ULAB MSJ Holds “Frames of Bangladesh” Events.

In line with its Curriculum Integration Program for Summer Semester 2011, the Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) Department of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB, http://www.ulab.edu.bd ) will hold two activities on the “Frames of Bangladesh” on June 16, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the ULAB Auditorium, Campus A.  In the morning session, ULAB Associate Professor Anis Pervez will explain the Framing Theory while Senior Lecturer Marium Akther and Lecturer Imtiaz Chowdhury will discuss how Bangladeshi films frame children and rich/poor people.  In the afternoon session, Lecturer Bikash Bhowmick will instruct participants on how to identify frames used in Bangladeshi films.  The film “Balughori” (The Sand Clock) directed by ULAB Senior Lecturer Razibul Hossain will be screened and used as basis for this exercise in frame identification and interpretation.  

The theme for Summer Semester 2011 is “Frames of Bangladesh.”  The theme highlights the Framing Theory, which scholars mainly attribute to Erving Goffman, particularly his 1974 book Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience.  Basically, a frame consists of a schema of interpretation (or a collection of anecdotes and stereotypes) that individuals rely on to understand and respond to events.   Through biological and cultural influences, people build a series of mental filters to make sense of the world. According to Susan Fiske, framing is so effective because it acts as a guide or mental shortcut.  Frames provide people a quick and easy way to process information; thereby as little thinking as possible is needed.

As applied to communication, the way in which the news is brought, the frame in which the news is presented, is also a choice made by journalists. A frame refers to the way media and media gatekeepers organize and present the events and issues they cover, and the way audiences interpret what they are provided. Frames influence the perception of the news of the audience, this form of agenda-setting not only tells what to think about, but also how to think about it.  Hence, we witness how American press frame “Islam,” how Hollywood movies frame “Asians” and how European NGOs frame “Bangladesh.”  Within Bangladesh, the media would frame certain ethnic groups (Garo), age groups (students) and gender groups (Hijra) in particular ways.  Using frames is convenient for the media in order to convey messages that utilize mental shortcuts audiences can easily relate to.

There are 14 courses under the Curriculum Integration Program – “Advertising” (Imtiaz Ahmed Chowdhury), “Multimedia Production” (Imtiaz Ahmed Chowdhury), “Introduction to Photography” (Razibul Hossain), “TV Production Skills” (Razibul Hossain), “Photojournalism” (Razibul Hossain), “Video Communication 1” (Shazzad Hossain), “Mass Communication” (Marium Akther), “Development Communication” (Marium Akther), “ “Reading Media Text” (Anis Pervez), “Research Methodology” (Anis Pervez), “English for Media” (Md. Asiuzzaman), “Digital Culture” (Bikash Bhowmick), “Global Communication” (Bikash Bhowmick) and “Sports Journalism” (Mahmuhdul Haque). The program will culminate with a film exhibit on August 4 at the Public Library, communication campaign presentations on August 7, faculty-student research conference on August 8 and visual arts exhibit on August 9 at the Shilpakala Academy.