In 2011 shy, unassuming Writing Center director Dr. Cole Bennett stunned audiences with his riveting portrayal of a shmarmy boss in their first promotional parody of The Office. This fall he returns in a more ambitious role inspired by the hoity grammarians at Downton Abbey.
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The shorts were written and directed by Christina Johnson and Learning Studio alum Ben Weaver and feature student tutors from the Writing Center. Christina has been working with Dr. Bennett since she was an undergrad, finishing a BA in English in 2011. This last spring she was the first Masters candidate to defend a screenplay thesis to complete her MA in Creative Writing.
Christina is now an Associate Producer and Researcher for AMS Pictures in Dallas, working on a number of television and documentary projects including shows for HGTV.
Congrats Christina and Ben, and we’re looking forward to seeing bigger things in the near future.
This spring the Learning Studio worked with Dr. Houston Heflin as part of our first digital storytelling project overseas. We worked with Houston and his students before they left the States to begin thinking about media projects they would complete mid-way through the semester and then at the end, reflecting on their own experiences in East Germany.
It was also our first storytelling workshop entirely on the iPad. Students had access to a couple Blue Snowball USB microphones (that perplexed TSA officials going and coming) and all the photos and video they had taken while traveling. We had strong scripts in an intensive three-day timespan for their first project in April. Then each student reflected on their overall experience abroad in a final project in May. Here are a few examples of their work.
Al Haley, writer-in-residence and professor of English, was an alum of our very first digital storytelling workshop in 2011 and has been helping us lead faculty workshops on campus for the last year. His work with the scholarly storytelling group last December helped many of the participants see the potential of mixed media writing and storytelling in their teaching and research. Here are a couple of Al’s past stories.
This semester Al asked students in his Creative Nonfiction Workshop and a new class on Micro-Narratives to produce their own digital stories as an extension of their other writing in both courses. Here are a few examples of their work.
Thanks to Dr. Cole Bennett and his ENGL 325: Advanced Comp class for sharing their Literacies projects again this year. .
The course introduces students to “theories of literacy from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, paying particular attention to readings that emphasize social and political issues related to reading and writing.” then concluded with student-produced videos introducing a cultural literacy of their own:
“Rhetorically, this video should attempt to convince the viewer that 1) the activity under consideration qualifies as an expanded form of literacy; and 2) society would benefit as a whole if such argument were accepted. How does the subject fall under a definition of literacy? Which definition? Why does it matter? How are our lives enriched if we agree with you? How might your opponents disagree with you, and how would you address such concerns?”
In August How to Read a Book hit 20,000 views. Congrats Hilary!
At the end of the semester, we get a lot of notes from faculty with strong examples of student video projects (we’ll share of few of those this next week). It’s typically a good sign when students begin sharing links to their classmates’ projects. High praise indeed.
This example came from a couple students who thought Hilary Commer’s “How to Read a Book in 2013” was the complete package. Strong, sharp writing. Carefully composed visuals. And directing and performances that accentuate humor without overdoing it. And shot on Learning Studio camera to boot! A great combination we think you’ll enjoy.
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How to Read a Book in 2013
Produced for Cade White’s Introduction to Visual Media, How-To Video assignment
“Did you find an odd box with pieces of paper inside? It might be a book! Some of them still have real pages—and I’ll show you just how to read one.”
