Watch Our Student Documentary "Confidence" Online

One of the Mass Comm/Soc 109 student documentaries produced by the TECK Productions group is now available online.
Confidence: The Man Behind the Bench.
This documentary produced by Westminster College students introduces the viewer to the story of Judge George "Tookie" James (Westminster Alum & Beaver County's First African American Judge). The project was produced with consumer available camcorders and editing software.

My Future Role- What I Do Now After The Cluster

"Of all affairs, communication is the most wonderful..." John Dewey


Dr. Tomlinson asked students to consider where we go from here as we close out the Soc 109/Mass Comm cluster. We took a few moments to write out what role we see ourselves playing as we move beyond the class. Here's what I wrote out in those final moments in the classroom:

I chose to live by example when it comes to treating people as I want to be treated. I will respect the dignity of the individual and appreciate the experiences and perspectives offered. By living the example I become a better teacher, parent and citizen thanks to the ongoing discovery born out of the interactions I have with others. This discovery also brings a diversity and richeness that fosters a range of relationships and communities. This discovery allows me to reinvent, update and broaden who I am as well as the pictures in my head. I recognize this is an ongoing human process requiring us to come together as we make the construction of meaning which is constant and fluid.

Student Documentary Showcase- Part 2

Addressing Stereotypes, Media & Marginalized Audiences
Presented by The Mass Comm/Soc 109 Cluster Students
You're Invited! Tuesday, May 8
12:45-2:00 p.m. in the Mueller Theater
McKelvey Campus Center/Westminster College
Free & Open to the Public
“We are all captives of the picture in our head -- our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists.”- Walter Lippman

Billy Jackson: Independent Documentary Director/Producer

Billy Jackson stresses integrity, ethics and independence in his approach to making documentaries.


Documentary filmmaker Billy Jackson visited our cluster students on April 26 discussing his recent project, "Enough is Enough." The film explores the death of Johnny Gammage and issues of police misconduct in Pittsburgh and framed it within the larger issue of the problem nationwide of unarmed, innocent black citizens dying while in the custody of police.

Jackson expressed that he sees himself as first as a professional, a filmmaker. He stressed the importance of integrity, ethics and independence as a storyteller. He also underscored the issue of practicality and passion as a creator of media content. We discussed his film, his role as a storyteller and a gatekeeper, his process and his passion.

We thank you, Billy Jackson, for helping us expand the pictures in our heads of the role of documentary producers and directors in the grand scheme of gatekeepers and the process of making documentaries. I only wish we could have you back to sit in the audience as our students begin presenting their documentary projects to the public this week.



Student Documentary Showcase
Addressing Stereotypes, Media & Marginalized Audiences
Presented by The Mass Comm/Soc 109 Cluster Students
Thursday, May 3 Screenings
12:45-2:00 p.m. in the Mueller Theater
McKelvey Campus Center/Westminster College
Free & Open to the Public
“We are all captives of the picture in our head -- our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists.”- Walter Lippman

Students in the Mass Comm/Soc 109 Cluster will present public premieres of their documentary projects. Three documentaries will debut on May 3. Four others will premiere on May 8.

May 3 Schedule
Confidence: The Man Behind the Bench
Teck Productions-- Elisa C., Kirsten D., Catharine H. & Thomas M.

Poetic Justice
Fighting Tulips Productions-- Steve K., Julie M., Aidan Mewha & Charlie N.

Believing Without Seeing
LEJJ Communications-- Jess C., Elizabeth F., Jess H. & Emily S.