Medill Explores (417-0-20)
Topic
Global Video Journalism in Buenos Aires
Instructors
Craig Weldon Duff
Meeting Info
303 E. Wacker Dr. 1623: Mon 1:00PM - 3:50PM
Overview of class
This Medill Explores course offers students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves for a week in Buenos Aires, a city rich in colorful history and culture that is currently struggling to emerge from the pandemic and an ongoing economic crisis. The focus of the work produced in the class will be on visual, cultural stories, but the reporting will be deepened by readings, discussions and explorations of broader social issues, geopolitics and ethics. The central focus of the class will be non-fiction TV series focused on food and culture: The Anthony Bourdain series Parts Unknown, which aired on CNN for several seasons before Bourdain passed away in 2018; Street Food Latin America; and High on the Hog. These richly visual series are each uniquely creative and beautifully written, produced and edited. Students will emulate these series in their work, developing stories in advance with the help of facilitators in Argentina who will also accompany them on their reporting/shooting days. In addition to doing their own stories in pairs, students will have cultural excursions to get to know the city, meetings and visits with people and locations in the Buenos Aires episode of Parts Unknown and Street Food, and sessions to deepen students' knowledge of city, Argentina and Latin America. In this course, students will: Research, report and deepen their knowledge of global reporting, exploring a different and more creative way to present non-fiction documentary/news video/television. Broaden their journalistic view of the world through first-hand experience in video reporting. Learn to engage effectively and ethically with people in an unfamiliar community, culture and/or setting. Learn industry best practices with faculty, local producers and fixers, directors of photography and editors from the series. Produce short video stories that connect classroom learning with the experience on the ground.
Class Materials (Required)
None
Class Attributes
Attendance at 1st class mandatory
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Only students in the MSJ program may enroll in these classes
Add Consent: Department Consent Required