Friday, April 8, 11:00AM-12:15PM
MITH Conference Room, McKeldin Library B0135

“The Future of 21st Century Studies” by RICHARD GRUSIN

What is 21st century studies? The practice of interdisciplinary research as it is pursued in the 21st century? The study of issues of pressing concern in the 21st century? The reconceptualization of historical studies in light of these concerns? The deployment of 21st century modes of research, analysis, and presentation? Richard Grusin, the new director of the Center for 21st Century Studies (C21) at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will argue that C21 is in a unique position to define the future of 21st century studies. As the only center of its kind, C21 should take as its mission the development of 21st century studies as an interdisciplinary field. Doing so will allow C21 to set the terms of the debate about the future of 21st century studies for the decades ahead as well as to open the door for collaborations with other individuals and institutions interested in defining the future of 21st century studies.

RICHARD GRUSIN is Professor of English and Director of the Center for 21st Century Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Previously he was a professor at the College of William and Mary, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Wayne State University. He served as department chair from 1996-99 at Georgia Tech and from 2001-2008 at Wayne State. Grusin received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. He has published numerous chapters and articles and written four books.  He is best known for his foundational work in new media studies. With Jay David Bolter he is the author of Remediation: Understanding New Media (MIT, 1999), which sketches out a genealogy of new media, beginning with the contradictory visual logics underlying contemporary digital media. His most recent book, Premediation: Affect and Mediality After 9/11 (Palgrave, 2010), argues that in an era of heightened securitization, socially networked US and global media work to pre-mediate collective affects of anticipation and connectivity, while also perpetuating low levels of apprehension or fear.

A continuously updated schedule of talks is also available on the Digital Dialogues webpage.

Unable to attend the events in person? Archived podcasts can be found on the MITH website, and you can follow our Digital Dialogues Twitter account @digdialog as well as the Twitter hashtag #mithdd to keep up with live tweets from our sessions.

All talks free and open to the public! Refreshments are often provided but attendees are welcome to bring their own lunches.

Contact: Neil Fraistat, Director, MITH (http://mith.umd.edu, mith@umd.edu, 5-8927).