Amcon 202 Civic Engagement Project

OUR AMERICAN LIVES1: GLOBALIZATION & CITIZENSHIP RADIO PROJECT AmCon 202 Final Project/Civic Engagement Project

Overview Global change is recasting American society and changing both our experience and understanding of citizenship. While we need to be careful to view 21st century globalization in the context of a long history of global encounters (think back, of course, to 1492 and the first readings in AmCon 101), we also should recognize the powerful role global change plays in altering our communities, our society, and our futures. Depending on your perspective, you might applaud some of the changes, bemoan others, and not know what to think about others.

Our job in this final AmCon project (stretching across much of the 2nd half of the semester) is to think carefully and creatively about contemporary American society by concentrating on the twin themes of globalization and citizenship. Over the course of this semester, you will have examined a number of facets of America’s global presence in recent history (Cuba, Vietnam, immigration and race, oil, etc.). Now we will focus on the present and our immediate surroundings to interrogate “Our American Lives.” We will do this by looking locally to explore the shape and impact of global change on citizenship. As we look at the world around us, where do we see the impact of globalization and how does this affect what citizenship means in contemporary America? This culminating assignment is an opportunity to examine and participate in a conversation about America’s past, present, and future. We hope this project will contribute not only to your learning this semester, but give you a chance to draw on the tools, ideas, and insights gathered over the course of AmCon these past two years.

Thinking Globally Locally So, what do we mean by thinking globally locally? First, just look around the room you are in while reading this. You will see a lot of items produced in other countries that have made their way to Northfield by a complex supply chain. Many items are composed of parts assembled from around the world.2 What do these material trappings of our lives tell us about globalization? Beyond material culture, we might also look at those more abstract things that shape our lives, especially at this college. For example, the off- campus programs available to students, the newer courses offered by various departments, or the college’s policies regarding undocumented applicants might illuminate how global change has affected St. Olaf. Or how might we see globalization in the drive to provide local foods in the cafeteria or to build wind turbines on campus and in nearby townships?

We especially encourage you to consider stepping off campus, possibly returning to some of the places and spaces you registered voters, explored local vistas, or encountered the

1 Thanks to National Public Radio’s “This American Life” for the name. 2 Note, however, that while you might see a “made in Vietnam” sticker on some items, you will not see many (if any) “made in Cuba” items in our immediate surroundings. 1 students from the 1911 census. Or explore other locations in the community that intrigue you. Each of these sites offers you the prospect of witnessing and investigating the dynamics of globalization. In some locations you might see evidence of people embracing various dimensions of global change, while in others resistance to globalization or more complex reactions might be evident. What stories can you tell about globalization by looking closely at “global foods” aisles at the grocery stores, St. Dominics Catholic Church, the community education offerings, or a store that sells international calling cards? Or you might pay close attention to a single park – look at the material trappings in the park, see who uses the park, etc. The list could go on and on. In short, however, you will need to select the “object” for a dense fact that will enable you to look globally locally.

Citizenship What does all of this have to do with citizenship? Here, as in previous discussions, we are thinking not just about the legal and bureaucratic boundaries of citizenship, although those are important. We also are contemplating a more capacious idea of citizenship. Again, let’s remember from previous AmCon courses what Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone,” or Tocqueville had to say about this more expansive notion of citizenship. Or consider how Sam Patch’s waterfall jumps aimed to make a claim on full citizenship in Paterson and other industrial river towns. You might be a citizen of the U.S. or of another country, but you also probably consider yourself to be a citizen of a particular community (or set of communities). You might tie this sense of citizenship to your membership or participation in particular institutions or associations (e.g. a school district, a church or synagogue, a college, the Rotary club, or the Harley-Davidson club). While some of the “dense fact” objects mentioned earlier might point to issues of legal citizenship, many of them might indicate ways that people reposition themselves and their sense of citizenship (inclusion, rights, duties, etc.) to communities, associations, and institutions. How can we see these connections if we look closely at a community or a landscape? How can we see these connections if we trace the path of a particular consumer item (e.g. see the introduction to Oil on the Brain)? As you explore these connections and implications, think creatively and complexly.

Let’s also return to the quote from Michael Schudson that kicked off our civic engagement work back in the fall of 2008. In The Good Citizen, Schudson asks: “What kind of citizenship, of the kinds that may be possible, do we want to strive for?” This is a question that calls us to understand and be engaged with the world in which we live. At the same time, this question requires that we both imagine “the world as it ought to be” and start figuring out how we can get there. In this project, then, you will be descriptive and analytic in your dense fact analysis. You also will be prescriptive. While thinking closely and carefully about globalization and citizenship through this dense fact analysis, also tell us what America should strive for in either the near or more distant future.

Radio Journalism

2 You also will make this connection between citizenship and globalization by engaging a wider audience. You will present your analysis and commentary as a radio segment. In their final form, the radio segments could be presented in a few different ways. They could be played together on “AmCon Radio” (we’ll figure out what that means). Or they could be offered up for airing on KSTO, KYMN (the Northfield radio station), or internet radio. For those who are especially ambitious and manage to produce a high-quality segment, you might consider the possibility of submitting the piece to an outlet such as Transom (see below) or Minnesota Public Radio. Yes, anything accepted for statewide or national airing gets an “A”.

Throughout the semester we will listen to and examine examples of radio journalism and short documentaries (including segments from the NPR show “This American Life”). Even if some of these pieces are not dense fact analyses, they should give you ideas about effective technique and presentation. We also will try to invite a working radio journalist/documentarian to visit and provide instruction (although no promises). Finally, we will track down the recording and editing equipment you need for this project and seek out people who can provide technical assistance, particularly for the editing stage.

The length of the segments will vary, depending on your choice to work alone or in a group. But these should be substantial, journalistic pieces. As rough guidelines: someone working alone should aim to produce an 8 minute radio segment; a group of two students should shoot for a radio piece of about 12 minutes in length; and a group of three should shoot for 15 minutes. We would discourage groups larger than three. In addition to the recorded radio essay, you will hand in a polished script. You are encouraged to include visuals with your script (e.g. a photo representing your dense fact), but you will of course need to rely on words alone for your radio piece. Finally, we recommend that you consider using interviews, music, and other sounds to enrich the content and presentation of your radio segment. But we will need to figure out the sticky issue of releases and permissions.

Initial Resources This American Life, Chicago Public Radio: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/ In addition to providing the inspiration for the name of our project, you will find many examples of creative radio essays on this site. Transom.org, “A Showcase and Workshop for New Public Radio” http://transom.org/ “Transom.org is an experiment in channeling new work and voices to public radio through the Internet, for discussing that work, and encouraging more.” See this site for examples and, especially, for the advice offered on how to put together a radio segment. See the “Tools” link and, to get started, click on “Beginnings . . .” Minnesota Public Radio http://minnesota.publicradio.org/ American Radio Works, American Public Media

3 http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/index.html A source for first-rate radio documentaries

Timeline  2/26 - INTRODUCE “OUR AMERICAN LIVES”

 Before spring break - Figure out if you are working in a group or alone and define the “object” of your dense fact analysis

 4/12 - OUR AMERICAN LIVES WORKDAY

 4/19 - OUR AMERICAN LIVES WORKDAY (GUEST?)

 4/30 - OUR AMERICAN LIVES WORKDAY (“Personal manifesto” – defining the “world as it ought to be”)

 5/6 - ST. OLAF’S ACADEMIC CIVIC ENGAGEMENT SHOWCASE (Samples from radio pieces ready to present?)

 5/12 - PRELIMINARY PRESENTATIONS / OUR AMERICAN LIVES WORKDAY o DRAFTS OF SCRIPTS DUE

 5/14 - PRELIMINARY PRESENTATIONS / OUR AMERICAN LIVES WORKDAY

 5/25 - “LISTENING TO OUR AMERICAN LIVES” – FINAL EXAM