|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cortés speaks October 19 on media’s lessons about diversity
September 24, 2004 | |||||
KOKOMO, Ind.—Long concerned with the misleading, even damaging, ideas that entertainment and news media can convey about diverse cultures, Carlos E. Cortés, Ph.D., doesn’t shun those media. Rather, he has worked for change from the inside out. He has written film and television documentaries, has appeared as a guest host on the PBS national television series, “Why in the World?,” and currently is a consultant to the Nickelodeon pre-school cartoon series “Dora the Explorer,” whose lead character speaks both Spanish and English.
Cortés, a professor emeritus of history for the University of California Riverside, will speak at IU Kokomo on Tuesday, October 19. His 9 a.m. presentation in Kresge Auditorium, “How the Media Teach About Diversity,” will look at how children have learned about different cultures and races from television and movies, long before schools addressed issues of diversity. The presentation is free and open to the public. Area high school teachers interested in bringing classes to the lecture should contact Catherine Barnes in the IU Kokomo Office of Campus Climate at (765) 455-9359. Television, movies and news coverage that portray minority populations as “unhealthy people, families and communities” present a biased picture to youngsters, said Barnes. “Children may accept the stereotypes or mimic the biased attitudes and language,” she said. “Dr. Cortés’ message—that we need to know who is putting out these biased viewpoints and supervise what our children are watching—is for all groups.” A review of Cortes’ book The Children Are Watching: How the Media Teach about Diversity (Teachers College Press, 2000) noted that the author’s advocacy “. . . is hardly limited to his own ethnic background. His insistence that there must be limits to tolerance is refreshing in current times of political correctness.” Cortés has consulted on diversity and multicultural education with government agencies, school systems, media groups and the private sector for several decades. He is the featured presenter on the Video Journal of Education’s training video, “Diversity in the Classroom.” Cortés edited three major book series totaling 96 volumes on Latinos in the United States. In 2001, Cortés received the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators' Outstanding Contribution to Higher Education Award. The IU Kokomo student multicultural group El Mundo Hispano is co-sponsoring Cortés’ lecture in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The presentation is part of the “Building Character. Building Communities.” series being offered at IU Kokomo this fall under the American Democracy Project, which encourages civic engagement by undergraduates. The series schedule can be seen at www.iuk.edu/adp. American Democracy Project events/activities will take place on campus through spring 2006. Weekday guests to campus who do not have an IU Kokomo parking pass are asked to park in the lower level of the parking garage, located on the south end of campus. Parking is free.
|
|
||||