Abstract
Following the Jesuit value of being men and women for and with others and a journalistic value of bearing witness, a theology professor, a graphic design professor/video artist and a journalism professor joined forces for a different kind of learning experience for undergraduate students. The course, called Backpack Journalism in the Dominican Republic, was a faculty-led, five-week, summer international experience made up of two parts: theology and journalism. The first two weeks in Omaha and then 11 days based at the ILAC Center in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The theology component introduced the Church in Latin America and the Dominican Republic as well as how the Church was transformed by Vatican II, specifically through the Council’s affirmation that Scripture enjoins us to work for the Kingdom of God. The journalistic component came in practical applications of learning how to write feature stories, how to blog and how to shoot and edit a video documentary as well as the power of journalism to tell stories that make a difference. The nine students spent a busy two weeks studying theology and learning to write journalistically and to shoot and edit video. The students and professors then spent 11 days in the Dominican Republic.
The theology and journalism came together in using journalistic tools to help tell the story of how one man, Pedro Almonte, a Catholic deacon, is driven by his faith and his belief that the Church has a responsibility to work for and with the poor. The students shot and edited footage for a mini-documentary on the work Almonte has done for more than 20 years to help the people of Cien Fuegos – a sprawling slum next to the garbage dump in Santiago, Dominican Republic – better their lives through soup kitchens, education programs and neighborhood groups that stand up to crime and violence or work to stop environmental degradation