Young Public Scholars Courses

Instructor: Casey Beck

Course Offered: June 22 – 26

In this hands-on media production course, students create short documentaries, video portraits, and digital content for a real environmental advocacy group. Using smartphones and DaVinci Resolve, students learn the storytelling and technical skills to support one non-profit’s strategy for change. We will explore how media shapes awareness, policy, and action and how you can make work that matters.

Instructor: Betsy Weiss

Course Offered: July 13 - 17

Explore Louisiana’s role as a global leader in incarceration and its ongoing efforts in criminal justice reform. This class dives into the inequalities of the justice system, the fight for change, and the power of media in shaping perceptions about crime and punishment. Students will meet with formerly incarcerated activists, study the prison industrial complex, and learn media techniques to create impactful projects. Through hands-on collaboration, you’ll produce media pieces for Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), amplifying stories of reform and redemption. Join us to uncover the challenges and possibilities of building a fairer justice system!

Instructor: Dr. William Saas

Course Offered: July 20 - 24

For most of its history, podcasting was an audio-first and independent practice, accessible to anyone with a microphone, a computer, and an RSS feed. Podcasters in 2026 face a very different world, where mass audiences engage podcasts as a visual-first format and streaming giants like Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and Netflix dominate the scene. In this course, we take a critical look at podcasting's past to pursue answers about its future. What will the next 5 years hold for podcasters, the art of podcasting, and the podcasting industry?

Instructor: Dr. Brandon Davis

Course Offered: July 6 – 10, July 20 - 24

This is the Way. Science fiction enables us to study the contemporary political world from a distance -- to shed light on its problems and its weaknesses, and to be imaginative about alternatives, both hope-filled and deeply troubling. Through science fiction, we will consider ideas like power, authority, legitimacy, equality, and identity. Many of the readings, television shows, and movies we examine in this course will reflect upon the current political, social, cultural, and religious environment we reside in; whereas the technology may be from a distant future, the struggles the characters face all find their roots in our collective human existence.

Instructor: Betsy Weiss

Course Offered: July 20 - 24

Discover the untold stories of New Orleans through its cultural institutions! This class explores how museums and historic sites have both silenced and amplified Black voices, focusing on three impactful spaces: the TEP Center, the New Orleans African American Museum, and the Backstreet Cultural Museum. You’ll learn about their roles in addressing racism, celebrating Black traditions, and preserving African American history. With interactive class visits, an exciting field trip, and group projects, you’ll dive deep into the powerful narratives shaping New Orleans’ culture. Join us to uncover history, challenge perspectives, and create meaningful audio-visual projects!

Instructor: Casey Beck

Course Offered: June 15 – 18

Explore New Orleans through documentary film. Students will examine historic and contemporary documentaries that portray the city’s people, culture, crises, and change. We’ll consider how filmmakers’ backgrounds and motivations shape what we see and what’s left unsaid. Through screenings, discussions, and conversations with filmmakers, students will gain insight into the ongoing true story of New Orleans.

Instructor: Dr. Kyle DeCoste

Course Offered: June 15 – 18, June 22 - 26

New Orleans is among the most musically and culturally significant cities in the world. This course examines how the city’s history—shaped by colonialism, enslavement, and musical/cultural resistance within it—has contributed to the city’s imaginings, both local and global. Students will apply ideas from music studies, cultural studies, Black studies, and anthropology to the expressive practices of brass bands, bounce artists, and Black masking Indians, among others.

Instructor: Daniella Zalcman

Course Offered: July 13 - 17

Spend the week diving into the history, mechanics, and ethics of visual journalism with hands-on time dedicated to making a cohesive, sequenced photo story with an award-winning National Geographic photographer. Emphasis will be placed on developing story, strengthening technical ability, and learning how to develop specialized skills like intimate portraiture and compelling narrative. No specialized equipment required — smartphone cameras welcome and encouraged.

Instructor: Amy Kirk Duvoisin

Course Offered: July 6 – 10

We are all experiencing constant changes in algorithms while trying to maintain our own personal rhythms, and trying to stay authentic in an increasingly artificial era. What if rather than trying to keep up, you slowed down and reflected and explored your ideas and opinions more, before posting? This class will focus on various ways to develop and tell your personal story, from writing and photography, to theatre and visual art, using various forms of expression that can serve as a support system to your digital storytelling. Through a variety of individual assignments and collaborative opportunities, you will learn new ways to use your own voice.