Successful MeCCSA postgraduate conference in Sussex
On 1-2 July MeCCSA’s Postgraduate Network held its fifth annual conference, hosted this year by the Department of Media and Film at the University of Sussex.
110 delegates attended the event, including 90 national and International postgraduate students and 20 academic members of staff. Over 70 research papers were presented and a diverse menu of workshops was offered for delegates to choose from. This ranged from ‘Academic CV Writing’ and ‘Interview Techniques’ skills training, provided by the Careers, Development and Employment Centre at the University of Sussex; to more unconventional sessions exploring ways to overcome the divide between ‘Media Theory and Practice’ (Mary Agnes-Krell, University of Sussex), and a hands-on introduction to the benefits of ‘Teaching through Role Play’ (Kirsten Hardie, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth).
Professor Will Straw (McGill University, Canada) and “Professor iPod” Dr Michael Bull (University of Sussex) opened the event with their keynote session “Music Remediated”, which explored the evolution, influence and future of music technologies, whilst the conference closed on a humoristic yet insightful keynote by Mandy Merck (Royal Holloway, University of London) entitled “My Misadventures in Publishing.”
The 6th Annual conference will be hosted by the National Institute for Excellence in the Creative Industries (NIECI) at Bangor University in Wales on 8/9 July 2009. Further information will be shortly available on the Postgraduate Network’s website at www.meccsa.org.uk/pgn
Finally, a new Executive Committee for 2008/9 was also elected. The new officers are: Ann Luce (Chair, Cardiff University), Shelley Thompson (Secretary/Treasurer, Cardiff University) and Yemisi Ogunleye (Communications Officer, Birmingham City University). Prof. Mark Jancovich (University of East Eanglia) and Debbie Flint will remain on the committee as the representative from the main MeCCSA committee, and the ADM-HEA representative respectively. Former Executive Committe members will continue to operate in advisory roles and provide support to postgraduate students that will organise events throughout the academic year.
5 August 2008