SOAN 273 - Creating Field Documentary on Human Rights in Ghana

FILM 273 FDR: HA
Credits: 3

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 film making 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.