keith of Boston College who provided a history of radio news. Professor Michael Milburn of UMass Boston discussed the content and effects of television news. The “beats” of crime (Christopher Wilson, Boston College), sports (Bill Littlefield, host, “Only a Game,” National Public Radio), and foreign affairs (Nicholas Daniloff, Northeastern University) were also addressed, as well as local ethnic news media (Ellen Hume, UMass Boston, and Gerardo Villacres, Director/Editor, El Planeta and the impact of blogs and Web 2.0 on journalism today (Andy Carvin, National Public Radio).
The annual Institute is co-directed by Paul Watanabe, Professor of Political Science at UMASS-Boston, and Nina Tisch, Education Specialist at the Kennedy Library. Participants may earn three graduate credits in American Studies or receive PDPs. For information about the 2008 program please visit the “Professional Development” portion of our web site at www.jfklibrary.org.