"Building Community through Dialogue and Ethnographic Film" includes five different types of activities.
Film for Thought is a series of 2-4 programs scheduled annually during the fall and spring terms of 2008-09 and 2009-10. Centered on a short ethnographic film produced by students, these programs create opportunities for meaningful dialogue about real people, real differences, and real (mis)perceptions that directly impact community life in the Greater Birmingham metropolitan area today. Sample posters for 2008-9 programs: There Goes The Neighborhood and Progress or Revival.
Diversity Week Film Scramble is an annual event scheduled during Diversity Awareness Week. Students are invited to form teams to make a 3-5 minute film about some aspect of diversity at UAB. Prizes are awarded at a film screening of the best entries open to the whole campus. Through Student Affairs, these student films will be available to university sponsored organizations, residence halls, and faculty to be used as springboards for discussions on diversity. Poster and program for 2009 Film Scramble screening.
Community Town Hall Meetings will begin in Fall 2009. This once-a-semester event will use ethnographic films to bring town and gown together to discuss relevant community issues.
Intergroup Dialogue involves exploring alternate approaches to increasing student interest and participation in structured dialogue opportunities. Poster for Intergroup Dialogue course.
Faculty and Staff Development Workshops are designed to encourage faculty to integrate dialogue into the curriculum either by teaching responsible dialoguing in their own classes and/or encourage their students to participate in out-of-class dialogue experiences.