On Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bill Cosford Cinema, The University of Miami School of Communication’s Norton Herrick Center for Motion Picture Studies hosts Dr. Eric Schaefer in a discussion on what can be learned from forgotten and controversial exploitation films.

Dr. Schaefer, associate professor in the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Emerson College in Boston, is the author of “‘Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!’: A History of Exploitation Films, 1919-1959.” In it, he explores the role of “trash films” in the history of cinema and society.

Dr. Schaefer will deliver his lecture “High on Low: What We Can Learn from Low-Budget Films,” explaining why scholars are now looking into the vast content of forgotten low-budget movies. Clips from movies like “The Black King,” “Murder on Lenox Avenue,” and “Glen or Glenda” will be shown. Genres include race films, grindhouse films, and, of course, exploitation films.

Snacks and refreshments are served at 6:30 p.m. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. Professor Christina Lane, director of the Herrick Center, is leading a Q+A session following the lecture.

The event is free and open to the public.