University Course Offerings in the Field of Participant Produced Documentary Work

Universities across the country are now offering courses in the field of participant produced documentary work. Classes in this area will appeal to students with a desire to be active participants in their courses and who are interested in innovative approaches to learning. Given its community-based/real-world component, these courses would interest students wishing to have a more intimate understanding of those people and issues that are so often the subjects of academic research. Disciplined and open-minded students who are willing to explore creative approaches to fulfilling course requirements will find these curricula challenging yet satisfying.

At the University of Southern California, a course of this nature is providing students with this kind of interdisciplinary learning experience.  Writing in the Community places writing in a real-world context by partnering USC students with community groups to identify local problems and to use rhetorical tools for addressing these problems. Our class is premised on the model of writing with the community, which engages community members as partners rather than subjects or clients, each partner bringing something to learn and something to teach. By recognizing the value of different kinds of knowledge, this class asks all its participants to engage with perspectives outside their realm of experience.

This is an alternatively structured course in terms of contexts of learning and design of assignments. Although the tenets of good writing remain the central focus of the course, the semester will culminate in a media-driven, documentary-style final project, which will use writing, research, and personal experience to communicate these issues in a way meaningful to a broader public audience.

For more information, contact sbower@usc.edu