FILM/SOAN 273 – Creating Field Documentary on Human Rights in Ghana

Four Credits, FDR-HA
Four weeks in Ghana
Professors Stephanie Sandberg and Christopher Brown

This interdisciplinary spring term course combines Film Studies and Cultural Anthropology to explore issues of human rights and social justice in Ghana, West Africa. We will work with local grassroots non-governmental organizations who work on issues related to modern-day slavery, women's economic development, disability and development, and children's rights. Student's will work collaboratively with NGO partners to create short documentaries that will be used by the organizations to help educate and advocate for their cause. To this end, students will engage in rigorous cross-cultural engagement, learn techniques for effective storytelling and communication, and develop skills in the use of multi-media technology. In addition to filmmaking activities, coursework will contextualize human rights issues in Ghana by visiting local organizations, exploring cultural sites and considering the role of national and international policy. By the end of the term, we will have immersed ourselves in Ghanaian culture, studied human rights issues from an ethnographic perspective, and completed three short documentaries about local organizations working in Ghana.

See additional photos of the Aya Center here.

No prerequisites, but students must enroll in Film 251, a one-semester-hour winter term course to prepare for the experience in Ghana. FILM 273 fulfills FDR HA. This course also fulfills an elective credit in the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability.

For further details, please contact Professors Sandberg (sandbergs@wlu.edu) and Brown (cbrown2@wlu.edu). The information session for this program was recorded. Currently enrolled W&L students can email jmurphy@wlu.edu for the link and password.

Program fee (Paid to W&L): $7,098

All inclusive - includes airfare, programming, room, fees, transportation to and from the airport, all meals, visa fees, and in-country transportation.

Additional costs: cell phone, spending money, and passport

Please click the "Start New Application" button to start an application. Please click the "Resume Application" button to access an application you've already started. Please do not open multiple applications for the same program.

OR

Applications open on October 4th, 2024