In this workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of developing story ideas that examine and explore questions of race and identity in podcasting and in reporting. The first class will focus on a close listening of podcasts like "Dolly Parton's America" and the reporting of the Pulitzer nominated book "Notes on a Foreign Country" by Suzy Hansen. We will discuss how hosts and reporters, regardless of their own racial identity, can tackle subjects of race and identity in ways that are nuanced, empathetic, and original. Students will then be asked to come up with an idea for a show or an article and will outline a plan for how they will tell this story (and why they are the best person to tell it). In the second class, students will learn interview techniques, both for interviewing people who share their identity, as well as those who do not. We will also discuss some of the tropes in race reporting, how to avoid them, and how we can push conversations about race and identity in new directions. In the final class, students will present their work and develop a plan to continue working on their project. Throughout the course, we will hear from guest speakers who have produced shows or written articles on race and identity. Each class will be conducted online and will feature in class-exercises.

Zoom Meetings:

Wednesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 5:30-7:30 pm EST

Tuition:  $295

CEUs: n/a 

Faculty: 

Zahir Janmohamed is a Zell Writing Fellow at the University of Michigan, where he received awards in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting. His articles have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Guernica, and many other publications. He is the co-founder of the podcast Racist Sandwich, which explores the intersections between food, race, gender, and class. In 2019, the podcast was nominated for a James Beard award. Most recently, he hosted the podcast A Better Life? which examined the impact of Covid-19 on immigrants in the US. Prior to beginning his writing and journalism career, he worked as a senior foreign policy in the US Congress and as the Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. 
https://www.zahirjanmohamed.com

Supplies: 

Recording device such as a kit or iPhone.

The Salt Institute of Documentary Studies at Maine College of Art presents Salt Studies, a series of snack-sized workshops, crash courses, webinars, and intensives to help refine your skills in the worlds of radio, podcasting, film-making, and rich media storytelling. These courses are made possible through a collaboration with our Office of Continuing and Professional Studies (CS), which offers a variety of courses in art education, arts, crafts, documentary studies, storytelling, and more. 

If you have any questions about this or any other Salt Studies course in the CS catalogue, please contact us at CStudy@meca.edu, or call us at 207.699.5061 

The full Salt Institute for Documentary Studies is officially the GraduateProgram, which offers 16 Graduate credits culminating in a full Graduate Certificate and which takes place over a 15-week semester onsite in historic Portland, Maine. If you are interested in the Graduate Certificate program, please check us out here.