This page was created by Patty Ahn. 

Why American election replies on social media followers?

Project Description

You will work in clusters of 2 to 4 to create a final media project that employs some combination of production techniques and exhibition strategies that we learned this quarter in order to amplify, document or tell a short narrative about a social justice movement covered in class or at least of relevance to the course. For instance, you might produce a web-based collective storytelling project, or stage and document a direct action or public protest. Or, you might opt to shoot and edit a call-to-action video or short documentary (2-3 min. max) about a specific aspect or person/group of people perhaps overlooked in mainstream representations of a political struggle. 

Whatever audiovisual means and strategies you choose to pursue, your decisions should demonstrate a thoughtful engagement with critical, historical and aesthetic concepts we learned this quarter and a clear intention behind them. They should work to draw out a specific aspect of your selected topic/person/story/space, and reach your desired audience(s) and larger messaging goals. An exceptional project might pose some form of an argument about the political capacities of the representational and exhibition strategies employed in the project. Finally, each project should equally represent the labor and critical input of each group member — no group is allowed to pursue the idea or research interests of any single person. A collective set of agreements will need to be submitted with your formal project proposals.

Although the final project is designed to be open and provide you with the creative room to explore different modes of storytelling and scholarship, you will be developing them in consultation with the professor and will receive ample opportunity for small- and large-group feedback from your classmates.

* Important Note about Video Projects: My contact at Buzzfeed News is willing to publish any one-minute video piece that is emotionally compelling, well made enough, and fits within their branding. She will provide a style and story guideline as well as release forms. If you are interested in pursuing this route, let me know ASAP. 


Potential Topics and Sub-Topics (list still in progress):
Anti-State Violence Movements: cop watch, Black Lives Matter, Survived and Punished, fight to end violence against women, Muslim justice/Islamophobia 
Queer and Transgender Resistance and Liberation: undocu-queer 
Student Movements: privatization of the university, #ConcernedStudent1950
Migrant Justice: sanctuary campuses/undocumented students/DACA; prison industrial complex/immigrant detention centers; Muslim justice/Islamophobia 
Surveillance 
Media 

The strongest projects will tell some story at the intersection of these different movements/struggles.

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