CLCS 180 - Communities are Critical: A Multimedia Project in Storytelling

Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)

This class begins with the double meaning of “critical” in the course’s title: 1) building communities of inclusion and belonging is a crucial goal, and 2) building communities of inclusion and belonging requires casting a reflexive and critical eye on the community itself. In order to give life to these complicated dynamics, students in this class work with the Engaged Pluralism Initiative to create a multimedia project of stories from members of our community about the meaning of community. Enrolled students should be prepared to participate in the project by workshopping and developing stories of their own. We ask, What do you need to belong? What does community feel like to you? Who in your life orients you toward building community? Students also invite members of their communities–at Vassar and beyond–to engage with the same questions and work with them to develop stories of their own. The class culminates in an end of semester set of media presentations of the stories we tell about community, including an in-person photography exhibit of participants, a virtual 360 photo exhibit in conjunction with v21 Art Space, podcast interviews, and a final opening reception in April. We draw readings from a variety of voices on the power of storytelling. Students need to bring to the course a willingness to work with multimedia, and most importantly a desire to explore their own stories and listen to the stories of others. Jonathon Kahn.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: INT