Syllabus
Course Requirements
Attendance and participation (60%)
Students are expected to “attend” all sessions – either live or via recorded video feed, according to the schedule provided in the online D2L system. Students will have a window of time in which to watch and react to class sessions. It is imperative to keep up with the assignments and discussions.
Online discussion forums provide the primary space for class members to engage with the material and each other, and are an essential component of the course. Students will generate discussion questions and respond to questions posed by others.
Term project (40%)
In consultation with the instructor, students will research and develop a proposal for a project addressing a current human rights issue. The proposed project could be a short film, podcast, or website; a single screening event or an impact campaign; a participatory media project. Another option would be to develop an annotated bibliography and/or filmography around a specific issue. I will schedule Zoom sessions with each of you during the first couple weeks of the course to jumpstart these projects.
Workload Expectations
For this 7.5-week online graduate-level course, students are expected to have at least 20-22 hours of workload each week. The class includes a mix of webinars with guest presenters, readings, films to screen and websites to explore, class discussions via written discussion boards (and possibly also VoiceThread), and term projects developed in consultation with the instructor.
Attendance
Attendance, preparation, and participation from all students are crucial for the success of this course. The UA’s policy concerning Class Attendance and Administrative Drops is available at: http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/class-attendance-participation-and- administrative-drop
The UA policy regarding absences for any sincerely held religious belief, observance or practice will be accommodated where reasonable, http://policy.arizona.edu/human- resources/religious-accommodation-policy.
Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean Designee) will be honored. See: https://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/absences
Grades
University policy regarding grades and grading systems is available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading-system
Requests for incomplete (I) or withdrawal (W) must be made in accordance with University policies, which are available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading- system#Withdrawal and http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading- system#incomplete.
Your grade will be determined as follows:
| 90% and above | A |
| 80-89% | B |
| 70-79% | C |
| 60-69% | D |
| 59% and Below | E |
Accessibility and Accommodations:
At the University of Arizona we strive to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability or pregnancy, you are welcome to let me know so that we can discuss options. You are also encouraged to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to explore reasonable accommodation.
Other Course Policies
- Appropriate Conduct : The Arizona Board of Regents’ Student Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308, prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to one’s self. See: http://policy.arizona.edu/threatening-behavior-students.
- For more information on appropriate and inappropriate student conduct, see http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policiesandcodes/studentcodeofconduct http://policy.web.arizona.edu/disruptive-behavior-instructional http://policy.web.arizona.edu/threatening-behavior-students
Notification of Objectionable Materials
This course contains material that some students may find objectionable. If you believe material to be covered will be objectionable, you should consult with the Instructor as soon as possible to discuss potential alternative materials and assignments.
Confidentiality of Student Records
As required by law under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), student records are confidential. This law and its applicability to your educational records may be accessed at:
http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/personal-information/family-educational-rights-and- privacy-act-1974-ferpa?topic=ferpa
Changes to the Syllabus
Information contained in this course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
WARNING!
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes not only the exact duplication of an author’s words but also an unacknowledged close paraphrase. When in doubt give a citation. SPECIAL NOTE: Be sure not to plagiarize when preparing case materials. Students should be especially careful when cutting and pasting material from cases, briefs, and other sources. Use quotation marks and/or citations where appropriate. Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/academic-integrity/students/academic-integrity.
Required Readings will be distributed/assigned through D2L.
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND GUESTS
Guest speakers and their projects have been selected to present distinctive, diverse examples of ways in which documentary media can engage with human rights work.
Week 1—Changing the World with Media: The Skylight Model Complete Skylight Master Class on Human Rights Media
Guest Presenters: Pamela Yates, Paco de Onis (Oct 24)
The Skylight Master class is an online platform incorporating text with high quality film clips to present Skylight’s innovative method for making and using film to create social change. It is recommended for people interested in filmmaking and documentaries, as well as people interested in human rights and social change. The presentation is self-timed, allowing the participant to move through it at their own pace. The average time to fully participate in this guided learning experience is approximately 6 hrs. The Master Class platform includes numerous opportunities for online interaction with the Skylight team, and with fellow students.
Skylight (Pamela Yates, Paco de Onis, Peter Kinoy):
At Skylight, we use media to inspire, envision and build a better world. Our partners in this work are human rights leaders around the globe who recognize the power of compelling narratives to change how people see themselves and others, moving societies toward greater justice and equality.
At Skylight we don’t simply tell stories about human rights – we engage people in activism to promote international human rights. We create media with people; collaborating with community leaders, grassroots organizations, and NGOs to create media that tells their stories, and strengthens their efforts. We show with pathways forward by not only documenting the plight, but also the fight. We show the process of incrementally creating change. We make our films widely available to NGO’s and international educators through Academic Screening Packages and Screening Kits. We increase impact and engagement by creating platforms and new media technologies that makes it easy for people to engage with social issues.
Select two films to view via Kanopy:
Granito 500 Years
The Reckoning State of Fear
The companion transmedia project, Granito: Every Memory Matters (www.granitomem.com) has been created as an online intergenerational, interactive public archive of memories that uncovers the history of the Guatemalan genocide.
Read:
- “Introduction: Screen Media and Witnessing Publics” in Creating the Witness
- “Granito: An Interview with Pamela Yates” “State of Fear and Transitional Justice in Peru”
- Skylight profile in Documentary Magazine
- “Fleeing death in Guatemala, two Ixil Maya activists hope to continue their defense of indigenous rights from the U.S.—if they can stay.” Jazmine Ulloa, Boston Globe, May 2, 2021
- “Columbia is in turmoil. Biden must push it toward dialogue.” Adam Isacson, NYT Guest Essay, May 12, 2021.
Week 2—Participatory Documentary and Refugee Youth: Mapping Memories
Guest Presenter: Liz Miller, Concordia University, Montréal (Oct 31) http://www.mappingmemories.ca/
While migration is one of the biggest issues of our time, few of us really understand the challenges that refugee youth encounter. All too often, refugee narratives are written by writers or journalists who stress the violence an individual has endured, without also depicting the complexity of what comes after. Mapping Memories (2007-12) offered over a hundred young individuals the opportunity to recount their stories on their own terms. The photos, exhibits and videos that emerged from this project have been used to build understanding about refugee rights and the diversity of refugee experiences in classrooms, with decision makers and with the larger public.
Self-described “story sherpa” Miller will also share her 2013 project EN LA CASA, LA CAMA, Y LA CALLE, made in collaboration with Nicaraguan women’s rights group, Puntos de Encuentro, as it works to end sexual violence at home, in bed and in the streets through a powerful blend of mainstream media and grassroots organizing.
Read:
- Going Public: The Art of Participatory Practice
- “Going Places: Helping Youth with Refugee Experiences Take Their Stories Public” Week 3—Using available technology to document human rights abuses: WITNESS Guest Presenter: Natalia Guerrero, Communications for U.S. Program (Nov 9)
WITNESS makes it possible for anyone, anywhere to use video and technology to protect and defend human rights. The majority of the world’s population now has a camera in their pocket. People everywhere are turning to video to document and tell stories of abuse. But all too often, they are not filming safely or effectively, and their videos don’t make a difference. Witness identifies critical situations and teaches those affected by them the basics of video production, safe and ethical filming techniques, and advocacy strategies
Read:
- “Human Rights Made Visible: New Dimensions of Anonymity, Consent and Intentionality”
- “The Participatory Panopticon and Human Rights: WITNESS’s Experience Supporting Video Advocacy and Future Possibilities”
- “Ubiquitous Witnesses: Who Creates the Evidence and the Live(d) Experience of Human Rights Violations?”
- Video for Change: A Guide for Advocacy and Activism (excerpts)
- https://elgrito.witness.org/about-the-project/
- https://lab.witness.org/berkeley-copwatch-database/
- https://lab.witness.org/legal-video-advocacy-a-small-step-towards-decarceration/
Week 4 – Creating Social Impact through Character-Driven Stories: The Pushouts
Guest Presenter: Dawn Valadez (Nov 16)
The Pushouts tells the story of millions of young people in the U.S. referred to as “dropouts” who, more often than not, are pushed out of school for reasons beyond their control. Through the lens of teen gang member turned professor Victor Rios, forty pushout youth and a transformative summer in Watts, The Pushouts interrogates crucial questions of race, class, and power at a particularly urgent time. Via national screening and discussion tours with key audiences (e.g. middle and high school students, teachers and administrators, youth development workers, policymakers and others); the creation of short form media content and through periodic calls action, The Pushouts’ impact campaign works with partner organizations and within movements toward the transformation of a status quo that stigmatizes and criminalizes, rather than educating and offering meaningful opportunities, to countless deserving, talented, and overlooked and underserved youth.
Watch: The Pushouts
Read:
- Karen Everett, “Squeezing Reality into Three Acts: What Documentary Storytellers can learn from Screenwriters” Release Print, March-April 2006
- “Beyond Empathy” Sonya Childress, Firelight Media Director of Partnerships and Engagement, blog
- Interview with Directors Katie Galloway and Dawn Valadez
- Victor Rios TED Talk
- Impact Field Guide and Toolkit from Doc Society Electronic press kit from film page on Good Docs website
Week 5—Impact Redux: A Kid’s-Eye View of Gender in Mama Has a Mustache
Guest Presenter: Sally Rubin (Nov 21)
Mama Has a Mustache is a short, quirky, fully animated documentary about gender and family, as seen through children’s eyes. Each of the twelve children interviewed for the film comes from a diverse background; some of the kids identify as transgender themselves, some as nonbinary, they all have parents who identify somewhere outside the traditional gender spectrum, and come from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Driven completely by audio interviews of kids ages five to ten, the film uses these sound bytes combined with clip-art and mixed media to explore how children are able to experience a world outside of the traditional gender binary.
Watch: Mama Has a Mustache
Read:
- Teaching Toolkit and Discussion Guide for film
Week 6: Indigenizing Digital Storytelling: nDigiDreams
Guest Presenter: Brenda (B.Kay) Manuelito, nDigiDreams (after Thanksgiving) http://www.ndigidreams.com/index.html
YouTube nDigiStories channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB0v5fqhrB0BW4pYPFWpVwA/featured
nDigiDreams is a woman-owned and indigenous-focused consulting and training company that specializes in media production, instructional technology and digital storytelling with a focus on health, education, policy, and cultural preservation. Over the past ten years, they have travelled to numerous tribal reservations, villages, and urban centers to train hundreds of Native community members ranging from 9 to 83 years of age in this participatory media technique.
Through the first-hand creation of a personal digital story, workshop participants are given the opportunity to reflect, share, heal, and commit themselves to new actions and behaviors that will create social change and justice for the betterment of Our People. In the past couple of years, nDigiDreams has conducted virtual workshops to facilitate the creation of digital stories about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read:
- “NICOA and nDigiDreams Team UP for Elder Storytelling Project” https://www.nicoa.org/nicoa-and-ndigidreams-team-up-for-elder-storytelling-project/
- “Native Women Rising: Ending Violence and Healing through Digital Storytelling,” Indian Country Today (Sep 30, 2013)
- https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/native-women-rising-ending-violence-and-healing- through-digital-storytelling-lDpNe2osxES-fwn3OGgEmg
- “Workshop Participants Use a New Medium for an Age-Old Activity,” Navajo Times, (March 2010) https://www.navajotimes.com/education/2010/0310/032510digital.php
- “Digital Storytelling: An Emergent Method for Health Promotion and Research”
- Watch: nDigiDreams digital story examples
Week 7 Peer feedback on term projects