American Conversations 202: The Pursuit of Happiness
Spring 2013
Eric Fure-Slocum / Matthew Rohn
Introduction
Radio Project: Living As Citizens (AmCon 202 Final Civic Engagement Project)
For a final academic civic engagement project, AmCon 202 students worked in groups to research, develop, and tell a story about students’ multifaceted “lives as citizens.” AmCon’ers explored students’ activities and their environment on campus to tell a range of stories about citizenship and engagement. Read more about the project assignment here. Click on the links below to hear their radio segments.
Performing Politics
Hannah Herndon, Katie Hindman, Raymond Dickson, Denzel Belin
What is the place of political activism in the performing arts, especially on a college campus? Are the performing arts a necessary or effective medium for political commentary? These are the questions that are raised and addressed in “Performing Politics,” in which students go into depth about the place that politically-infused performing arts has in today’s society, especially when they concern contemporary and present topics in politics. By creating conversation with people who produce such art (both old and new in their field) and delving into the history of performing arts viewed politically, light is shed on the idea and impact that this “genre” of art has on its communities.
Smokers on the Hill
Bayley Flint, Bridget Lillethorup, Jay Carlson
Our radio piece examines the recent attempt to ban smoking on St. Olaf’s campus. We talk to people from all sides of the issue and conclude that the issue is a complex problem involving the rights of students and citizens.
Chocolate and Engaged Citizenship
Calen Dehen, Megan Ledig, Jocelyn Sarvady, Jo Treat
For our radio project, we explored the chocolate and sex trade industry by interviewing SOLAS and other students at St. Olaf. This enabled us to look into fair trade options and recommendations for both St. Olaf and other college students to make better choices about their purchases.
Enironmental Consciousness and Practices in the Arts
Karlie Hoffer, Abby Kocher
This radio piece is an examination of the environmental policies put into place in the art department at St. Olaf College, starting specifically with the creation of the Center for Art and Dance. Through our research and many interviews with faculty, we were able to dive deeply into the history of environmental policies on campus and see not only how existing environmental policies affected the art department, but also how the art department’s policy changes positively affected the rest of campus. At a time when environmental practices were virtually unheard of in the arts, St. Olaf College was among the first to pave the way for future environmentally friendly policies in the arts, creating a better space for people and nature alike.
International Students and Engagement at St. Olaf College
Nadia Baka, Casey Groskreutz, Lindsay O’Keefe
Our radio piece focuses on the international student population and how they are civically engaged. We found that international students feel they are able to be civically engaged, tending to do so with a global focus.
Open Dialogue
Katherine Fitzgerald, Dani Larson, Landy Montiel
The appeal of a small liberal arts college is the liberty that an intimate community has to grow together through conversation. Newly vocal opinions about the alleged disparity between the intended and actual presence of open communication between Oles and their peers, professors, and administrators has encouraged our group to investigate these claims in our radio project. Through conversations with current students, administrators, and professors, we establish a definition of successful open dialogue and investigate times when open dialogue is successful and where it falls short.
Radio Revival
Zaq Baker, Ben Marolf, Karl Conroy
For our project, we chose to investigate the revival of radio – especially college radio – in an age of increasing technology and fragmentation. We evaluate the centrality of genuine communication and human performance in American public life.
St. Olaf Custodial Staff: Facilitating Our Community
Lauren Bazzachini, Ali McKeever, Molly Fitzgerald, Max Wolfram
Our radio piece investigates the integral relationship between students and their custodial staff. Through discussion of social capital and interview with students, custodians, and other staff, we discovered a changing campus culture.
Christian Vocation as Civic Engagement
Bergen Nelson, Jonathan Sanchez
Christian Vocation and Civic Engagement is a radio project about how students find a way to synthesize their faith with their involvement in a community. We analyze the organization St. Olaf Christian Outreach to witness how Christian students perceive their duty in a community and how they fulfill it while comparing their actions to the concept of civic involvement. We conclude that the organization succeeds in connecting civic engagement and their perception of Christian vocation. They set an example for others who also seek a way to combine their faith and community lives during their college experience.