Erica Scharrer (PhD Syracuse University, 1998) is Professor and Chair in the Department of Communication at UMass. She’ll discuss the opportunities and challenges of parenting in a world in which kids (aged 8 to 18) spend an average of 7.5 hours per day with media and technology. From screen time to particular concerns about violence, stereotypes, advertising and commercialism, and other issues, Prof. Scharrer will share some recent research findings and respond to questions about the role of media in the lives of young people.
Additional information about our guest speaker: Erica Scharrer, Professor & Chair of Communication Department, Umass Amherst. Her research interests involve the study of media content, opinions of media, media effects, and media literacy, particularly regarding gender and violence.
Her work has appeared in Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, and Media Psychology. She co‐authored three books with first author, George Comstock, including Media and the American Child (Elsevier, 2007) in which we provide a critical synthesis and review of the children and media literature. My edited collection Media Effects/Media Psychology (Wiley‐Blackwell, 2013), part of the International Encyclopedia of Media Studies, provides a state‐of‐the‐art review of the field. Particular emphases in my work include media depictions of masculinity, the third‐person effect and other opinions about media influence, and the effectiveness of media literacy curricula.
- Hadley Elementary School – Speaker will begin at 7:00 pm
- Mothers’ Club meeting start time 6:30 pm. All welcome.
- Child care is available on site at no charge. Provided by Girl Scout Troop 11267.
