麻豆传媒集团

Most courses ask students to study a problem. Professor Nicole Keating鈥檚 Media and Social听 Change course asks them to do something about it. Offered during 麻豆传媒集团鈥檚 May听 term, the project-based class pulls students from across the university 鈥� architecture, design,听 media, business, liberal arts and sciences 鈥� and challenges them to address real social justice听 issues with real community partners and real deliverables.

鈥淎 lot of classes will prompt you to make change or consider change or promote change,鈥�听 student Michael Garone said, 鈥渂ut it’s really rare that you get a class that actually lets you do the听 change and become the change.鈥�

That ethos is built into the syllabus. Alongside readings and screenings like 鈥淭he Social听 Dilemma,鈥� the course requires community outreach and a finished media project designed to听 create an impactful solution for a problem they choose themselves.

One classroom, many causes

What makes the course distinctive is its range. Keating brings together students with wildly听 different skill sets and lets each group apply what they already know to a cause they care about.

鈥淭his class works so well for the May term because it’s a project-based class,鈥� Keating said.听 鈥淭hey all come together and apply their skills to a particular social problem; basically, making听 the world a better place. We plant the seeds so that later in their careers, whatever they consider听 doing, they can apply some of what they learned to social justice work.鈥�

This year鈥檚 projects spanned the local and the global.

One group of architecture students examined burnout culture in design studios, including the听 normalized cycle of all-nighters, sleep deprivation, and 鈥減resenteeism鈥� that can wear students听 down in demanding majors. Their poster campaign, designed for the very computer labs and听 studios where burnout often takes root, reframed exhaustion not as a badge of honor but as a听 barrier to success. Drawing on research, the students highlighted how long, inflexible hours and听 chronic stress can diminish well-being and academic performance. They also connected the issue听 to institutional inequities, noting that extensive unpaid studio hours can disproportionately affect听 students who work to support themselves and their families.

Another team focused on the exotic pet trade. Their project, 鈥淐ontent Over Care,鈥� traced how听 social media repackages wild animals 鈥� spider monkeys, sloths, otters, glass frogs, African grey听 parrots 鈥� as cute, shareable content, fueling demand for a trade in which many trafficked听 animals die before they ever reach a buyer. Through flyers, pamphlets, an Instagram campaign

and a striking 鈥淧ets Are Not Content鈥� poster series, the group promoted a simple message: Stop听 engaging with content that exploits wild animals and choose care over clicks.

Stories that spark awareness

Mental health surfaced again in an in-depth research project examining the effects of social听 media, accompanied by an educational poster campaign. Other student projects tackled difficult听 histories and social inequities through documentary and audio storytelling.

One group produced 鈥淩acism in Motorsports,鈥� a podcast exploring whether IndyCar primarily听 caters to a white American audience. The students interviewed a Hispanic graphic designer about听 identity and representation in merchandise and examined the stereotypes, nicknames and听 sponsorship barriers that people of color and international drivers often face.

Another team created 鈥淪urviving War,鈥� a documentary featuring firsthand testimony from听 survivors of the 2020 Beirut explosion, the Syrian Civil War, and the Salvadoran Civil War. Through听 stories of displacement, loss and resilience, participants described families forced to flee their homes while communities came together to share food, shelter, and support to survive.

Planting something that lasts

Perhaps the most tangible outcome was a project that transformed a neglected garden plot in听 South Hall’s courtyard. Students cleared the overgrown space into ready soil and launched the听 Bee’s Garden Initiative, complete with plans for an ongoing garden club to support those听 experiencing food insecurity on campus.

鈥淚 am a member of the group Bee’s Garden Initiative,鈥� Evelyn Jane Strathmann said. 鈥淚 loved this class because it was collaborative, it was unique, and it was creative. I am happy that听 麻豆传媒集团 now has a community garden because of this project and I will forever听 have fond memories.鈥�

The project reflects one of the course’s defining strengths: Its impact extends beyond a single听 term.

Why it matters for students

For prospective and current students, the real value isn’t one poster or podcast or documentary. It听 is the transformation that occurs through the process of creating them.

The course is built around civic engagement outcomes, challenging students to apply classroom听 knowledge to community issues, communicate with stakeholders and take ethical action.

Students do not simply analyze media; they produce it, share it with audiences, and grapple with听 its real-world implications.

Student Bianca Colvin found that breadth eye-opening.

鈥淲e got to learn everything from how social media affects people to the exotic animal trade. It听 makes you really think about everything around you and what鈥檚 going on in the world. It鈥檚 such听 an important class that everyone should take.鈥�

For student Kristen Flores, the course broadened her understanding of issues she had never听 previously considered.

鈥淚 learned a lot about issues that I had no idea I aligned with until I took the course and became听 more aware,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淓ven though it might not be a requirement for your academic plan, it听 really opens your eyes. The world is bound to change, and there are going to be issues that come

up. It鈥檚 good to pick a side, form an opinion.鈥� Don’t stay quiet or oblivious, because 鈥渙ne way or听 another, these problems affect you, and your impact can help create change for the better.鈥�