Wednesday, November 17, 2021 from 4:30 – 5:45 pm
Film Representation Matter
Eric Siler, M.F.A. M.Ed.
School of Film & Media Arts, School of Communication, Cleveland State University
Film representation invites an audience to understand and connect with the characters in a select manner. Mr. Siler will explore the institutional structures of film, representations, and audiences. There will be a particular focus on African American representation and the United States ideology regarding race. Seen will be the cultural forces that influence how such representations are produced and perceived; along with their political and behavioral consequences.
Eric Siler researches and lectures on relevant film and communications issues as it relates to race and culture. He is the director of programming for the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF). He is the moderator and study guide writer for the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) FilmSlam Streams. Additionally, he has moderated post-film conversations for CIFF Streams for the annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.
Friday, October 29, 2021 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Research at the Intersection of Design + Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Anne H. Berry
Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Design
Anne H. Berry is a writer and designer whose research focuses on race/representation and educational pedagogy in the field of design. She is co-creator of the award-winning project Ongoing Matter: Democracy, Design, and the Mueller Report, and managing editor of the forthcoming book The Black Experience in Design.
Design history and educational canons have traditionally favored European modernist influences, sidelining the work and experiences of Black designers, educators, and students in the process. Ms. Berry will focus on the ways design educators and practitioners are utilizing research as a means of promoting diverse and inclusive practices, as well as the ways designers are confronting systematic disparities of diverse ethnic/racial representation in the aftermath of the 2020 nationwide Black Lives Matter protests.
CLASS Dean’s Diversity Council Speaker’s Series Presents
THE MYTH OF RACE
A presentation by Professor Peter Dunham
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Berkman Hall, Room 137
Are we too heavily invested in race? Do we define ourselves so much by race to let it go? Can we imagine ourselves without race?
Dr. Dunham is an anthropologist and recipient of multiple major grants, including the National Geographic Society, who has spent decades investigating the native peoples and cultures of the Americas. Building on the insights gained in the course of his career, he shares one of the most important—the fact that there is no scientific validity to race and explore the wider implications. Join us!
Interrupting Bias in the Faculty Search Process
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Berkman Hall, Room 137
The CLASS Dean’s Diversity Council will sponsor a screening of “Interrupting Bias in the Faculty Search Process,” a live-action film created from a case study used at national leadership development workshops. The film examines how a search committee of four tenure-track faculty members debate candidate qualifications for an open position.
Following the film, Dr. Ronnie Dunn, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer will lead a Q&A for interested faculty.