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Student to Host Panel on Women and Iran Election

Mona Kasra has combined her Iranian culture with her graduate studies in emerging media and communication (EMAC) to organize an interactive panel for the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival in Austin.

The panel, “2009 Iran Election: Women’s Revolution? Twitter Revolution?,” will address how Iranian women surprised onlookers with their participation in the events surrounding the contested vote last year.

Panel members will discuss what led to the sudden appearance of women in dissent, a previously invisible part of Iranian society, and what role emerging media played.

“Having a panel selected for SXSW is a tremendous achievement,” said Dr. David Parry, assistant professor of EMAC at UT Dallas.

“This is one of the largest and most popular conferences of the year — I think they had over 2,000 submissions,” Parry said. “The fact that Mona’s panel was selected speaks to the strength and importance of her work.”

Besides Kasra, panelists include Dr. Parry; Shireen Mitchell, a self-proclaimed “digitalsista” and advocate for women in technology, media and politics; and Roja Bandari, an Iranian-born women’s rights activist. The panel is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, at 11 a.m. at the Austin Convention Center.

The annual South by Southwest Interactive Conference is one of the most popular events of its type.  

Media Contact: The Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].

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