Visual, Digital Storytelling as Engaged Learning and Expression.
This project is first and foremost about storytelling from the perspective of students enrolled in ISS 315, a core general education course in MSU’s Integrative Studies in Social Science.
This student project was born out of the years of the Covid-19 global pandemic, and so many of the student films from past semesters and in this current semester explore the complex personal, social, cultural, and global issues that so profoundly impacted people’s lives during 2020-2022.
We anticipate with excitement and all due respect the diverse perspectives, complex social issues, and vital lived experiences that students will explore and express in their films. We sincerely hope that this platform of a film festival will help students and communities to connect in meaningful ways in our trying times.
Origins & Vision of the Short Documentary Film Course Project.
This project began as a deliberate effort to bring pedagogical innovation to a required MSU general education course in Integrative Studies in Social Science (ISS).
Dr. Eddie Boucher and his amazing and dedicated instructional team (teaching assistants Reece Ohmer, Amina Darabie, Darby Pickford, and Ryan Mize) worked to create a guiding course project on interdisciplinary research and visual storytelling as an alternative to more didactic educational methods that are more typical in large-format ISS courses.
NONE of this would be possible without the incredible willingness and dedication of the participant MSU students who take this class and course project so very seriously amidst the challenges of our complex world (i.e., covid, structural inequalities, war, environmental challenges and etc.). We thank you all!
This film festival is intended to serve as a showcase and celebration of your thoughtful work and as a recognition of the pressing social issues you highlight in your films.
With the generous support of the MSU Hub Faculty Fellowship for innovation in curricular design and technology, and with the much needed support of the Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science, our instructional team designed this guiding course project for the following course:
ISS 315
Cultural Studies with Purpose: Interdisciplinary Inquiry around Craft, Material Culture, and Cultural Flows
The course was originally designed in 2019, and with the guidance and support of the Hub and the CIS, the course underwent major curricular changes from 2020-2022, with the major change being the implementation of the guiding course project culminating in student-produced short documentary films that are showcased in this virtual film festival.
Students broadly interpreted the guiding course themes; however, each film has some connection to craft studies (broadly defined), material culture studies, and cultural/global studies.
The vision of this project is to engage students in a meaningful course project where they are given the agency to pursue film and research topics that they find to be socially important and worth exploration.
A primary goal is to meet students where they are in terms of technology and means of expression. Almost every student has experience with digital, visual storytelling as a part of their generation in a globally interconnected digital world.
Thus, storytelling through film seems a relevant genre for students to explore complex issues while at the same time introducing them to the vital skills of integrative and interdisciplinary inquiry and research.
If you have read this far, then you likely have taken the time to view the student-produced films that make up this film festival. If not, check out the 2020 and 2021 Film Festival Archive links on the homepage. We thank you for your interest, participation, and support.
If you have an interest in participating as a film festival judge or sponsoring the event in some way, please contact Dr. Eddie Boucher, bouche50@msu.edu
Course Instructional Team
Eddie Boucher.
Eddie is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Integrative Studies in the College of Social Science at Michigan State University. In this position he teaches Integrative Studies courses in MSU’s core general education program. He also mentors students in the Interdisciplinary Studies major and is working with several students in the IDS/Liberal Studies track to design and conduct interdisciplinary research for their major capstone projects.
Eddie is also passionate about visual storytelling, and while he conducts traditional academic research and publishing in his area of Cultural Studies, his favorite projects are documentary filmmaking where his research becomes more accessible as public scholarship in the form of open access digital stories.
Amina Darabie.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (PAL)
Majoring in Arabic, Anthropology, Experience Architecture, and minoring in Graphic Design, Junior Amina Darabie has goals of traveling the world post-graduation to utilize visual storytelling as a means to empower those whose stories have been historically dismissed. She is currently interested in researching effects of cultural appropriation in the West, Palestinian diaspora populations, and social panopticon structures as felt by women in Islam. At the moment, she's working on an interdisciplinary team at MSU to produce a documentary on the topic of interconnectedness in Lansing's Farmers Markets.
Aside from the fulfillment she finds in mentoring fellow students, Amina is passionate about pyrography, sustainable Alaskan fisheries, and baking the perfect loaf of sourdough. On the weekend, you can find her in a hammock, Roy Ayers on repeat, and with a good book in hand.
Ryan Mize.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (ULA)
Ryan Mize is a current undergraduate at Michigan State University, majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Cognitive Science and Spanish. As a former student of Dr. Boucher, Ryan has had the unique opportunity to present his documentary from ISS 315 in the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF).
As a ULA, Ryan brings to the table two years of AV experience and a passion for teaching and learning. He is both honored and excited to be a part of the interdisciplinary team.
Reece Ohmer.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (PAL)
Reece Ohmer is an undergraduate student at Michigan State University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Health and the Environment. She has previously taken two other courses under the guidance of Dr. Boucher and has learned a great deal about the academic research process as well as the importance of interdisciplinary studies. She has worked for Dr. Boucher as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the past three years. As a peer-assisted learner (PAL) for ISS 315, Reece has helped students combine social theory and their own lived experiences to create a film that is both personal to them and influential to others. Reece is very esteemed to have worked closely with students throughout the semester and looks forward to viewing their final films.
Darby Pickford.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (ULA)
Darby Pickford is a sophomore at Michigan State University studying Nursing, with a minor in Health Promotion. Her hard work, dedication, and commitment to her studies has awarded her a seat in the Honors College. She is actively involved with the instructional team and performs a lot of the behind-the-scenes work supporting students.
Darby appreciates the creative tone of the course syllabus and the purpose of this class. It is an opportunity to share and acknowledge everyone’s insight, perspective, and opinions on their unique topic of interest. Darby presented her documentary at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) in April 2021. She is excited to be a part of this prestigious event.