A Congress of Learners

[Mike Gange]

 

By Mike Gange

Some time ago, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences was known as the Learned Societies. I recall when these meetings were held in Fredericton in the late 1970’s. A very confident, charming and persuasive Jacques Parizeau told an audience about how a Quebec province could benefit from a separation from the rest of Canada. Parizeau went on the lead the separatist movement in Quebec, and I watched his career with interest. At his speech in Fredericton, he was very convincing. An avowed nationalist, even I could see the merits of separation, thanks to Monsieur Parizeau. His English was so flawless, I had no trouble cutting my tape into segments to be used on radio newscasts.  

This year Congress, as it has become, was held in Fredericton again. This annual meeting is the largest multidisciplinary academic gathering in Canada, attracting delegates from every province and territory and from around the world. I attended a few sessions, but none were blockbusters like Parizeau’s speech from 34 years ago.

For me, one of the best parts of Congress was the giant book store organized in the new gymnasium on the University of New Brunswick campus. I certainly recognize the irony in books teaching us about the mass media, but none-the-less, I looked for displays that would tell me about the latest in communications or media studies. The best that I found was SAGE publications. The company has a 58 page catalogue for Communications and Media Studies. In the next while I will tell you about some of these books. Meanwhile, if you are looking for more info, visit www.sagepub.com .

 

Editorial Note: Sage is not compensating me for this posting.     

 

[Frank W. Baker]

Mike, are any of these books geared toward K-12?  Sage really targets higher ed, don't they?

[Mike Gange]

Hi Frank, You are correct, most of the books are for higher ed. There are some though that would have an impact on the high school teacher, helping to shape his or her thinking in media ed courses. I will have more to report here soon. -- Mike