Venue:  Western Gateway Building, Room G14, UCC

This course focuses on exploring new ways in which stories can be created, produced and experienced using interactive technologies. While what constitutes ‘a good story’ remains the same, the telling of stories is dramatically shifting and bringing new possibilities in this ever-changing digital landscape.

Each class will introduce a concept central to the understanding of interactive storytelling and will examine closely a selection of projects from around the world to show students the new and exciting ways in which stories are being told using both digital and ‘old school’ technologies.

Students will explore key design elements and discuss questions on aesthetics, usability, ethics and socio-politics. They will analyse the strengths and weaknesses of these projects and consider how they can give audiences a more complete, rewarding and immersive experience. At the end of the course, participants will be equipped with skills and knowledge to produce their own interactive stories as well as be in a better position to critically analyse media texts (articles, films, etc).

The discussions will suit anyone interested in Media and Communications in general (Filmmaking, Journalism and Marketing), particularly those who want to learn about new methods and tools to tell great stories and to expand their understanding of the art of interactive storytelling.

Over the course of 8 weeks the illustrated classes will cover the following topics:
1: Brief History of Interactive Storytelling - Brief History of interactive storytelling and evolution of digital technology in documentary-making and journalism.
2: Interactive Storytelling as Dialogue – How interactive methods of engagement, both digital and non-digital, have enabled projects to offer much needed conversations on issues such as conflict, identity, class, and memory. What are the ethical challenges?
3: Interactive Storytelling as Activism - How emerging storytelling practices where internet/mobile technologies meet changing audience-user behaviours can act as important vehicles for citizenship and activism. Can online activism really bring about social change?
4: Interactive Storytelling as Visible Evidence – How interactive storytelling has been used to recover hidden stories and give voice to marginalised groups. What are the substantial ethical and methodological questions that these projects raise, particularly in politically sensitive contexts?
5: Interactive Storytelling as Collaborative Work - How ownership and authorship have been shared between filmmakers/journalists and the subjects of the story through collaborative practices. What are the new territories and the boundaries of this participatory and collaborative culture?
6: Interactive Storytelling as Historical Account - How archival material has found many engaging ways to tell stories of the past through the creative integration of audio, text, graphics and video. What are the main challenges and benefits?
7: Interactive Storytelling as Gaming - How investigative documentary-makers/journalist have used game aesthetics and play theory to create engaging and interactive environments for their narratives. What are the boundaries between entertainment and factuality?
8: Tools for Interactive Production and Funding Possibilities – What are the different tools, platforms and technologies available to produce and distribute interactive stories on low and high budgets. How can limited resources (financial, time and people) be maximised? What are the available funding and distribution opportunities?

This course is held once a week for 8 weeks. Each class lasts two hours.
To maximise learning outcomes, participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops and tablets.

Short courses are non assessed

Dr. Laura Aguiar is Postdoctoral Researcher at The Keynes Centre UCC. Laura has worked as a freelance journalist in Brazil and Sweden. She has taught in Queen’s University Belfast BA programmes and in The Keynes Centre UCC. She has also guest lectured across Brazil, Ireland, England, Canada and Sweden.
As part of her practice-based PhD research, she edited and co-directed the documentary film We Were There (2014) and co-produced the Prisons Memory Archive online interactive documentary on the Maze and Long Kesh Prison. She is director of the interactive e-book John Maynard Keynes: The Lives of a Mind (2016) and co-curator of the exhibition The Flight of the Earls: 410 Years (2017). She has published on various themes, including collaborative media practice, gender representation, media and war, and interactive storytelling.

Regina Sexton, Short course co-ordinator, r.sexton@ucc.ie

Marian O'Keeffe, Short course administrator, marian.okeeffe@ucc.ie

E:  shortcourses@ucc.ie

T:  021 4904700

To register and pay please click the ‘apply now’ button

Students may also apply by completing the application form below and returning same with a cheque, postal order or bank draft made payable to UCC. Please return to Adult Education at The Laurels, Western Road, Cork by Monday 18 September 2017. Payment may also be made by calling to Adult Education during normal office hours.