!COMMCLASH

Welcome to !Commclash!

!CommClash is a society formed by the chair of the Communication and Mass Media department in the Spring of 2010 to encourage students and faculty to engage in academic issues outside of the classroom. In March of 2010, the first open meetings were held, which attracted a number of interested students, and a structure and mandate for the society was formed.

!CommClash is intended to provide a forum for interaction and exploration among and between students and faculty at UNYP, and also to provide a bridge to the wider ‘communication community’ outside the school. The group is primarily interested in the study, criticism, research, and application of communication and media studies principles.

All current UNYP bachelor’s students can become members regardless of majors. The society is also open to UNYP faculty and students in the PCPR Master’s program.

Report on the Spring 2010 Semester

For a society that has been in existence for only a few weeks, the !Commclash society has managed to achieve a great deal of things!

The first !Commclash meeting was held on 23 March, 2010. An enthusiastic group of 6 students arrived to help hammer out a statement of purpose and philosophy for the society. Interests were stated, aims were set, and future meetings were booked, which attracted more students.

In the six week existence of !Commclash, the group managed to hold the following events:

* Lecture by IIan Stulman, Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem concerning using the internet as a platform for public diplomacy.

* Lecture by Dr. Todd Nesbitt on his ROW theory of Social Networking and political communication.

* Visit to Czech Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting and discussion with JUDr. Kalistová about cases and issues the council faces.

* The introduction of a series of informal lectures by prominent figures at UNYP and elsewhere: The !Commclash "Down to Earth" series, which holds discusssions on media and communication-related subjects in informal environments, began with a lecture and discussion with Dr. Douglas Pressman at the local bar Pigment.

* a meeting to discuss the organization of a conference in the UNYP Communication and Mass Media studies department for fall, 2010.

The !Commclash society plans to meet at least once over the summer to discuss events in the fall. In addition to assisting in organizing the UNYP Communication conference, plans are afoot for the continuation of the ‘Down to Earth’ series, attending conferences connected with communication and media studies, film screenings with local directors, visits to local press clubs, and more! Watch the Facebook page for details about upcoming events!