In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, The New School has developed a five-week, one-credit course entitled “Postcards, Post-Sandy: A Public Memory Social Engagement Workshop.” The course will use social media to help capture the experiences of New York residents and New School students in the aftermath of last month’s storm.
The New School for Public Engagement’s Media Studies department created the class in roughly 24 hours — a process which included writing and designing the curriculum as well as finding an instructor, according to Melissa Friedling, director of undergraduate programs for the Media Studies department. The course is intended to explore “how social media is enabling us to share significant experiences, organize recovery logistics for those in need, and serve as a historical archive,” according to the Milano website.
“I think it is a real testament to the staff’s commitment to relevant and socially-engaged education across The New School,” said Emily Martin, assistant dean of academic operations at NSPE. The class will meet every Monday for the rest of the semester, from November 12 through December 10. “This seemed like a natural fit for the final five weeks of the fall session,” Martin added.
Eleven students from Lang, Parsons, and The New School for Public Engagement have already signed up for the class, according to course instructor Kathleen Sweeney. The course requires students to contribute to both a Tumblr blog entitled “Postcards, Post-Sandy,” and a Facebook page, which will both serve as online scrapbooks documenting the experiences of those who lived through the storm.
Shea Carmen Swan is a junior at Lang, majoring in Journalism + Design, minoring in Gender Studies. With 4 semesters of Free Press under her belt, she enjoys writing all things LGBTQIA and currently writes for Posture Magazine, a queer arts publication. Kyriacrchy.wordpress.com & Soilscript.wordpress.com host most of her literary work.
