Three graduate students from Woodbury University’s groundbreaking Media for Social Justice program shared how unique combinations of media can be employed to drive social change during a panel discussion at “Crossroad Talks: The 26th Annual Graduate and Professional Symposium on Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literature, Language and Culture,” sponsored by the University of Arizona, Tucson.
The panel – titled “Transmedia and Latino Social Causes” – showcased transmedia presentations created by three students from Woodbury’s Media for Social Justice program:
o Phil Gibbons’ someveryfamouspeople.com podcast conveys history and culture through storytelling and features unique, byte-sized biographies of the famous, the infamous and the quirky – including Latin revolutionary Che Guevara;
o My Survivor Village is a virtual community created by Monique Lyons and dedicated to supporting Latina cancer patients. Its mission is to transform victims into survivors by creating a dynamic and educational virtual space that engages and inspires;
o Waleska Santiago’s film Doce Veneno (Sweet Venom) sheds light on pesticides and the dark side of the food industry in the Brazilian city of Limoeiro do Norte.
A fourth presentation, The Salsa Ambassador, which focuses on connections between salsa and social change, also was accepted, but its author, Julio Barrenzuela, was unable to participate in the panel. His presentation is part of a transmedia series highlighting Soldiers Who Salsa, a nonprofit organization that uses salsa dancing to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The literal definition of transmedia is ‘across media,’ said Nicole Keating, Ph.D., chair of Woodbury’s Media for Social Justice program and panel moderator. “Woodbury’s Media for Social Justice program recognizes that film and video production, web development, print-based media and game design are merging, and that creates some exciting opportunities for creation and collaboration.”
The program is part of Woodbury’s School of Media, Culture & Design. Students can earn a master’s degree in Media for Social Justice and, via an internship program, have an opportunity to gain valuable workplace experience prior to graduation.