Melbourne Free University - Gender wars - Poetry - Media Ethics;

There's a lot on at the MFU this week.

On Tuesday (3/10) Gender Wars continues with Bombshells, a discussion of nuclear disarmament, Australian anti-war movements and the role of women and minorities in times of war and protest. Our panellists this week are Geraldine Robertson (Women's Web), Dimity Hawkins (ICAN/Reaching Critical Will) and Carole Wigg (Medical Practitioners for the Prevention of War).  6.30-8pm at Some Velvet Morning, 123 Queens Pde Clifton Hill.

Do you read poetry?  On Wednesday (4/10) Bonnie Cassidy (Deakin/RMIT) talks about why she does.  Like a virus or an annoying ex-lover, poetry persists: in Australia alone, there are over a dozen independent poetry publishers, and in Melbourne, at least twenty regular events for its live performance. But why keep poetry in our lives when we have novels, films and virtual fun; can it make something else happen? Exploring provocative poems from very different times and places, this seminar is for anyone curious about why and how we read.  6.30-8pm at The Alderman, 134 Lygon St, E. Brunswick.

And on Thursday (5/10) our course on Media Ethics turns to the ethics of disaster reporting withMutiny Media director, Nicholas Hansen. The disaster zone is a vortex of information, much of it spun out by first responders to a hungry media. The public has a right to know, but where is actuality amongst these hurried impressions and in whose interest is the news we receive? We'll be discussing the factors that influence contemporary disaster reporting, and issues around its consumption. How are ethics stretched in production and reception, and where are the opportunities as media speeds up and our capacity increases to talkback?  6.30-8pm at The Alderman, 134 Lygon St, E. Brunswick.

We've added some great speakers to our current courses, so check out the attached flyer for full details of what's coming up in the next 4 weeks.

Hope to see you there!

the MFU