June 30, 1999
ARTS & HUMANITIES TIPS FROM UAB OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
1.Watch What You Say in Chat Rooms Internet chat rooms let strangers talk on-line about anything from parenting to fantasy role-playing games. "Humans have a fundamental need to reach out to others, and they'll use whatever technology is available," says UAB communication expert Jonathan Amsbary, Ph.D., who spent a year examining how people interact in chat rooms. Each room has its own code of conduct, but some can become unfriendly places where users trade insults, freeze other visitors out and make threats. "Some even express their displeasure with a chat room visitor by typing messages that say they are punching or stabbing that visitor." Remember: be polite. Learn the rules. Beware of providing personal information or meeting visitors in-person. "Someone who says they're a teenaged female could be a 45-year-old sex offender." Call Amsbary at 934-3878/[email protected].
2.Music Made Easy If you want to fully appreciate music, learn the basics, says Ronald Clemmons, D.M.A., UAB Department of Music. "It doesn't matter if you're a music major or just a music lover, knowing the basics will help you appreciate whatever you listen to." Feeling most methods of teaching music fundamentals were outdated, he wrote his own book on the subject, "Sounds in Time: A Guide to Music Fundamentals." His practical approach uses common songs to demonstrate sometimes complex, abstract theories. "Concepts like key signatures, triads and intervals aren't usually exciting to students, but if you pair it with a song that they recognize, it hits home." Call Clemmons at 934-7375.
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