UCLA’s local 4Humanities chapter showcases humanities scholarship using a “backpack documentary” system where students engage in the videos making process (filming, interviewing, editing, disseminating) to share humanities research in short, 5-7 minute films. Students opting to create these documentaries undergo a mandatory training session on equipment use and basic editing, organizing the project’s timeline (including scheduling equipment use), and implementing the project. Mini-documentary projects can range from current student research to community projects to the making of the documentary itself.
4Humanities@UCLA
4Humanities@UCLA chapter’s primary mission is to promote humanities scholarship by making humanities research public and accessible.
4Humanities@UCLA’s activities include:
-monthly meetings that include scholarly discussion of the current state of the humanities and advocacy options
-the creation of MiniDocs as a way to publicize humanities projects
-communication and collaboration with other local chapters in participation with 4Humanities events and projects
-contributions to the 4Humanities website through blog posts and article suggestions
Members can contribute to the 4Humanities organization by blogging, keeping an online journal, researching and sharing articles, and/or fundraising. The overall goal is to use interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration to foster connections among local branch members and outside the community.