The University of Colorado at Boulder will host an international conference on "Fundamentalism and the Media" on Oct. 10-12 that will include two free public events.
The conference is expected to bring together nearly 80 religious scholars, members of the news media and members of the religious community.
With increasing media coverage of religious conflict and struggle, the image many people are receiving about religion is that it is increasingly polarized, according to CU-Boulder Professor Stewart Hoover, who directs the School of Journalism and Mass Communication's Center for Media, Religion, and Culture, which is co-sponsoring the conference. The conference is intended to open a dialogue about how and why religion is often misunderstood by many in the media, and the best way to address the issue.
"Religion is a very difficult topic for the media to cover, because the media are used to rational discourse," Hoover said. "Religion is beyond rational, it's very diverse and it is very complicated."
Fundamentalism became a mainstream media topic in the 1970s during the hostage crisis in Iran, according to Hoover. From that time on, the media has had to contend with the issue.
"It really came to a head when 9/11 happened," Hoover said. "There are some interesting things that happen when media and religion mix."
Professor Scott Appleby of the University of Notre Dame will present a public talk titled "Waging Peace Through the Media: What Can We Learn From Fundamentalists?" on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Old Main Chapel. Appleby is director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and is a leading expert on religious fundamentalism.
An advance screening of the Public Broadcasting Service documentary, "Knocking: Fundamentalism and Freedom Meet at the Front Porch," will be shown on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. in room 100 of the new ATLAS building at CU-Boulder. A public discussion with the film's director, Joel P. Engardio, and a panel of scholars will follow the screening. The documentary argues that Jehovah's Witnesses, often dismissed as a controversial sect, have benefited mainstream society through their legal victories and apolitical nature.
The conference, which is the founding event for the CU-Boulder center, also will feature plenary sessions open only to conference registrants, in which speakers will address fundamentalism in religious culture and history. The discussions will focus on Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
The Center for Media, Religion, and Culture was officially founded in 2005, however research and conferences focusing on religion and the media have been under way in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 1991. The center's goal is to be an international leader in the study of the media's relationship to the changing nature of religion and its role in politics, society and international affairs in the 21st century.
The World Association for Christian Communication is co-sponsoring the conference. Established in 1968 and based in Toronto, the World Association for Christian Communication has members in 120 countries and is a nongovernmental organization that supports communication development projects and forums on emerging trends in communication throughout the world.
For more information about CU-Boulder's Center for Media, Religion, and Culture visit the Web site at www.mediareligion.org.
For more information about the conference visit the Web site at www.colorado.edu/journalism/mcm/mrc/fundmed.htm or send an e-mail to fundmed@colorado.edu.