Media Making Change
4013 N Gantenbein, Portland, OR 97227 (503) 975-4545
Although the focus for the summer program is media and students spend time hands-on with projects, it should not be confused that the Northwest Institute is a trade school; it is hardcore academics, taught by top-notch professors and journalists. It is a liberal arts-styled program that demands and teaches critical thought. These are the cerebral skills necessary for students to pursue a political career in the media and arts. The program runs eight weeks from Friday, June 20 through Friday, August 15.
All college undergraduates are eligible. Students are handpicked for their smarts, passion and optimism; each student receives a full-ride fellowship to the program, which includes tuition, study materials and some room-and-board expenses. The program is limited to 12 students. (For more details about the admissions process, please check out the application packet.)
A background in Political Science and/or Media Studies is helpful, but the program is open to all disciplines. The ideal candidate has experience with media or art projects–such as the school newspaper, college radio, a band, dance, ‘zines, blogs–and has worked with community projects.
We are not necessarily looking for the A+ student who sits front-and-center, but are looking for students who have potential, and who have a seriousness and earnestness of their purpose and desire to positively affect their communities-whether that means starting a blog that watchdogs city council in their hometown or means producing the next documentary that informs millions about global warming.
Each student receives a full-ride fellowship to the program. In addition, there are a limited number of scholarships available to help offset travel and living expenses. The Northwest Institute wants to make certain that there are no financial barriers to attendance.
Visit Fellows 2007 to find out more about students who attended last summer–and about the projects that they produced.
The majority of the program takes place in Portland, Oregon with the exception of the first two weeks when students live at a summer camp.
The summer program kicks off with two weeks at a summer camp. It is an opportunity for students to tune out the distractions of city life, immerse themselves in coursework, and meet each other around nightly campfires.
Students spend the remaining six weeks of the program in Portland, where they attend classes in the mornings at the University of Oregon Turnbull Center (located adjacent to the Willamette River) and work on projects throughout Portland. Students have the option to live with homestays around the city.
Portland is a young, dynamic and growing city that serves as the students’ hands-on laboratory as they learn about the city‘s many inventive programs and as they have an opportunity to develop their own ideas into real projects. The city serves as a robust resource. During the 2007 session, for example, Dennis Fitzgerald, who produces music videos for The Shins and The Decemberists, served as a mentor for students, teaching video skills and techniques. Students also enjoy access to local politicians, who help teach the students about effective methods to bring about political changes. During the last session, Mayor Tom Potter even threw out the first pitch for the students‘ softball game against cross-town rival, the Oregon Bus Project‘s PolitiCorp (another locally-based summer program that focuses on political campaigns).
The coursework is demanding, engaging and fun, pulling both from academic sources and real life case-studies (like examining seminal examples of photojournalism and critiquing newspapers‘ coverage of the Iraq War); as well, students are exposed to more pop culture sources, like “This American Life” and books like Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam.
Over the course of eight weeks, students attend three primary courses and complete a project–such as a documentary film, series of radio broadcasts or a blog. (To check out last sessions projects, check out the Fellows 2007) Students earn academic credit through the University of Oregon.
The first course spans the program‘s initial two weeks. While students reside at a summer camp they attend a course, “Social Movements in America,” taught by Tony Iaccarino. This course is a fun introductory poli-sci course in which students learn theories about constituency-building, examine case-studies in political movements and study various notions about the media‘s role in all of it.
When students return to Portland, they begin their primary class, “Media & Social Movements.” This class spans the remainder of the summer program as students attend classes in the mornings at the University of Oregon Turnbull Center and study the “masters” like Ed Murrow, Ira Glass and David Halberstam.
Using case-studies like documentary films, New York Times war dispatches, radio reports from post-Hurricane Katrina and selected episodes of “60 Minutes,” students survey a wide range of interactions between the media and social issues.
The courses are team-taught by professors and practitioners. Guest lecturers in the 2007 session included Scott Moore and Amy Ruiz, the news editors from the Portland Mercury, New York City-based filmmaker Danielle Lurie and San Francisco writer Stephen Elliott. Students are graded on participation and presentations.
The third academic class focuses on “Professional Development.” This course is conducted during afternoon and evening sessions. This component of the program mentors students in appropriate ways to begin and mature their careers. In the final week, students create a concrete action plan to “keep the fuse lit” when they return to their own communities. They will be expected to identify short and long-term career goals. This plan will also include the compilation of a resource and network guide specific to each student.
©2006–2010 Northwest Institute for Social Change.