Saturday, February 3, 2018

Digital Humanities Club: Week 3




On January 31, we worked on audio compositions. Our main selections were based on excerpts of a poem by Amiri Baraka and speeches by Malcolm X. A couple of the guys had requested that I do more to include Malcolm X. I have to remind myself that voices who are central to my research and classes -- Baraka, Malcolm, Colson Whitehead, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Black Thought, and Jay-Z -- are not as prevalent or even present at the high schools where these guys are.

We worked on building recordings based on the excerpts. What we've been realizing is that we might have to seek out more alternatives with instrumentals -- something beyond what we hear on the radio. We've also continued mixing up our production teams, just to see what works best.

Week #3 reflection from Rae'Jean Spears:
It was another exciting week with the weekly Digital Humanities Club. Because the students who are participating in the program have been with us for nearly five months, we are seeing ways each week to improve the individual experience of each student. This week, students were strategically paired with undergraduate students and there was a breakthrough in some of the audio produced as a result. I look forward to seeing how we continue to better understand the students so that we can ensure that they are receiving the most out of their own individual experiences.

Related:
The East St. Louis Digital Humanities Club Spring 2018

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