Interview with Professor Doug Kellner

Doug Kellner is a Professor of Philosophy  in the Division of Social Sciences & Comparative Education Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, UCLA at UCLA  believes that media literacy should be taught widely in schools to assist young people to really engage with the media saturated world they now live in and shapes so many of their perceptions about the world. He writes in his "Philosophical Adventures" (full text locatable on his highly informative website)  that "During my several years of service at UCLA as George F. Kneller Chair in the  Philosophy of Education, I have focused on researching the relevance of new technologies to  education, politics, and everyday life, as well as continuing work in philosophy, social theory, and cultural studies. I have published an article on new technologies and new literacies in Educational Theory, several articles on multimedia and new forms of textuality in various books  and journals, and a series of articles on the Internet and politics. A Blackwell reader Media and Cultural Studies: KeyWorks, co-edited with Gigi Durham (2001), contributes to my work in cultural studies while my work on alternative media continues with a biographical introduction and collection of writings, Art and Politics: An Emile de Antonio Reader, co-edited with Dan Streible (2000)." The conversation lasts for 32 minutes and focuses some of the following topics: 1. Why media literacy is so important to teach at all levels of education today. 2. Examples of the ways in which teachers can use media to engage their students more deeply in subject matter knowledge as well as how it can assist in the development of critical thinking skills. 3. The relationship of media literacy to understanding globalization