International Relations: Partnering with Students in Gaza
“This assignment was designed to make real the political struggles we study in International Relations and Middle East Studies, and to humanize the people suffering the consequences of these policies. ”
-Professor Ron Smith
Project Description: Student groups of 3 or 4 were asked to produce a 5-9 minute long documentary short addressing specific themes such as water, music, health care, food, and electricity. Students, connecting through Skype, interviewed participants in Gaza and incorporated the footage into their documentary films.
Course: IREL 229: Middle East Conflict & Revolution
Instructor: Assistant Professor of International Relations
Project: 5-9 minute documentary short
Students: 14
Semester: Fall 2015
Duration of Assignment: Entire Semester, 15 weeks
Technology: Canon Vixia HF G20 or G30, Lightpanels Duo Lit, Audio-Technica Lav Mics
Class Blog: http://middleeast.blogs.bucknell.edu/
Learning Goals:
- Increase student engagement by interacting with participants from the Gaza Strip.
- Develop a sense of responsibility for others who are experiencing political unrest.
- Create long-lasting relationships with participants from Gaza.
Skills Learned:
- critical thinking
- digital literacy
- time management
- group collaboration
- interviewing
- editing
- multimodal storytelling
IREL 229: Middle East Conflict & Revolution Scaffolded Semester Calendar
- Mon, Sept 14th-Skype Test
- Tues, Sept 15th-Sami (Gaza participant) Skype Session
- Thurs, Sept 17th-Intro Shooting Script
- Tues, Sept 22nd– Shooting Script-components, narrative, equipment,, video and shooting techniques
- Tues, Sept 29th– production workshop-equipment training 2, lighting, interviewing, assign b-roll exercise and interview exercise, review shooting script.
- Tues, Oct 6th-review shooting script
- Thurs, Oct 8th-Tues, Nov 10th-editing
- Thurs, Nov 12th-review rough cuts
- Mon 16th-Fri 20th-week of reviewing edits and offering feedback
- Thurs, Dec 3rd-final videos due
- Tues, Dec 8th-Gallery Theatre presentation-showcase videos