students making media about september 11 - and talking about the media they made on september 11 - at depauw university
i've never met kevin howley, an associate professor of media studies at depauw university in indiana, but his book, community media: people, places, and communication technologies, is on my read-this-book-asap list.
on monday, september 11, 2006 at 4 pm in the peeler auditorium on the depauw university campus, a video memorial produced by and featuring depauw university students will be shown with a moderated discussion to follow. here's the press release:
Student Video, "The September Project," Premieres at DePauw University on 9/11 Anniversaryi love this september project event!
GREENCASTLE, IN. -- August 28, 2006 -- "The September Project," a video memorial produced by and featuring DePauw University students, will have its world premiere on the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Produced in conjunction with DePauw's Roy O. West Library, "The September Project" features student recollections of the events of 9/11. Undergraduates also discuss how America has changed in the five years since the terrorist attacks and consider the role of the public library in democratic societies.
"The September Project" was one of several video projects-including public service announcements, advertisements, "man on the street"-style interviews, and news features-produced by students enrolled in DePauw's First Year Seminar, "Video as Cultural Politics."
According to project supervisor, Dr. Kevin Howley, associate professor of media studies at DePauw University, "The September Project" had enormous educational value. "Aside from providing a hands-on lesson in video production, students came away from this project with a greater understanding of video's capacity to promote dialogue and debate. Students came to appreciate the value of community video in amplifying voices, opinions and perspectives that are rarely heard in mainstream media."
"The September Project" gets its name from a grassroots effort to encourage communities, in conjunction with local libraries, to provide a forum for people to discuss a host of issues: democracy, war and peace, terrorism, militarism, religion, and conflict resolution.
The September Project will foster civic events around the world on September 11th such as poetry readings, film screenings, art competitions, public lectures and community forums. The September Project events are designed to bring people into their local libraries and get them talking about important issues in politics, culture and religion in a safe and civil manner.
"The September Project" will be screened on Monday, September 11, 2006 at 4PM in the Peeler Auditorium on the DePauw University campus. A moderated discussion will follow. Admission is free and the public is welcome.
Contact:
Dr. Kevin Howley
Associate Professor of Media Studies
DePauw University
(765) 658-4491
i love how the event engages university students - and the greater university community - with media made by students. i love how the media text under discussion was made by students enrolled in a first year seminar called "video as cultural politics." bravo!
posted by david silver @ 11:36 AM
4 Comments:
The media project and event was somewhat misleading. It involved DePauw University students interviewing other students in the Univeristy Library. A very limited view of community--and had nothing to do with the role of public libraries--or the greater community outside of the students' immediate small world--in the aftermath of 9/11.
I'd love to see this video. Would it be made available at the university website? Or post it to Youtube or Googlevideo. Make it bloggable!
ivan - interesting question! i will check with professor howley.
in the meantime, here's an article about the events
We have no immediate plans to make the video project available online--but I will certainly look into it.
As for the comment regarding the "limited view" of this video--I couldn't agree more. This was a project intended to get students talking about these issues.
But isn't that the nature of grassroots efforts of this sort? Like many sept. projects events, this was--by design--a hyper-local event.
I hasten to add that a call for public participation in was published in the local news paper and over the campus radio station, among other outreach efforts.
Judging from the turnout for the screening--well over 80 students--and the subsequent 90 minute long dialogue that followed, I'd suggest the event was quite successful.
Indeed, a great many students commented that the event provided an important venue for them to discuss the issues raised by the video in a frank, safe and civil fashion.
BTW The DVD is being made available to the public library and school libraries in and around Greencastle, IN. Our hope is to engender a broader, more expansive conversation, in town and in the public schools.
Kevin Howley
Associate Professor of Media Studies
DePauw University
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