Dannagal G. Young, a leading political communication scholar, will present the fall 2016 Robert M. Pockrass Memorial Lecture titled “The Promise and Peril of Political Humor as a Rhetorical Device,” in a free public session sponsored by College of Communications and University Libraries. Young is an associate professor at the University of Delaware. Her research on the psychology and influence of political entertainment has been widely published, including articles in Columbia Journalism Review, Media Psychology, Political Communication, International Journal of Press/Politics and Mass Communication and Society. Her talk will explore the content, categories and influence of political humor. oung will present the results of recent experimental work that shows different rates of humor appreciation among liberals and conservatives, as mediated through personality traits known to correlate with ideology. She will address the role played by social media in stripping political satire of the context necessary to make sense of it in the way intended by the authors. The Pockrass Lecture was named after the late Professor Robert M. Pockrass, a member of Penn State's journalism faculty from 1948 to 1977. Pockrass, who specialized in public opinion and popular culture, served as the graduate officer and taught radio news writing.

Joel Litvin, former president, league operations, for the NBA, will draw on his experience as a lawyer and his 27-year career in the league office for a discussion on sports ethics. The event is sponsored by the Penn State Roundtable on Sports and Society, which includes the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism in the College of Communications. The is free and open to the public.

Screening of Academy Award-winning "Spotlight," followed by a question-and-answer session including Penn State alumnus Tom Ortenberg, an executive producer for the film and CEO of Open Road Films.

Alumnus Joel Beckerman, an award-winning composer who has done music for TV advertising and for TV shows and events, will discuss the art of sound branding in advertising.

Information session about internships and early career opportunities at NBCUniversal.

Free public screening of "Starving the Beast," a documentary that focuses on the future of public higher education. A panel discussion with Bill Banowsky, the film's producer; John Cheslock, director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Penn State; and Wil del Pilar, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, will follow the screening. The event is sponsored by the College of Communications, the Center for Conscience Character and Purpose in Student Affairs and the Institute of Arts and Humanities at Penn State.

Free public screening of "Starving the Beast," a documentary that focuses on the future of public higher education. The screening is sponsored by the College of Communications, the Center for Conscience Character and Purpose in Student Affairs and the Institute of Arts and Humanities at Penn State.

"The Future of Sports Television" -- a free public session featuring ESPN's Rob King, senior vice president, SportsCenter and news -- is presented by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism as part of its Conversation Series.

Alumna Jennie Brinsko (’14), former Nittany Group AAF team member and presenter, is an account executive at MSL Group, a public relations-focused group in New York City. She will compare and contrast working in a public relations agency coming from an advertising background.

An annual networking event in Washington, D.C., at the Hawthorne, which is famous for having one of the best rooftops in the nation’s capital with stunning views of such landmarks as the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol.
“Penn State Pride Meets D.C. Power” is sponsored by the Advertising/Public Relations Board of the Penn State College of Communications Alumni Society Board. It is open to all alumni of the College of Communications and all Penn Staters working in the communications industry in the metro Washington, D.C. region. Admission and an array of appetizers are free. There will be a cash bar with Penn State-themed drinks, as well as a free raffle with several Penn State items as prizes. One guest per registrant, please. Register online, {page_10302}