The University of Queensland's new media studies major got off to a flying start this semester with students benefiting from a constant flow of top speakers.
Strong links between the Arts Faculty and the media have yielded a crop of well-known names from the worlds of television, films, advertising, magazines, newspapers and politics.
Typical of the calibre of the visiting experts is next Thursday's (7/5/98) address to students by Chris Noonan, director of Babe, the hugely successful movie about a talking pig.
Other high-profile speakers have included former Queensland premier Wayne Goss, speaking about relations between government and the media, Channel 7 television program director David Franken and Courier-Mail arts editor Sandra McLean.
Media studies has also played host to former ABC Radio announcer Anna Reynolds, now a columnist with the Courier-Mail, and Mojo advertising media manager Chris Cavanagh.
The next guest speakers will be film producer Gabrielle Jones, discussing the role of government and government funding in the film industry, and Christine Theodosiou, talking about the distribution and exhibition of films.
A little further down the track students are looking forward to hearing from Brisbane News writer Phil Brown and Triple M radio programmer Mike Perso.
The interdisciplinary media major involves completion of a one-semester, first-year subject entitled Australian Media Cultures, co-ordinated by Dr Liz Ferrier, an English Department lecturer.
Students can structure their bachelor of arts degrees drawing on approved media studies-related subjects in a range of departments including English, Government, History, Anthropology and Sociology, Art History, Journalism and some languages.
'In the introductory subject, students receive a lot of information about print, film, television, radio and advertising, including production details and history,' Dr Ferrier said.
Dr Ferrier said the media studies major had potential to lead students to jobs in cultural industries which employed more than 200,000 people in Australia and produced annual revenue in excess of $14 billion.
'The cultural industries in Australia generate more revenue per annum than the wheat, wool and beef industries combined,' Dr Ferrier said.
She said as well as using top-class outside speakers, the University of Queensland had some of the best academics in the media studies field - people like Professor Graeme Turner, Dr Frances Bonner, Dr David Marshall and Dr Jim McKay.
For further information, contact Dr Liz Ferrier (Telephone 3365 3196).
