Pockrass Memorial Lecture

Fall 2009, "Consuming Latina Bodies Through the Global Media"

Isabel Molina, a College of Communications alumna, is an assistant professor and director of the Latina/Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois. Her research and publications focus on the contemporary politics of ethnicity, race and gender in the media. Examining gendered narratives on news, television, film and the Internet, she has published journal articles and book chapters on a variety of case studies. Her book "Dangerous Curves: Latina Bodies in the Media" (2010, New York University Press) explores both the media popularity and social backlash toward Latinas in the media.

Established in the name of Robert M. Pockrass, a member of the University's journalism faculty from 1948 to 1977, the lecture honors Pockrass's memory and his many contributions to the College of Communications and University. A popular colleague among faculty members and a popular instructor among students, Pockrass taught radio news writing, among other courses.

In spring 2009, Stephen Prince, a professor of communication at Virginia Tech and a leading film scholar, presented the lecture. His research and publications focus on violence in motion pictures, on Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and Japanese cinema, on the American film industry, on American film during the 1980s, and on political cinema. He is the author or editor of 15 books, and has published more than two dozen journal articles and book chapters. His latest book is "Firestorm: American Film in the Age of Terrorism" (2009, Columbia University Press).

In 2008, Dafna Lemish of Tel Aviv University and Lynn Spigel of Northwestern University, presented the lecture. In 2007, Joseph Turow of the University of Pennsylvania presented the lecture. Previous visitors for the lecture include: Michael Schudson of the University of California-San Diego; William Safire of The New York Times and Richard Cole of the University of North Carolina.