April 5, 2005

GW Gears Up for Globalization Week

Lineup Features Prominent Journalists and Policy Experts Discussing Cultural Effects of Globalization

By Julia Jacobelli

The 2005 Globalization Week is April 4 through April 7. Globalization Week is a series of events designed to create a forum for students and faculty to discuss and learn about globalization events.

A presentation on photojournalism in the global era will lead the bill April 4. This interactive presentation will focus on such questions as: how have film and video changed our perceptions of people and events? What does photojournalism mean in an era when images can be transmitted in a second over satellite or the Internet? And finally, how is visual media used in different countries and what is its impact on a global society? The panel discussing these questions comprises Don Barletti, a photographer and 2003 Pulitzer Prize recipient; William Gentile, assistant professor and artist in residence at the Visual Media Department of American University, and a two-time Emmy winner; and finally Tyler Marshall, diplomatic correspondent for the Los Angeles Times Washington Bureau and 2004 Pulitzer Prize recipient.

The discussion will take place in GW’s Lindner Commons, located on the sixth floor of the Elliott School of International Affairs. The audience will be encouraged to interact with the panelists and ask them questions directly.

A discussion centering on the cultural effects of global media, and featuring GW faculty members Jerome Barron, Harold H. Greene Professor of Law; Harvey Feigenbaum, professor of political science and international affairs; and Peter Rollberg, associate professor of Slavic languages, film studies, and international affairs; will take place April 5. The speakers will discuss questions arising from the fears that globalization is leading to cultural convergence. They also will address issues created by the incredible expansion of US media around the world.
The discussion will be held in the Thurston Piano Lounge. Attendees are encouraged to voice their opinions through questions and debate.

The keynote address for Globalization Week will take place April 6, in GW Lindner Commons in the Elliott School of International Affairs. This year’s keynote speaker, Roberta Baskin, is the executive director of the Center for Public Integrity. She has been the recipient of 75 journalism awards, and has worked as chief investigative correspondent for the news magazine 48 Hours, as well as the manager for the Washington Bureau staff of 20/20 and Primetime.

The final presentation, “Whose news? Implications of Global Media,” takes place April 7, in the Lindner Commons. The panel will compare American news coverage to that of other countries around the world. This presentation will feature speakers Hafez Al-Mirazi, Al-Jazeera Washington bureau chief; Reha Atasagun, Turkish Radio and Television Washington bureau chief; and Frank Sesno, former CNN Washington bureau chief.

The presentations during Globalization Week are open to students and faculty. They promise to be enlightening about a subject that has grown more urgent in recent years due to increased technology, which has led to easier communication across the globe. For more information about the discussions, questions should be sent to gwcsg@gwu.edu.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu