Topics in Comparative Religion (379-0-22)
Topic
Refugees/Migration/ Exile: Digital Storytelling
Instructors
J Michelle Molina
847 4612620
Crowe Hall, 4-142
Meeting Info
Kresge Cent. Hall 2-530 MADS: Wed 2:00PM - 4:30PM
Overview of class
Refugees/Migration/ Exile: A workshop in digital visual storytelling
In this course, students will be asked to begin with a case study among the many refugee and migration crises that have dominated the news cycle in recent years. In developing individual research projects, we will foreground different methodological approaches:
1) To move beyond journalism, we will conduct primary and secondary historical research to understand the complex historical roots of the particular case study.
2) We will analyze and practice forms of ethnographic writing to help students better situate and describe the lived experience of migration and exile, both past and present.
3) We will also pay attention to various forms of media, whether print culture, sound, or visual media, to interrogate but also experiment with contemporary modes of narrating and conveying human experience in the digital age.
Our work in class will be collaborative, thus a key prerequisite is that you are mature and self-motivated. You do not need to have prior research experience, but you need to demonstrate a desire to dig into your topic and hone your ability to write deeply informed, rigorous, and nuanced arguments and to think about creative ways to bring that rigorous detail to visual story-telling.
Students are required to petition for permission to enroll in the class (see instructions in the "Registration Requirements" section).
*Counts towards Religion, Law and Politics (RLP) and Religion, Sexuality and Gender (RSG) religious studies major concentrations.
Registration Requirements
Students are required to petition for permission to enroll in the class by writing a brief statement, which should be sent to Professor Molina at molina@northwestern.edu.
Your brief statement should include: Your name, your major(s), one short paragraph on the reason why you have an interest in honing your research skills in the direction of the digital humanities, and a second short paragraph on a topic about migration and exile that motivates your desire to do further research on the topic. Attach a recent news item (article or video) about the topic that drives your interests. This will help me organize our first sessions in Winter Quarter.
Class Attributes
Ethics & Values Distro Area