Story Work for Communities and Higher Education
During the Fall 2020 semester, MCS MLL 495/695 created podcasts highlighting the work of Baltimore Greenspace, Baltimore’s environmental land trust, promoting vibrant neighborhoods and a healthy environment through land preservation, research, and community advocacy. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, these projects were recorded and produced online. They feature interviews with members of the organization, including neighborhood-based … Read more
In response to the 2020 election, students in MCS ART 395 created a series of videos in collaboration with the UMBC’s Center for Democracy and Civic Life (CDCL). These short PSAs ( 1 – 3 minutes) encourage students to participate in the democratic process, focusing on why some people do not vote in elections, and … Read more
During the first month of the Fall 2020 semester, students from UMBC’s MCS 495/695 and Hong Kong University’s CAES2002 classes collaborated on a digital story assignment. The two classes shared stories on the theme “Global Voices in a Time of Pandemic” through a series of virtual story circles and online galleries. The stories created and … Read more
Every year students in the Shriver Center’s Peaceworker Program’s Summer Pro Seminar create digital stories reflecting on their service and experiences abroad. Since 2009 over 70 stories have been produced. Program director Joby Taylor talks about how he uses digital storytelling with returning Peace Corp volunteers as a reflective tool as well as a foundation … Read more
Maryland Traditions is the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Since 1974, state-employed folklorists have worked to identify, document, support, and present Maryland folklife through grants, awards, festivals, and other programming. Over the years UMBC faculty and the New Media Studio have worked with Maryland Traditions to produce short films documenting Maryland’s intangible … Read more
Baltimore Traces Project Highlights SOWEBO Neighborhood A part of UMBC’s ongoing Baltimore Traces Project. A Walk Down West Baltimore Street features historical research and fieldwork on the 1000 to the 1500 blocks of West Baltimore Street. The final products include a public history zine and video stories. The semester’s work culminated in a public screening … Read more
Global Digital Story Festival – Where I Find Strength “In 1348 a party of wealthy young patricians take refuge from the plague that is raging in the city in a villa outside Florence. To pass the time, they tell each other stories…” (Cover copy. The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio, Penguin Classics, 1972) As a creative … Read more
“Project PLASE: Our Stories” is a compilation of the stories of PLASE clients and is a collaboration between Project PLASE and the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Media and Communication Studies Program and American Studies Department. The first series of films were screened at a community event at UMBC on May 3, 2019. Additional stories … Read more
During the fall semester of 2019, students in three UMBC classes (MCS 495, GERM 301 and GERM 319) collaborated in creating digital stories commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The stories are based on interviews of members of the UMBC and broader Baltimore communities who shared personal recollections of the … Read more
In what has become a UMBC tradition, the New Media Studio works with the office of Human Relations to create video profiles of service award recipients. More than 100 stories have been produced over the course of the project. In addition to honoring recipients for their years of service to the campus, the series presents … Read more