ULAB MSJ Concludes Summer 2026 Curriculum Integration Exhibition on “Platform Society in the Global South
The Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) successfully concluded the Curriculum Integration (CI) Exhibition – Summer 2026 on Sunday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka. The three-part exhibition programme brought together student performances, visual works, and audiovisual productions under the theme “Platform Society in the Global South.”
The programme opened on 9 August with “রুপান্তর: The ReSonance Show” at the Experimental Hall, Jatiya Natyashala, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The performance featured student contributions in music, choreography, and creative expression.
The Visual Exhibition opened on 14 August at Galleries 2 & 3, Jatiya Chitrashala, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. It continued through 16 August, presenting student works produced across different courses as part of the CI initiative.
The final segment, an Audiovisual Production Screening, was held on 16 August at the Auditorium, Jatiya Chitrashala, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The screening featured student-produced works exploring contemporary social realities through documentary, narrative, experimental, and other audiovisual forms.
The concluding programme began with opening remarks by Professor Sumon Rahman, PhD, Head, Department of Media Studies and Journalism, and Dean, School of Social Sciences, ULAB. He highlighted the role of Curriculum Integration in encouraging students to connect academic learning with contemporary issues and creative practice, promoting higher-order learning through performance, media production and interpretation. He noted that platforms shape everyday life differently across the Global South and North due to varying media literacy.
The programme also featured a segment on public speaking and speech writing by Sara Jahin, who highlighted the disorientation of platform society, noting that platforms are deliberately designed to capture attention and that algorithms in the Global South function as interconnected ecosystems. She emphasized that the normalization of being controlled by platforms is particularly concerning.
The event also featured remarks from distinguished guests Professor Firdous Azim, PhD, Chairperson, Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University and Chairperson, Press Institute of Bangladesh, and Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury, Managing Director, Digitally Right.
Professor Firdous Azim praised the concept of CI and the students’ ability to address serious issues through creativity and humour. She reflected on how platform control is reshaping young people’s thoughts and identities, emphasizing the need for deeper critical reflection and commending ULAB’s CI initiative for fostering creativity, analysis, and critical thinking among students.
Miraj Ahmed Chowdhury highlighted concerns over data theft, platform control, and the impact of viral news on the justice system. He noted that platforms now wield significant economic and political power, with a few major companies influencing what people see, how news is distributed, and the growing scale of surveillance.
The concluding programme also featured a ceremony to present tokens of appreciation before formally coming to an end.
The exhibition reflected the collaborative efforts of ULAB MSJ students, faculty members, course instructors, organizers, and volunteers, providing students with a platform to showcase their learning through creative, publicly accessible forms of expression.
