"Media, Spiritualities and Social Change"
An International Conference
June 4-7, 2008
University of Colorado, Boulder
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CONFERENCE LOGISTICS
**NOTE: TO REGISTER FOR THE FULL CONFERENCE, PLEASE GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE AND CLICK ON "REGISTRATION."
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For the general public, there are several free and open events. See below. Day registration for other educational seminars will be available on-site as well. Day registration is $50 per day; $25 for students with I.D. (cash or check only)
INDEX
SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Keynote speakers
Special Presentations
Program-at-a-glance
Detailed program
Events free and open to the public
LOCATION
LODGING
TRAVEL
VISITING BOULDER
SPEAKERS' INFORMATION
publications
THE CALL FOR PAPERS (NOW CLOSED)
Summary of Conference
This interdisciplinary conference, held in the splendor of the Colorado Rockies in a city known for its commitment to natural living, will explore the ways in which media culture, civic engagement and spiritualities intersect to form practices, discourses and the material expressions of social change. In an era of globalization, the media age has introduced a new set of conditions and opportunities for the nature, practice and integration of spirituality and civic engagement. Increasingly, the concept of spirituality has become recontextualized, reinserted and reimagined within discourses about social and environmental change. Integral to this project are the media, which provide salient values and symbols to a synthesis of public and private identities, practices and beliefs. New spiritual sensibilities articulate with new imaginaries of the civic sphere through media culture. The key questions here are how and where values, practices and beliefs are articulated as spiritual and socially transformational.
In the interest of bridging theory and practice, we welcome scholars, activists, NGOs and health, business, and media professionals who wish to engage in an intellectual discussion about the engines of social change and its expressions through media culture and spiritual life. Papers and panels will employ any of a number of perspectives, issues and methodologies including the following:
- Economics; conscious capitalism; late capitalism
- Environmental, sustainable or green practices, products and beliefs
- Ethics; morality; truth; philosophy; religion and spirituality
- Media culture; media technologies and applications; media institutions/policy
- Popular culture; cultural studies; material culture
- Society; community; citizenship; public-private partnerships
- Activism; social justice; social movements; positive politics; philanthropy
- Globalization; public sphere; civil society; governance and control
- "New" / alternative spiritualities
- Gender; race; age; class; identities
- Methodologies and theory
- Ideology; power; discourse
Conference Sponsors
The conference is sponsored by the Center for Media, Religion and Culture at the University of Colorado in conjunction with Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado; The Reynolds School of Journalism and Center for Advanced Media Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno; and The Fred W. Smith Ethics Seminar Series with the financial support of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Las Vegas, NV, USA; The School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Conference Program
Keynote Speakers
Ronald L. Grimes, Ph.D.
Professor of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University. Holder of the Chair of Ritual Studies at the Institute of Religious Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He is the author of Rite Out of Place: Ritual, Media, and the Arts, Deeply Into The Bone, Readings in Ritual Studies, Reading, Writing, Ritualizing, and Ritual Criticism. His research interests include: Ritual studies, Religion and the performing arts, Religious autobiography and biography, Anthropology of religion, ethnographic fieldwork, indigenous religions of North America, the American Southwest
Nina Rothschild Utne
Nina Rothschild Utne is the former CEO and current Editor at Large of Utne Reader, which she recently sold to Ogden Publications. Nina is a speaker on a wide range of topics that include “motherhood as a training-ground for business,” “the power of media to transform culture,” “spirituality and business,” and “the voice of independent media.” She holds a BA in English and American Literature from Harvard University and a Master’s degree in Human Development from St. Mary’s University. Nina is also a founding member of the Headwaters Fund, City of Lakes Waldorf School, UnReasonable Women for the Earth, and Code Pink.
Mark Silk, Ph.D.
Mark Silk is Director of the Leonard Greenberg Center on Media and Public Life at Trinity College. In June 2005, he was also named director of the Trinity College Program on Public Values, comprising both the Greenberg Center and a new Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture. Professor Silk is the author of Spiritual Politics: Religion and America Since World War II and Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America. He is co-editor of Religion by Region, an eight-volume series on religion and public life in the United States, and co-author of the forthcoming One Nation Divisible: Religion and Region in America Today.
Special Presentations
Osprey Orielle Lake
Osprey Orielle Lake is an internationally renowned artist with a lifetime interest in diverse philosophies, indigenous worldviews and environmental sustainability. In her public presentations and work in bronze (sculptures and monuments), she combines contemporary and ancient images into meaningful statements that reflect a global consciousness and a vision of choice and transformation. One of the world’s few female allegorical monument makers, Osprey is the founder/artist of the International Cheemah and Mari Monument Projects, which celebrate environmental and multicultural themes. Osprey has taught and lectured in the U.S. and abroad, endeavoring to inspire others to appreciate the arts as a critical tool in societal transformation. www.cheemahproject.org; www.ospreyoriellelake.com.
Film Event
The Global Oneness Project is a web-based video initiative that explores how the notion of “oneness” can be lived in an increasingly complex world. The team travels the globe interviewing creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the fundamental understanding that we are all connected and thus bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. The result is a living library of films that are available for free from the Global Oneness Project website (www.globalonenessproject.org) or on DVD for events and educational use.
The film is followed by a panel discussion.
Program at-a-Glance
*All sessions and events in University Memorial Center (UMC), CU-Boulder campus, unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, June 4
12 pm Registration opens
2:00 - 3:15 Panels begin
6:00 - 7:30 Keynote: Nina Rothschild Utne (open to public); Old Main Chapel, (public)
7:30 - 9:00 Private Reception. Heritage Center (registered attendees and invitation only)
Thursday, June 5
7:30 am Coffee and registration
8:15am - 12:30pm Panel Sessions
12:30 - 1:45 Lunch
2:00 - 3:15 Roundtables - free and open to public
3:30 - 5:00 Keynote: Dr. Mark Silk (open to public)
5:00 - 6:30 Private Reception, Aspen Room (registered attendees and invitation only)
7:00 - 9:00 Film and discussion panel; Humanities building, Rm 150
Friday, June 6
7:30 am Coffee/ registration
8:15 a.m. Keynote: Dr. Ronald Grimes (open to public)
10:00-11:15 Panel sessions
11:15 - 11:30 Break
11:30 - :12:30 pm Presentation: Osprey Orielle Lake (open to public), Room 235
12:30 - 2 pm lunch
2:00 - 4:45 Panel sessions
6:00-9:00 Flagstaff Mountain Picnic (additional fee)
Saturday, June 7
8:00 a.m. Coffee/ registration
9:00 - 11:45 Panel sessions
11:45 - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:15 - 2:30 Panel sessions
2:45 - 4:00 Summation and Discussion
Evening events in Boulder- coordinated upon arrival - optional
Detailed Program
All sessions at University Memorial Center (UMC), unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday, June 4
Noon: registration: Foyer outside of Rm 235
Panel Session, 2:00 - 3:15 pm
Negotiating Identity, Aspen Room
Chair: Robert Moses Peaslee, Ph.D.,University of Colorado, USA
Clay, Elonda; Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, USA: Mediating the Motherland: Negotiating African Diaspora, Home, and the Human Genome with Mediated Science.
Tregidga, Garry; Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter: The Celtic Spirit: Competing Narratives of Religious and Cultural Identity in Cornwall.
Cohen, Yoel; Liftshitz College of Education, Jerusalem; and Holon Institute of Technology, Israel; Mass Media as Instruments of Religious Identity and Spirituality in Israel.
Spirituality in Activist Movements , Rm 235
Chair: Lynn Schofield Clark, Ph.D., University of Denver, USA
Hicks, Tessa: Claremont Graduate School, USA: Integration or Fragmentation? Locating Spirituality in the Profession and Movements of Social Justice Activist
Johnston, Lucas; University of Florida, USA: We’re All Related” For Better or for Worse: Image Events, Interconnection and “Intertwingling” in Sustainability Movements.
Kapur, Sudarshan and Candace Walworth, Naropa University, USA: The place of Spirituality in the Life and Work of Mohandas K. Gandhi and Joanna Macy.
Dualism and Holism, Rm 247
Chair: Lynn Ross-Bryant, Ph.D., Religious Studies, University of Colorado, USA
Kudsi-Zadeh, Chantalle; Communications, Industrial Relations: Seeing Ability: Communication, Movement and the Principle of Non-Dualism.
Valeta, David, Religious Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA: Jesus for President: Evangelicals, Politics, Spirituality and the Media.
Simon, Kathryn; Parsons School of Design: Visual Culture: Fashion, Sustainable and Critical Thinking in Design.
6 | 7:30 p.m
Keynote: Wednesday, June 4th, Old Main Chapel
Welcome: Dr. Stewart Hoover and Dr. Paul Voakes, Dean,
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Introduction of Ms. Utne: Prof. Ed Lenert, University of Nevada, Reno
“FutureFit: Managing our Lives toward Sustainability with Flow and Efficiency” With NINA ROTHSCHILD UTNE, Editor-at-Large, Utne Reader
Ms. Utne is the former CEO and current Editor-at-Large of Utne Reader, the respected guide to the alternative and independent press. An internationally recognized speaker on the power of media to transform culture, she is a champion for independent media. As a journalist and activist, Ms. Utne has been a central figure in areas related to both healthy living and social change. She is a founding member of the UnReasonable Women for the Earth, and Code Pink. In her keynote presentation, Ms. Utne speaks to how we can focus on sustainability with maximum flow and efficiency.
Sponsored by: The Reynolds School of Journalism and Center for Advanced Media Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno; and The Fred W. Smith Ethics Seminar Series with the financial support of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Las Vegas, Nevada.
With thanks to The School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder
7:30 pm:
Private reception for conference delegates and invited guests, Old Main, Heritage Center. Catherine Rands, Harpist.
Thursday, June 5
7:30: Registration and coffee
Book Exhibit, Room 235, UMC
8:15 -9:30 am
The Religious Right and New Notions of Fate, Rm 235
Chair: Nadia Kaneva, Ph.D., University of Denver, USA
Mason, Carol; English and Women’s Studies, Oklahoma State University, USA: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Apocalypse (But Were Afraid to Ask).
Krzych, Scott; Screen Studies, Oklahoma State University, USA: Waiting for No-thing: Skeptical Belief and Political Critique in Evangelical Apocalypse Films.
Burlein, Ann; University of California, Berkeley, USA: When Memory Becomes Molecular: Changing the Biological Body, Changing Religion.
Studies of Consciousness, Aspen Room
Chair: Janet Jacobs, Ph.D., Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder
Grossenbacher, Peter (Naropa University, USA) and Cynthia Drake (University of Colorado, USA): Love and Theft: Bob Dylan, Worldview, and the Ghosts of Change.
Gackenbach, Jayne; Grant MacEwan College: Video Games Effects on Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming and More.
Flood, Barbara and Christina Tomacic-Niaros; Cook County, IL, USA, State Attorney’s Office: The Spiritual and Psychological Impact of Forgiveness on Victims of Violent Crime.
The Mediation of Religion, Rm 247
Chair: Meg Moritz, Ph.D., School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado
Hoseini, Hassan Seyyed; Philosophy of Science Department; Sharif University of Technology: Media Philosophy and Religion an Analysis of Foundations and Consequences of Philosophical Theories on Media in Connection with the Diverse Approaches to Religion.
Naser, Abu; Southern Illinois University: Influence of Religion on Public Culture: A Case Study of Bangladesh.
Reed, Holly G.; Theology, Boston University, USA: Can the Church be the Church Online? Defining a Virtual Ecclesiology for Computer-Mediated Communities.
Palakeel, Jose; Initiatives for Missionary Pastoral Animation and Communication Theology (IMPACT), India: Spiritual Sensibilities, Electronic Media and Digital Culture.
9:45 am -11:00 am
Issues of Globalization and Culture, Rm 235
Chair: Rebecca Self, Ph.D., Media Consultant, Switzerland
Kutscher, Jens; Faculty of Law, Friedrich Alexander University, Germany: Online Fatwas -- One Type of Islamic Law and Its Meaning for the European Union.
Esra'a Al Shafei, MidEast Youth.com, a student-owned independent network dedicated to eliminate extremist ideologies and promoting tolerance in the Middle East. From the ground up: building interfaith cyber-democracies
Asnes, Miriam ; MidEastYouth.com. From the ground up: building interfaith cyber-democracies
Shaping Public Discourses and Attitudes, Aspen Room
Chair: Stewart Hoover, Ph.D., Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado, Boulder
Souynaye, Abdoulaye; Dept. of Religion, Northwestern University, USA: Mediating Islam: Preaching, Media and Moral Economy in Niger.
Billings, Linda; NASA, USA: Media and the Spiritual Aspects of Space Exploration in the 21st Century.
Amari, Radia; Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA: The Use of Humor in Constructing the North American Muslim Subject.
Food and Wellness in the Public Sphere, Room 247
Chair: Maura Troester Nunez, Ph.D., University of Colorado, USA
Badaracco, Claire; Marquette University, USA: Nutrition, Food Safety, & Branded Wellness in the Medicated Public Square.
Schanbacher, Will; Claremont Graduate School, USA: Food Sovereignty, Food Security and Discourses on Sustainable Development: Competing Voices in the Global Politics of Food.
Taylor, Deirdre, Media Consultant/Author; Founding Publisher, Executive Editor, Spirituality & Health Magazine:, Boulder, CO USA: The Power of Mindful Eating in a Chaotic Culture: Impacts on Physical, Social, and Global Wellbeing.
11:15-12:30 pm
The Technologies of Social Change and Spiritual Life, Aspen Room
Chair: Nadia Kaneva,Ph.D., University of Denver, USA
Tiitsman, Jenna; Religious Studies, University of North Carolina and Auburn, USA: Who Needs Geography?: Technologies beneath Divine and Democratic Promise.
Repphun, Eric; University of Otago, New Zealand: A Fantasy Nonetheless: The Mass Media and the Reenchantment of the World.
Schimmel, Solomon; Jewish Education and Psychology, Hebrew College: Anonymous Blogging as a Safe Haven for Challenging Religious Authority and Creating Dissident Communities.
Lombaard, Christo; Christian Spirituality, University of South Africa: Fleetingness and media-ted existence--From Kierkegaard’s Legacy on the Newspaper to Broderick’s Legacy on the Internet.
Preachers And Politics: Understanding The Interplay Between The Media, The Pulpit And The Body Politic, Rm 247
Chair: Stuart Sigman,Ph.D., Vice President, Academic Affairs, Naropa University, USA
Einstein, Mara; Queens College, USA: Whatever Happened to the Social Gospel?
Moore, Ellen; Institute for Communications Research, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign: Joining the Revolution: The Relationship between Entertainment Media and Militarism in Evangelical Churches.
Healy, Kevin; Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA: Trouble on the Right: Critical Junctures in Media and Evangelicalism.
Media, Myth and Mobility: Taking Stock of the Spiritual in Global Tourism and Exhibition, Rm 235
Coats, Curtis; School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado, USA: New Age Tourism and the Case of Sedona.
Oakes, Timothy, Geography, University of Colorado, USA: The Hierarchy of Ancestors: Identity and Genealogy among the Rural Han in Guizhou.
Nucci, Mary and Lewis, Libby Ball, USA: Islamic Science Rediscovered.
Peaslee, Robert Moses; School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado, USA: Notes from Hobbiton: Ritual and Authenticity in a Far Away Land.
12:30 -- Lunch break. Organized lunch groups or on your own. To join a group, meet in foyer outside rm 235. Look for volunteers holding restaurant signs for menu choices.
2 p.m. -- 3:15 p.m.
Widening the Dialogue: Three Roundtable Discussions with Scholars, Activists, Journalists and Industry Representatives
- Conscious Capitalism - Rm 235
Moderator, Mark Wilding, PassageWorks, Boulder, Colorado.
Panelists: Frank Lampe, Executive VP, InnoVision Health Media; Bud Sorenson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Leeds Business School, University of Colorado; Tami Simon, Founder, Sounds True, Boulder, CO.
- The Green Imperative: Challenges for the Sustainability and Green Movements - Aspen Room
Moderator: Deserai Crow, Ph.D.,Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado
Panelists: Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado; Jen Schneider, Ph.D., Colorado School of Mines; Edward Lenert, Ph.D., University of Nevada-Reno,; Tom Yulsman, Assoc. Professor, Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado.
- Media, Activism and Philanthropy: Images and Voices of Influence - Rm 247
Moderator, Dierdre Taylor, Media Consultant/Author; Founding Publisher, Executive Editor, Spirituality & Health Magazine, Boulder, Colorado.
Panelists: Siona van Dijk, Director, Gaia Community, Gaiam, Inc.; Janice Peck, Ph.D., School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado; Marion Bowman, Ph.D., Religious Studies, Open University, UK; Osprey Orielle Lake, Sculptor, San Francisco, CA.
3:15 p.m. -- sponsored snack break: Aspen Room
Based in Boulder, Colorado, InnoVision publishes Natural Solutions magazine and produces print publications and educational materials for consumers and healthcare practitioners interested in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
3:30 pm
Keynote: Thursday, June 5th, Room 235, UMC
Welcome Address: Dr. Bud Peterson, Chancellor, University of Colorado
Introduction of Dr. Silk
"Think Locally, Act Globally" with DR. MARK SILK, Director, Leonard Greenberg Center on Media and Public Life, Trinity College
For forty years, the environmental movement has been animated by the imperative to think globally and act locally. But the challenge of our time is to know how to think locally in order to achieve global objectives. Local ways of conceptualizing community differ profoundly, even within a society so seemingly interconnected as the United States. In a world that often seems overwhelmed by transnational forces and institutions--in economics, media, and religion--accomplishing global ends will require profound awareness of the social metaphysics of particular places. Professor Silk is the author of Spiritual Politics: Religion and America Since World War II and Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America. He is co-editor of Religion by Region, an eight-volume series on religion and public life in the United States, and co-author of One Nation Divisible: Religion and Region in America Today.
Sponsored by: Naropa University
5 - 6:30 pm, Aspen Room, UMC
Private reception for conference delegates and invited guests,
Honoring: Dr. Mark Silk and Dr. Ron Grimes
Sponsored by Naropa University and the Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado-Boulder
7 - 9 pm, Humanities Bldg, Room 150
Film Event: “The Global Oneness Project: Finding our Shared Values through Film”
The Global Oneness team interviews creative and courageous people around the world who base their lives and work on the fundamental understanding that we are all connected and bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. Their living library of short films and interviews can be viewed and downloaded for free from their website.
The film is followed by a panel discussion.
Moderator: Lynn Scholfield Clark, Ph.D., University of Denver
Panel: Christina Welch, Ph.D., University of Winchester, UK; Michelle Moore, Outreach Coordinator, Global Oneness Project, San Francisco, CA; Stuart Sigman, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of the Faculty,
Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Naropa University, Boulder, CO.
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
7:30 am
Registration and Coffee
Keynote: 8:15- 9:45 am, Room 235, UMC
Introduction of Dr. Grimes, Stewart Hoover, Ph.D., Director, Center for Media Religion and Culture, University of Colorado, USA
"Mediating the Santa Fe Fiesta: A multimedia presentation on ritual, media, and conflict " with DR. RONALD GRIMES, Professor of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
The word “spirituality” often connotes either a virtue or a phenomenon. As a virtue, spirituality is the holy grail\the evanescent embodiment of the good, the true, and the beautiful. As a phenomenon, spirituality has recently arrived on the scene, trouncing its opponent, the religion-ritual tag team. Spirituality is joined at the hip with health, everything green, all things nourishing and nothing combative, oppressive, or institutional. Religion is the god-box outside of which the spiritual-but-not-religious dance, and ritual, a charter member of the Old Boys Club, is the enactment of stodgy religion\book-driven, self-righteous, tradition-bound, and saddled with expensive-to-heat, mostly empty buildings. This presentation challenges this easy, clicheLd division of labor by exploring a specific enactment in a specific place: the 2007 Santa Fe Fiesta. The driving question is: In what circumstances do media mediate, and in what circumstances do they drive conflict?
A pioneer in ritual studies scholarship, Professor Grimes is the author of Rite Out of Place: Ritual, Media, and the Arts, Deeply Into The Bone, Readings in Ritual Studies, Reading, Writing, Ritualizing, and Ritual Criticism. He has a particular interest in religion and the performing arts and the indigenous religions of North America.
Sponsored by: The Center for Media, Religion and Culture, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado
10 -11:15 am
Commodifying Feminism: A Roundtable on the Healing Powers of American Culture, Aspen Room
Chair: Laurel Kallenbach, Freelance Journalist, Boulder, Colorado
Travis, Trysh; Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research, University of Florida, USA: As Though Stopping Were Enough: The Possibilities and Limitations of Feminist Recovery.
Lofton, Kathryn, USA: The Gender of a (Re)New(ed) Age: Spirituality in the History of Religions.
Peck, Janice; School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA: Oprah Winfrey’s Global Philanthropy: The Displacement of Public Funding by Private Generosity, Or, the Politics of Empowerment.
Emerich, Monica, Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado, USA: Quantum Post-Feminism: A Critique of Quantum Theory Media in Popular Culture.
Activist Art, Rm 247
Chair: Diane Cook, La Trobe University, ustralia
Lawrie, Samantha; Graphic Design, Auburn University, USA: [Re]Vision: the Role of Graphic Design[ers].
Michelle Moore, Outreach Coordinator, Global Oneness Project, San Rafael, CA, USA, USA: “Finding our Shared Values Through Film: The Global Oneness Project.
Lydolph, Tamara: Religious Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder: You Tube Representations of Shiva: Showing the Multi-Valent Nature of Religious Self-identification In the Modern Media.
Media Bias, Power and Representations, Rm 235
Chair: Andrew Calabrese, Ph.D., School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder
Islam, Sharif; Dept. of Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign , USA: No More Mosques in Europe: The Intersection of Media, Religion, and Citizenship in the Mosque-Building Debates in Britain and France.
George, Cherian; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore: What’s Up: An Experiment in Values-Driven Journalism.
AczeLl, Petra; Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Communication, PaLzmaLny PeLter Catholic University, Hungary: Dialogue as Rhetoric of Deliberation in the Public Sphere.
11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Special Presentation, Room 235
"How Images and Stories Influence our Future as a Global Citizenry: Renewing our Relationship to Nature and Culture," with OSPREY ORIELLE LAKE, Founder/artist of the International Cheemah and Mari Projects
Introduction of Osprey Orielle Lake: Susan Benally, Ph.D.,
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Senior Diversity Officer Naropa University
This provocative multimedia presentation is an educational and inspirational journey exploring the ways in which narrative and visual communication affect the way we think and act. Osprey will explore cultural and environmental stories in modern media and the importance of advancing positive messages at this critical time in history. The presentation will focus on how the use of symbol, image and language in the public sphere either enhances, or distances, the relationships that humans share with the living Earth and with diverse cultures. Osprey will address how we can create meaningful and positive images and narratives that help open the portal to exploring and renewing our individual and societal dreams in relationship to the places we dwell. What people see and experience on a daily basis in their communities influences our societal direction and cultural well being. Incorporating meaningful nature-themed images and symbols into public spaces is one of the challenges Osprey addresses in her international art projects and presentations. Public art has historically attempted to provide cohesion to communities as it represents the experiences, legacy, philosophies and aesthetics of a particular region and culture. Because globalization frequently leads to expansion in many spheres of society, attention to differing cultures and diverse natural habitats is essential. One way to do this is by respecting and protecting the uniqueness, history, language, worldviews, myths, the flora and fauna of each land.
Sponsored by: The Center for Media, Religion and Culture, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado
12:45 pm: Lunch break. Organized lunch groups or on your own. To join a group, meet in foyer outside rm 235. Look for volunteers holding restaurant signs for menu choices.
2 | 3:15 pm
Mass Media and Religious Shifts, Rm 235
Chair: Nabil Echchaibi, Ph.D., School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado
Park, Jerry and Scott Draper; Dept. of Sociology, Baylor University, USA: Religious Consumption and Social Attitudes: Rethinking the Influence of Religion.
Sierra, Luis Ignacio; Dept. of Communication, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia: The Tele|Faith: Mass-media Religion. Strategies for the Experiencing of Religious Meaning by Tele-faithful Viewers of the Rede Vida Television Network in Porto Alegre, R.S., Brazil.
Gentry, Jeffrey; Rogers State University, USA: The God Intrusion: Richard Dawkins and the Refutative Critique.
Politics and Spiritual Discourse, Rm 247
Chair: Janice Peck, Ph.D., Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado
Henson, Lori; University of Indiana, USA: Concept of American Civil Religion to Mass Media Theory: Arguing for a Theoretical Framework in which We Do not Reify an American Sacred as a Self-Contained Entity with Fixed Characteristics.
Yowell, Curt; Mass Communication Studies, University of Houston, USA: Media Social Justice and Presidential Campaign News Coverage.
Roosvall, Anna; Dept. of Journalism, Media and Communications, Stockholm University: De-Spiritualization of Religion/Spiritualization of Politics
Islam and Communism in World News from the Days of the Cold War and into the Post September 11 Era.
New Spiritual Expressions, Aspen Room
Chair: AnneMarie Galeucia, M.A., Religious Studies, University of Colorado
Wood, TeBordo Kaitlyn; Dept of Language, Literature and Communication, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA: Conservatively Christian yet Culturally Relevant?: A Pilot Study on the Changing Church.
Schuck, Eric, Religious Studies, University of Colorado: The Rise of Orthodox Monastic Self-Representation in the Media and Market
Daneshgar, Majid and Azimidokht Sayyed Hossain; Yazd University Islamic Republic of Iran: The Study on Spirituality, Religions and Social Interactions
3:30 -4:45 pm
Spirituality and the Marketplace, Rm 235
Chair: Loriliai Biernacki, Ph.D., Religious Studies, University of Colorado
Bowman, Marion; Open University, UK: Philanthropy and the Spiritual Economy in Glastonbury .
Hardy, Ann; University of Waikato, New Zealand: Spirituality in Flight.
Granholm, Kennet; University of Amsterdam: The Mass-Appeal of the Occult.
Peace, Prophecy and Revolution, Aspen Room
Chair: Janice Peck, Ph.D., Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado
Danforth, Christine; Communication and Biblical Studies, USA: Prophetic Communication as a Medium for Social Change.
Morello, Gustavo; Universidad CatoLlica de CoLrdoba, Argentina: Spirituality, Journalism and Guerillas: The Argentine Experience of Cristianismo y Revolucion.
Hochheimer, John; Southern Illinois University, USA: Communication, Reconciliation and the Human Spirit: Reconnecting Without and Within via Five Media Forms.
6 pm
Flagstaff Mountain picnic. For registered guests, only.
Buses leave for Flagstaff picnic at 6 pm and drop off at campus at 9 pm.
James Young, guitarist.
Saturday, June 7
9 -10:15 am
(re)Emerging Spiritualities and Society, Rm 235
Chair, Lawrence Eson, Ph.D., English Dept., Front Range Community College, Westminster, CO
Luthers, Helga; Germanic and Slavic Languages, University of Colorado, USA: Reclaiming a Religion: The Un-popularizing and Re-spiritualizing of Norse Mythology.
Pearce, Michael, Religion Dept, University of Queensland, Australia: Crises of Modernity, Spirit Houses, and the Reinterpretation of Religion in Contemporary Urban Thailand.
Gilmore, Lee; Holy Names University, USA: Convergence Culture, Web 2.0, and DIY Spiritualities.
Spirituality, Media and Civic Engagement, Aspen Room
Chair: Robert Moses Peaslee, Ph..D., University of Colorado
Galeucia, Annemarie; Religious Studies, University of Colorado, USA: My Name is Earl.
Busch, Laura; Dept. of Communication, University of Washington, USA: Saffron Revolution 2.0: An Analysis of Online Socially Engaged Buddhism During the 2007 Pro-Democracy Protests In Burma.
Roberts, Joseph; Political Science, Roger Williams University, USA: Islam, Social Movements, and Technopolitics.
Questions of Pleasure and Desire, Rm 247
Chair: Brett Robbs, Ph.D., School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder
Hays, Hal; University of Alabama, USA: Looking Beneath the Ecclesiastical Wet Blanket: How the Reflective Emotional Response to Mediated Revelation of the Divine Leads to Socially Transforming Behavior.
Boulton, Chris, University of Massachusetts, Amherst USA; Porn and Me(n): Men, Morality, and Religion at the Wheelock Anti-Pornography Conference.
Scrogin, Katy; Religion, Claremont Graduate University, USA: Media Reform.
and “Something Higher:” Transforming Desire, Transforming Media Practice
10:30 -11:45 am
Symbology and Social Change, Rm 247
Chair: Peter Simonson, Ph.D., Communication, University of Colorado
Welch, Christina, Theology and Religious Studies, University of Winchester, UK: Representing Religious Responses to Social Change through Contemporary Indigenous Cinema.
Bliss, Carol; California State Polytechnic University, USA: Creating Deeper Connections: Exploring Values and the Potential for Transformation through New Media.
Torma, Ryan; Luther Seminar, USA: The Visualization of Religious and Ritual Practices as Responses to Terrorism in Photographs in the New York Times after September 11, 2001.
Mediated Resistance, Rm 235
Chair: Laurel Kallenbach, Freelance Journalist, Boulder, Colorado
Stone, Mary Louise; Calif. Institute of Integral Studies, USA: An Indian as President: Who Elected Bolivia’s Evo Morales?
Whedon, Sarah W.; University of California, Santa Barbara, USA: Fundamentalist Mormon Polygamous Women and the Internet as a Site of Resistance.
Scott, Lisa; University of Colorado, USA: The Five Percent Nation: A Grassroots Religious Movement of Oppressed Urban Youth
Questions of “Faith” , Aspen Room
Chair: Curtis Coats, Ph.D., School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder
Jensen, Robert; School of Journalism, University of Texas, USA: Experiences of Public Declaration in a Congregation.
Noon, Derek R.: Religion & The Popular Atheist: A Differential Diagnosis
Kramer, Howard; Religious Studies, University of Colorado, USA: The Apocalyptic Speculations of the New Age Left: Social and Political Implications.
1:15 -2:30 pm
Sustainability Consciousness, Rm 235
Chair: Maura Troester Nunez, Ph.D., School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado
Schneider, Jen; Nature and Human Values, Colorado School of Mines, USA: The “Spirit” of New Environmentalism: Orion Magazine, Climate Change, and the End of the World.
Wee, Lionel; Dept. of English, National University of Singapore: Media Representation and the Cultivation of Social Consciousness: Comparing the Discourses of Climate Change and Animal Rights.
Lenert, Ed and Dailey, Larry; University of Nevada, Reno, USA: Interactive Journalism, Spirituality and the Environment.
Christian Citizenship, Aspen Room
Santoro, Anthony; Heidelberg Center for American Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany: Preempting Godwin: Religion, the Death Penalty and Christian Citizenship in Virginia’s Political Blogosphere, 2005.
Balbier, Uta; German Historical Institute, Washington, DC, USA: Staging Christian Citizenship: Evangelical Spirituality and Christian Patriotism in Billy Graham’s Crusades of the 1950s.
2:45 -- 3:45 pm
Summation Panel: Room 235
Chair: Stewart Hoover, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Center for Media, Religion and Culture, University of Colorado.
Free and Public Events
Wednesday, June 4th, 6 p.m., Nina Rothschild Utne. Old Main Chapel
Thursday, June 5th, 2 p.m. Widening the Dialogue: Roundtables. UMC Second Floor
Thursday, June 5th, 3:30 p.m., Dr. Mark Silk. UMC Room 235
Thursday, June 5th, Film Event: The Global Oneness Project. Humanities Room 150
Friday, June 6th, 8:15 a.m., Dr. Ronald Grimes. UMC Room 235
Friday, June 6th, 11:30 a.m., Osprey Orielle Lake. UMC Room 235
Conference Location
The conference will be held at the University Memorial Center (UMC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder, located at the corner of Euclid Ave. and Broadway. Check-in and on-site registration will take place in room 235. See map at http://www.colorado.edu/Directories/WebMap/
Various events will be held at Old Main and the Humanities Building, a short walk from UMC.
The campus is within easy walking distance of Boulder's acclaimed Pearl Street pedestrian mall. Watch the many street performances, peruse the shops, or dine at fabulous restaurants.
Lodging
There are two lodging options--on-campus housing and local hotels. Please make your reservations for on-campus housing on the registration site (see the registration link on our homepage).
For hotel lodging, make your reservation directly with one of the following hotels. We have reserved a block of rooms. Mention the "reference" word listed here for each hotel to receive the conference rate.
University of Colorado | Kittredge Commons
On-campus housing.This option is available through the registration link on our home page.
Best Western Boulder Inn
770 28th Street
Boulder, CO 80303
800-233-8469 | reference “Media"
To make a reservation online, please visit:
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/priceavail.do?propertycode=06103&promocode=media
Once there, enter "MEDIA" in the promotional code box. The special discounted group rates will be present.
Located directly across from the University of Colorado, the Boulder Inn gives guests easy access to Boulder's principal attractions, premier shopping, and fabulous dining. Stylish, well-appointed rooms reflect a gracious ambiance, found throughout the hotel. Rates include a complimentary continental breakfast every morning; free in-room, high-speed Internet access; and 24-hour business center. Other guest facilities include a large seasonal outdoor pool, sauna, hot tub, and conference center. For group rate reference “Media, Spiritualities and Social Change.” Conference rate: $89 for a room with one king bed, $99 for a room with two queen beds, includes continental breakfast. Unconfirmed rooms in block will be released May 3.
Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites
800 Twenty Eighth Street
303.443.3322 or 800.542.0304, reference “Media, Spiritualities & Social Change”
800.338.5407
Boulder’s first zero waste hotel - “The Cure for the Common Hotel” mixes business with leisure, indoors with outdoors, technology with comfort, and service with personality. Located directly across from CU campus and has numerous amenities including: free local & toll calls, free parking, complimentary continental breakfast, iron and ironing board, hair dryer, coffee pot with complimentary coffee and tea, 27’ color TV, 24 Direct TV channels, including 7 HBO selections, and an in-room safe. Conference rate: $98 for standard room with 2 queen beds (includes full breakfast). Unconfirmed rooms in block will be released May 3, 2008.
Boulder Creek Quality Inn & Suites
2020 Arapahoe
303.449.7550 reference “Media & Spiritualities”
888.449.7550
The award winning property includes first-class amenities such as a fitness center, business center with free 24 hour DSL Internet access, indoor heated pool, sauna, whirlpool and a full breakfast buffet. All rooms have a microwave, refrigerator, hair dryer, iron and full size ironing board, coffee maker, 2 line data port speakerphones with voice mail, large working desk with a lamp that has an additional data port and electrical outlet and 25” color televisions with remotes. This hotel is about a 15 minute walk to UMC. Mention the Media, Spiritualities and Social Change Conference when you make your reservation. Conference rate: $99 for a standard room with two queen beds (includes full breakfast. Unconfirmed rooms in block will be released May 3.
Millennium Harvest House
1345 Twenty-Eight Street
303.443.3850
800.545.6285
http://www.millenniumhotels.com/millenniumboulder/index.html
Their friendly staff and attentive service exemplifies Colorado’s western hospitality. Amenities include: on-site restaurant, 16 acres of gardens, 15 tennis courts, indoor/outdoor pool, in-room coffee makers, and data ports. The Boulder Creek Path is right behind the hotel and about a 20 minute walk to UMC. Conference rate: $99, reference “CU -Unconfirmed rooms in block will be released May 3.
Boulder University Inn
1632 Broadway
303.417.1700
Downtown Boulder’s newly renovated inn, conveniently located 3 blocks from Pearl Street pedestrian mall & about a 15 minute walk to UMC. Enjoy biking, walking or running on Boulder’s famous Creek Path, which is adjacent to the hotel. Accommodations include complimentary continental breakfast, business center with free high speed Internet access, heated outdoor pool, free parking, free local calls and much more. University rate: $79 full bed, $80 - 2 queens, $89 - king
Travel
Air travel:
The nearest airport is Denver International Airport, about 40 minutes southeast of Boulder. The DIA Website www.flydenver.com provides information on ground transportation options from the airport to Boulder.
Ground:
We recommend Super Shuttle, www.supershuttle.com or the Skybus from the airport to Boulder.
- Boulder Super Shuttle phone is 303-227-0000.
There is no need to pre-arrange shuttle service. Upon arriving at DIA, the Boulder Super Shuttle will take you directly to many of Boulder’s hotels. Go to the "Boulder Super Shuttle" counter on the baggage claim level, level 5, of the Main Terminal to purchase a round-trip ticket.
A shuttle leaves DIA hourly at 10 minutes after the hour from door 504. The trip takes about 1.25 to 1.5 hours, sometimes a bit more, especially if it is rush hour. The cost for a one-way ticket is $25 for designated hotel drop-offs, $46 round trip; or $31 for other addresses in Boulder, $58 round trip. The return trip will require that you call the shuttle company and make a pick up reservation. You may be able to make this reservation when you pick up your ticket upon arrival at DIA at the shuttle counter.
- Skyride (bus)
The bus schedule can be found on RTD’s website (select route AB on www.RTD-Denver.com) or by calling 303-299-6000.
The RTD Skyride runs between DIA and Boulder (Route AB) every hour. The trip takes approximately 1.5 hours. The schedule can be found on RTD’s website (select route AB on http://www.rtd-denver.com/skyRide/ or by calling 303-299-6000. Arriving passengers at DIA should exit the airport from Baggage Claim area doors and cross to the RTD bus shelter located on the traffic island about 40 feet away. Tickets are paid directly to the driver upon boarding the bus | cash and exact change only. One-way tickets cost $10 and the bus stops at 14th and Walnut in downtown Boulder. RTD has an information booth on the baggage claim level of the Main Terminal, right next to the Boulder Super Shuttle counter.
- Driving Directions to Boulder from Denver International Airport (DIA)
Driving time between DIA and Boulder is approximately 60 to 90 minutes. From DIA, follow Pena Boulevard (10 miles) south to I-70, and exit onto I-70 west. Follow I-70 west to I-270 west. I-270 merges into U.S. 36 west and takes you west into Boulder (about 23 miles). From this point follow directions to your lodging.
Toll Highway: This is the quickest and shortest route but you must stop and pay three tolls of $2.00 each. Leave the airport on Pena Boulevard and stay in right-hand lanes to exit onto E-470 north. Follow this for approximately 35 miles. E-470 merges with Northwest Parkway. Northwest Parkway becomes Storage Tek Drive. Take the exit to Highway 36, west, into Boulder. Hwy 36 becomes 28th Street in Boulder. From here follow directions to your lodging.
- Other Driving Directions to CU
From Denver: Take I-25 north, merge onto Highway 36 to Boulder. Exit onto Baseline Road. Turn left onto Baseline. Follow to Broadway and turn right on Broadway. Turn right onto Euclid and turn left into Euclid Parking Garage. The UMC is the largest building flanking the Western edge of the parking lot.
From the North (Ft. Collins, Wyoming): Take I-25 south, exit on highway 7 through Lafayette. This becomes Baseline road. Follow Baseline road into Boulder. The road dead-ends at a four-way stop. Baseline doglegs to the left. At the next stop sign, turn right back onto Baseline Road. Follow Baseline to Broadway. Turn right on Broadway. Turn right onto Euclid and turn left one half block) into Euclid Parking Garage. The UMC is the large building flanking the Western edge of the parking lot and sits on the corner of Euclid and Broadway. Entrance is from Euclid or at the back of the building.
- Campus Parking
The Euclid parking lot rate is $1.25 per hour, 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, seven days a week. After 5:00 pm parking is free. From Broadway, turn onto Euclid and turn left one half block into Euclid Parking Garage. The UMC is the large building flanking the western edge of the parking lot and sits on the corner of Euclid and Broadway. Entrance is from Euclid or at the back of the building.
For more information on campus parking and transportation, visit http://ucbparking.colorado.edu/VisitorInfo/Default.asp
You may request a parking permit for campus Lot 308 with your online registration. Those who opt for lodging on campus in Kittredge Commons can purchase a permit for $20 for the week upon arrival. Kittredge Commons residence halls are located adjacent to Wolf Law School.
For ADA-Accessible parking information please contact CU Parking Services at: 303-492-7384.
Parking on campus is limited, therefore, we recommend for those staying in hotels adjacent to campus (Best Western Boulder Inn or Boulder Outlook Hotel) that they walk to campus for the conference.
- Buses in Boulder
Getting around Boulder is easy using the GO system of buses such as the Hop, the Skip or the Jump. visit http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=756&Itemid=320
- Taxi
Yellow Cab 303.777.7777
Metro Taxi 303.666.6666
Visiting Boulder
Remember that Boulder is a high-altitude city. Drink plenty of water throughout your stay and apply that sunscreen! Also, while Colorado temperatures can be hot during summer days with mostly brilliant blue skies, the night temperatures can drop substantially. It is recommended to bring clothes to layer along with a rain shell and a light jacket or sweater. If you plan to hike (many nearby trails!), bring proper boots, a water bottle, hat and sunscreen.
For information on Boulder, Colorado, please visit: www.bouldercoloradousa.com
There are plenty of attractions nearby including:
--Rocky Mountain Park
--Chatauqua Park
--Celestial Seasonings Tea Company
--The Great Stupa, one of the most significant examples in the world of Buddhist sacred architecture.
--Eldorado State park, a haven for rock climbing or nature walks.
--Denver Art Museum
--The Molly Brown House
--Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art
--National Center for Atmospheric Research
Speaker Information
Conference “To-Do” Checklist
- EQUIPMENT: Did you fill out your equipment requests at registration? If not, please notify monica.emerich@colorado.edu with your equipment needs. Digital projectors provided in meeting rooms. Bring own laptop computers. Presentations must be Microsoft compatible.
- LODGING: you are responsible for making your own lodging reservations.
- TRAVEL: Make travel arrangements. Closest airport is Denver International Airport.
- GROUND TRANSPORTATION: Make your local transportation reservations from the airport to Boulder.
- YOUR PAPER: Send a completed version of your full paper as a PDF file by May 15, 2008 to Monica Emerich, monica.emerich@colorado.edu, if you wish for it to be included on the CD of conference proceedings that will be made available in the program packets for attendees.
- PRESENTERS: Presentations should not exceed 15 minutes, to leave time for discussion.
Publications
The Journal for Faith, Spirituality & Social Change
This free-to-access e-journal explores faith-based social change issues. The bi-annual academic journal invites discussion on the dynamic dimensions of inter-faith dialogue and multi-faith action across a range of social change issues.
The journal and accompanying conference aims to bring together people whose actions for social change are informed by their faith/spirituality, organizations working with faith communities for social change, and academics exploring faith-based social change issues.
All articles, which are peer reviewed, are freely accessible on-line at www.fsscconference.org.uk/journal
The editors would be very interested in receiving papers on the theme of 'media, spirituality & social change': see submission details on-line.
Read the Call For Papers [Note: the call is now closed]
This interdisciplinary conference seeks proposals for papers and panels exploring the ways in which media culture, civic engagement and spiritualities intersect to form practices, discourses and the material expressions of social change. In an era of globalization, the media age has introduced a new set of conditions and opportunities for the nature, practice and integration of spirituality and civic engagement. Increasingly, the concept of gspiritualityh has become recontextualized, reinserted and reimagined within discourses about social and environmental change. Integral to this project are the media, which provide salient values and symbols to a synthesis of public and private identities, practices and beliefs. New spiritual sensibilities articulate with new imaginaries of the civic sphere through media culture. The key questions here are how and where values, practices and beliefs are articulated as spiritual and socially transformational.
In the interest of bridging theory and practice, we welcome submissions from scholars, activists, NGOs and health, business, and media professionals who wish to engage in an intellectual discussion about the engines of social change and its expressions through media culture and spiritual life. Papers and panels may employ any of a number of perspectives, issues and methodologies including but not limited to the following:
- Economics; conscious capitalism; late capitalism
- Environmental, sustainable or ggreenh practices, products and beliefs
- Ethics; morality; truth; philosophy; religion and spirituality
- Media culture; media technologies and applications; media institutions/policy
- Popular culture; cultural studies; material culture
- Society; community; citizenship; public-private partnerships
- Activism; social justice; social movements; positive politics; philanthropy
- Globalization; public sphere; civil society; governance and control
- "New" / alternative spiritualities
- Gender; race; age; class; identities
- Methodologies and theory
- Ideology; power; discourse
Abstracts and panel proposals due: Dec. 1, 2007 to: Dr. Monica Emerich, Monica.emerich@colorado.edu. By mail: Monica Emerich, Center for Media, Religion and Culture, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado, 1511 University Ave., 478 UCB, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0478.
This conference is co-sponsored by Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and the Fred W. Smith Center for Critical Thinking and Ethical Practices at University of Nevada, Reno.