Senior family studies and psychology major Taylor Crowser will give a talk on April 28 on the erosion of basic human communication manners. (Photo provided)
All members of the St. Thomas community are invited to attend TED-style talks that will be given by students in professor Carol Bruess’ communication and journalism (COJO) 220 Interpersonal Communication course.
Called TED220Talks (a nod to the course number, COJO220), 33 students will each give a dynamic, six-minute talk on a topic they have become passionate about in the course. Each presentation is based on research, as well as personal experiences of communication behaviors in an age of iPhones, Twitter, Instagram and texting.
The TED220Talks will take place in the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Great Room on the second floor between 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. on the following dates:
- Thursday, April 21
- Tuesday, April 26
- Thursday, April 28
- Tuesday, May 3
- Thursday, May 5
- Tuesday, May 10
Sophomore Molly Britt will discuss how technology can bring us closer to our extended families; however, she will argue why “we must prioritize in-person love connections to really bring us closer together with family.” She hopes to inspire the audience to rethink their use of technology, especially in our most central relationships of family.
Allison Gengler, a senior family studies majors, will share her knowledge on the influence of social media. She will discuss how "we need space for ourselves to be creative and innovative," but in a digital age, most people are rarely alone and rarely take the opportunity to reflect and embrace necessary solitude. She’ll talk about how all of us can and should be more mindful of why technology has a seductive undertow in our lives – not all if it good and healthy.
The TED220Talks, rooted in a semester’s worth of reading, reflecting, field experiences, mini-experiments, and in-depth conversations both in and out of class, will empower the audience to act on the information presented.
