In his course Social Justice Documentary Video, Dr. Cook engages students in the art of video production in order to enable them to reach one of his intended learning goals -- developing critical arguments about history and culture in creative ways. By involving students in the entire process -- from archival and original research to producing, filming and editing the film -- Cook believes students gain unique skills, such as the ability to create visual evidence to support an argument. As with any group project, filmmaking calls for students to work together, with the constant discussion and negotiation between writer, director, producer and editor requiring students to create a unique interdependence that other types of group projects rarely necessitate.

With the co-teaching assistance of Vartan Akchyan, Educational Media Production Specialist at CNDLS, and with audio, video and editing support from the Gelardin New Media Center, Cook's students combine film, media studies scholarship, and social justice theory with video production techniques and practices to produce two short documentary films about local DC social justice issues. The process of researching local issues presents students with challenges and limitations that require flexible problem solving, while at the same time extending the intellectual life of the classroom by engaging students with members of the DC community. Going beyond the typical research papers that culminate most upper-level courses, these short films regarding issues of importance to members of the DC community are tangible products that were created -- and will continue to exist -- beyond the boundaries of classroom and semester, expanding students' experience to encompass the world as their classroom.

2006 Student Films

The Renewal of Northwest 1
In 2004, just two block from the US Capitol, the subsidized housing community of Northwest 1 faced an expiring lease and developers hungry to convert its suddenly valuable land into high-rent condominiums. Though some contention surrounds the best way to meet this threat, the residents of Norhwest 1 are trying to renew their community and build on their history of achievement in the face of adversity. The Renewal of Northwest 1 takes as its main goal the revelation of Northwest 1 as a self-determined community comprised of individuals who are capable of interacting democratically with others in order to maintain and improve their community. The film further publicizes and praises the Northwest 1 community's unique level of civic involvement as an example to others encountering oppression. Writer: Adam Levy; Director: Hye Jin Kwon; Editor: Emily Anderson; Producer: Natalia Rankine-Galloway. Documentary (2006).

Wait No More
Wait No More follows a D.C. teen and street artist who learns to use art for community action. Lidio journeys from his home in northwest Washington, D.C. to Ivy City, one of the city's most violent and impoverished neighborhoods, to help a group of local children paint a community mural. Along the way, Lidio discovers his own voice and how the simple act of speaking out against oppression can empower one to change the world. Writer: Graziella Jackson; Director: S. Todd Chappell; Editor: Brad Levinson; Producer: Jose Barragan. Documentary (2006).

2005 Student Films

Peace by Piece
Women describe their experience with Make Piece/Peace, a Washington, D.C. based organization founded to enable women to help other women overcome adversity and become self-sufficient. Writer and producer: Erica Sangita Hazra; Director of Videography and Co-editor: Maeba Jones; Editor and Sound: Michaela Murray. Documentary (2005).

Facing Hunger
A documentary video that focuses on the complicated issue of food availability and hunger in the DC metropolitan area. Facing Hunger looks at underlying factors affecting those who face food insecurity in our nation's capital. It is a film about access, initiative, and individual stories. The film features the Capital Area Food Bank. Producer: Marieconstance Latagan; Director of Videography: Joseph Della Rosa; Editor: James Gray. Documentary (2005).