What’s the Impact of Media?

Dawn Ford will speak on “Viewer Discretion Advised: Media Sophistication—Is it for Christians?” at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, as part of Huntington University’s Forester Lecture Series.

Her discussion will take place in the Zurcher Auditorium of the Merillat Centre for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

Dawn Ford is an independent producer/director of films, television series and new media. In 2012, she joined HU as an associate professor in the Digital Media Arts Department. Ford holds an Master of Fine Arts degree in professional screenwriting from National University in La Jolla, California; a Master of Arts in television, film and new media from San Diego State University; and a Bachelor of Arts in radio, television and film from the University of Maryland. She has also done graduate work in movie business at the University of Southern California.

“This event is going to be a lively evening with a variety of views on being a Christian and a sophisticated media consumer,” Ford said. “This is a great opportunityto hear a diversity of opinion about the media choices we make and the role of entertainment and news media in our lives.”

The session will address questions including:

• The recent anti-heroes of television like “Dexter,” Vampire Bill from “True Blood,” Walter White from “Breaking Bad” and Knucky from “Boardwalk Empire,” is it possible for these characters to reveal anything meaningful to Christians or should they avoid watching them?
• Who decides the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) rating for a movie, and why is it important to look beyond these ratings when choosing what to watch?  
• How do our entertainment and internet choices affect our spiritual, mental and physical wellbeing?
• What happens when six corporations control 95% of the entertainment and news media in our country? How does this affect the members of our community?

Ford will explore these issues and then open the discussion to a panel and conclude with a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Featured panelists include:

• Dr. Ashley Donnelly, media analyst/assistant professor of telecommunications from Ball State University and author of “Renegade Hero or Faux Rogue: The Secret Traditionalism of Television Bad Boys”
• Dr. Kent Eilers, associate professor of theology from Huntington University and author of “Sanctified by Grace: A Theology of the Christian Life”
• Dawn Ford, associate professor of digital media arts from Huntington University and member of the Producer’s Guild of America.

Huntington University presents the Forester Lecture Series each semester. The lectures are designed to bring interesting persons and topics to the attention of students and the regional community.

HU’s Forester Lecture Series is open to the public and free of charge. The series is coordinated by Dr. David Alexander, assistant professor of philosophy. For further information, contact Alexander at dalexander@huntington.edu or (260) 359-4305.