Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

In the eye of the storm

CBS, the so-called “Tiffany Network,” is a bit tarnished, says Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism. Those halcyon days of Edward R. Murrow taking on Sen. Joe McCarthy, the landmark documentary “The Selling of the Pentagon,” and Walter Cronkite’s credibility are long gone. They have been replaced with “Kid Nation,” a reality show involving children ages 8 to 15. Granted, “Kid Nation” purports to be “entertainment,” not news. Still, “What is the network trying to prove with the program?” Burriss asks. “Well, maybe someone at the network should read William Golding’s 1954 child horror story Lord of the Flies for a horrifying look at children run amuck.” Besides, Burriss notes, “How much realism do you really think there is with cameras, lights and microphones strung all around?”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

In the drawing room

Youngsters who want professional instruction in drawing can experience a first-class introduction to the art at a Youth Culture & Arts Center (YCAC) workshop for ages 12-17. The workshop will take place from 1-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15, in Room 117 of the Todd Building on the MTSU campus. The instructor will be Erin Anfinson, assistant professor of art at MTSU. “During this workshop, students will explore the media of charcoal, gesture drawing and working from a still life,” says Anfinson. She recommends that participants wear clothes they won’t mind getting dirty because “charcoal is a little messy.” Space for this workshop could fill quickly. The fee is $20 per person.

To register, go to http://www.youthculturecenter.org.
For more information, contact YCAC at , or the instructor at anfinson@mtsu.edu

Star power

The MTSU Department of Physics & Astronomy will present First Friday Star Parties, which will take place the first Friday of every month for stargazers of all ages. This Friday, Sept. 7, Dr. Eric Klumpe will lead a discussion on Jupiter from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Hall. Following the 30-45 minute public lecture, there will be outdoor telescope observing (weather permitting). The Star Party is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Klumpe at 615-898-2483 or Dr. Charles Higgins at 615-898-5946.

TR EXTRA

AUDIO AUGMENTATION--Give your kids a wholesome, fun extracurricular activity this school year. Enroll your child in the Youth Culture and Arts Center’s (YCAC) next recording workshop at MTSU. The current enrollment period is in effect through Sept. 7 for the upcoming Sept. 13-Oct. 12 workshop in MTSU’s John Bragg Mass Communication Building. The workshop is for youngsters ages 12-17, and the fee is $125 per student. Classes are taught by Ryan York, a 21-year-old MTSU student and teacher of guitar, bass, and drums lessons at Chambers Guitars and Musical Instruments in Murfreesboro. Ryan will provide instruction in cassette four-track instruction, digital eight-track, computer recording and electronic music. All proceeds will benefit YCAC, a program of Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Humanities (YEAH), a nonprofit organization. Call 615-631-9479 or contact York at bororecording@gmail.com.

BONJOUR!--Any student whose summer was no more exciting than spending endless hours lying by the pool frying to a crisp can prepare now for an unforgettable summer 2008. There’s no time like the present to register for the annual general education study abroad program in Cherbourg, France, which will run from June 2 to June 27. At this beautiful port town in the Normandy region of northwest France, students will experience the history, art and culture of the area. “With the general education program, a student can spend four weeks in Cherbourg and in Normandy, and they can begin studying French while they’re there if they choose to, but they don’t have to already know any French,” Dr. Anne Sloan, Assistant to the Provost for International Education, says. Contact Sloan at 615-898-5091 or asloan@mtsu.edu or Jennifer Campbell, Director of International Education and Exchange, at 615-898-5179 or jjcampbe@mtsu.edu.