Development of the
original version of Writing with Video was begun in 2005
in collaboration with Maria Lovett (PhD, Educational Policy
Studies) who, in addition to her scholarly work, is also
a practicing documentary filmmaker. Version
1.0 is
archived and still accessible.
WwV is something of
an open source project. In particular, the instructors who
have taught the course over the past three years have each
made essential contributions to the curriculum. We acknowledge
and celebrate their authorship, and our good fortune in working
with them: Hannah Bellwoar, Amber Buck, Laura Chiaramonte,
Cory Holding, Kimberly Kwee, Hannah Lee, John O'Connor, Janine
Solberg, Angela Waarala, and Martha Webber.
In developing the currrent
version of WvV, we have sought to design a curriculum that
combines process-based writing with the creative methods
and practices commonly found in the visual and performing
arts. Some of the central values and goals that have guided
this process are as follows:
creativity
and creative inquiry
The arts offer students an opportunity
to experience methods of inquiry, creativity, problem-solving,
and discovery that are frequently different from those practiced
in the realms of science and technology; methods that might
be visual, performative, non-verbal, non-linear, or even
intuitive. Yet these modes of research, synthesis, and
expression can often yield results that are surprising,
innovative, and powerful. These creative skills
and methodologies have application across the full range
of the professional practices, intellectual pursuits, and
personal lives of tomorrow’s citizens and leaders.
It is no longer enough to focus on the development of sequential,
literal, analytical skills. Instead, the next generation
of leaders will be distinct, and prized, for their ability
to think and operate in ways that are metaphorical, aesthetic,
contextual, critical, and synthetic. These are the types
of skills employed by artists, they are disciplined and rigorous,
and they can be taught in a classroom to a diverse student
body.
self-reflection
There is value to being able to identify
what we know and in understanding where our knowledge,
beliefs, and values come from. Self-knowledge is gained
through a process of reflecting on our goals, regularly
revisiting and refining those goals, and ultimately assessing
the success of our efforts. The more self-aware of who
we are and what has shaped us, the better prepared we are
to engage others who believe and act differently. Writing
and the arts promote, and in fact are reliant upon, one's
ability to be reflective. (Reflection
in the Writing Classroom, by Kathleen
Blake Yancey, was very helpful on this topic.)
making
Artists are makers, they engage ideas, questions, and controversies
by making something: an image, a performance, or perhaps
a video. There are subtle but important differences between
studying and making (they are complementary activities,
and in a perfect world one should be able to engage in
both). Making something is powerfully experiential and
can bring students into direct contact with both their
tools and their subject.
rehearsal
and improvisation
Artists rarely succeed on their
first try and come quickly to realize that mastery is achieved
through persistence, repetition, resilience, and commitment.
Skill is gained and success is finally achieved only after
a series of near misses (or maybe outright failure!)
and through a process of progressive refinement. There
are intersting similarities to what
writers mean by the concept of 'multiple drafts'. And
every artist knows that the finished product is frequently
different from the original blueprint; they are constantly
making adjustments and stumbling on new ideas — improvising — along
the way. Solutions are not always immediate or obvious, the
path to discovery is not always a linear direct route, and
there are moments when intuition and spontaneity can lead
us in surprising and exciting new directions.
writing to
learn
Process-based writing is a powerful and essential component
of the creative process. Artists are constantly keeping
lists of ideas and inspiration, collecting their thoughts
and impressions in journals. Brainstorming, conceptualization,
storyboarding, editing, and critique all lend themselves
to some kind of inscription process. Students frequently
discover that, through writing, they can explore ideas,
break down and organize complex tasks,
better understand their goals, and effectivley assess
their accomplishments.
literacy and composition
The technology of ink and
paper only accomodates a subset of what we mean by literacy
in this century. Electronic media and networks play an increasingly
important role in today’s
communication landscape. Consider, for example, the role
that time-based visualization now plays in many areas of
scientific research, how video is used in popular culture
to inform and persuade, and how social networks are redefining
our concepts of community and participation. Technologically
literate students who understand visual, time-based communication and have
robust writing skills will have a competitive advantage in
the coming decades. The leaders of the next generation will
possess sophisticated, multi-modal communication skills.
Likewise we embrace an expanded definition of the term
composition, and note with excitement, that it is central
to the vocabulary of not only writers, but also painters,
designers, photographers, dancers, musicians, etc.