As part of the Carsey-Wolf Center’s commitment to groundbreaking research in Film and Media Studies, we were proud to sponsor a series of three virtual roundtables in winter 2021 with leading media scholars under the rubric “Media, Technology, and Politics under Pressure.” Participants explored the past, present, and future of media in the wake of the anxieties and possibilities of our current moment. A number of key questions guided our discussions. What possibilities, responsibilities, and obligations gather around film and media study in a historical moment defined by the pressures of racism, the global health pandemic, and subsequent challenges to notions of community, belonging, and purpose? How might we better understand our current time by reflecting on the past, present, and future of media, including cinema, television, and wireless technologies?

All roundtables were conducted via Zoom, and events were free and open to the public.