A Micro-conference on the Possibilities and Risks of Mediated Participation Today

When & Where

16 March 2012, 12-3pm

YRL Presentation Room

What & Why

The issue of participation is on everyone’s lips. In its newest forms, some claim we have revolutions in North Africa and public occupations at home, citizen science and grassroots journalism. Critics counter that participation is actually exploitation—venture funded, profit-driven, politically retrograde astro-turfing. Cutting between the hype and the gloom, how can we critically engage with these changing forms and functions of participation, democratization and citizenship?

This micro-conference invites students and faculty working on any aspect of these issues, from all disciplines and skill-sets, to present to each other on proposed or ongoing research projects. The goal is to precipitate new connections, cross-disciplinary interactions and skill-sharing. And also just to have fun and see what others are doing.

How

Graduate students (and faculty) present their project in an ignite-style format [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignite_(event) ] Presentation should include: a) a clear explanation of the research question/problem, b) a slide that explains the skills they hope to develop in their own project (e.g. programming, statistics, ethnographic observation, design), and c) a slide that imagines other skills they don’t have but might make use of to research their problem.

Who

The event is sponsored by the Part.Public.Part.Lab (http://recursivepublic.net) co-directed by Aaron Panofsky and Christopher Kelty.

To Sign Up

Send name, home department(s), and a 1-2 sentence description of your research to msmorgancurrie@ucla.edu. We’ll do our best to accommodate everyone who wants to present.

_Brought to you by the UCLA Part.Public.Part.Lab _http://recursivepublic.net/

Download a flyer to circulate: CALL FOR EXPLOITATION!