Professor Majkut named to Steering Committee for UNESCO Forum for Well-being in Digital Media, will participate in February panel discussion in Israel
San Diego, Calif. Feb. 12, 2015 – National University Professor Paul Majkut has been named to a prestigious Steering Committee for a United Nations forum aiming to influence new ground rules on digital media. Professor Majkut, who will participate in a panel discussion during the global forum Feb. 17-19 in Israel, teaches philosophy and literature in the College of Letters and Sciences at National University, the second-largest private, nonprofit university in California.
Professor Majkut is one of just six Steering Committee members from the United States represented in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Forum for Well-being in Digital Media. The Forum, which convenes researchers, scientists and scholars from around the world, aims to enhance users’ long-term well-being through their interactions with digital media. Among the issues that will be discussed is cyber bullying among children and young adults.
“I am honored to serve on the Steering Committee and participate with the many respected scholars who have been invited to the Forum for Well Being in Digital Media,” said Professor Majkut, whose area of expertise includes addressing misconceptions about digital communication that have harmful psychological and ethical consequences. “UNESCO has long provided an indispensable umbrella for international research and the forum provides an opportunity to explore a more human-centric approach to digital media design and uses, with the goal of identifying practices and recommendations that can enhance the long-term well-being of users of the digital space.”
The UNESCO Forum explores best practices for improvement of digital technologies, and recommendations will refer to various stages of design, research and development, as well as in common modes of usage. In addition, Professor Majkut will also serve as the respondent on a Forum panel entitled “General Concepts of Well-Being,” reviewing and critiquing the panel’s research.
“We are well aware of the pioneering nature of our endeavor as well as its very ambitious goals, both on the scientific level and the practical level of research and development,” wrote Dr. Galit Wellner, Director of the Forum for Well Being in Digital Media, in an invitation to Professor Majkut. “We believe your contribution to this pioneering project can be significant to its formation and future success.”
UNESCO’s purpose is to contribute international collaboration through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law and human rights.
Professor Majkut is widely recognized around the world as a respected media theorist. He founded the International Society for Phenomenology and Media in 1999, and he spent a decade as a journalist, winning numerous awards from the Los Angeles Press Club, the Southern California Press Club, San Diego Press Club, the Society for Professional Journalists, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and other professional organizations prior to teaching at National University.
About National University
Founded in 1971, National University is the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California. With 30,000 students and more than 230,000 alumni, National University is the flagship institution of the National University System. National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging, and relevant to a diverse population of students. Five schools and one college – the College of Letters and Sciences; the School of Business and Management; the School of Education; the School of Engineering and Computing; the School of Health and Human Services; and the School of Professional Studies – offer more than 75 graduate and undergraduate degrees and 23 teacher credentials. Programs are offered at locations throughout California and across the nation, and are also available online. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California.
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