Spring 2022 Undergraduate Courses

As part of the Pandemic Narratives project, we have created an array of options for undergraduate student engagement through enrolling in internships and other credit-bearing courses.  We've had some great work done in the fall that we hope to continue into the spring, including blogging and podcasting.  We continue to work with WUSB and other campus groups to build on existing initiatives as well as to start some of our own.   We welcome students looking for interesting experiential learning opportunities.

Below is a list of faculty contacts for all the departments offering 488 credits and/or other options for undergraduates interested in joining the Pandemic Narratives Initiative.  Flexible credit hours and work plans are available.  Students from any major can sign up for any of these courses once they receive departmental permission. 

Art  contact  lorena.salcedo-watson@stonybrook.edu

Both the art history and the studio art track offer options to participate in the Pandemic Narratives Initiative.  All these options require permission from the department and may have prerequisites attached.

For Art History:

ARH 444: Experiential Learning, EXP+  Students can engage in a substantial, structured experiential learning activity in conjunction with another class. Beyond-the-classroom experiences may include: service learning, mentored research, field work, or an internship. Instructor must give permission to add this course.
For Studio Art:

ARS 444, EXP+: Students can create and exhibit a pandemic-themed work.  ARS 444 can be added to an upper division studio elective by the instructor when assigning an

   EXP+ satisfying project.

ARS 487, an Independent Study option, can be used for creating a Pandemic-themed body of work, culminating in a work statement and in person and online exhibition. Students should be a U3 or U4 with advanced status in one of the studio areas of concentration. Students will need a faculty mentor and permission by the department. 

English contact susan.scheckel@stonybrook.edu

EGL 488 EXP+, EGL 458 SPK (optional)

Students will work with Herstory, a LI-based non-profit that teaches memoir writing as part of its mission "to change hearts, minds and policies one story at a time." Students will learn and write side-by-side with community members, healthcare professionals and activists to generate (and publish) powerful short memoirs exploring what we learned from the pandemic and how we can create change in the future. There are several working groups focusing on health justice, disability rights and reimagining mental health care. For more information go to: Spring 2022 Herstory Internship Application.

History  contact nancy.tomes@stonybrook.edu

HIS 488  EXP+, HIS 458 SPK (optional)

Students can explore the pandemic related materials collected by SBU’s Special Collections and other campus groups and think about how to turn them into blogs, podcasts, and web exhibits.

Permission is required.

Journalism contact irene.virag@stonybrook.edu

JRN 487

Students can work on their own memoirs of the pandemic or chronicle the stories of others in reported longform pieces. This three-credit asynchronous independent study is open to students with U3 or U4 standing. It is an opportunity for them to nurture their storytelling talents outside the classroom. Space is limited, permission is required.

Media Arts Minor contact norman.prusslin@stonybrook.edu)

THR 488/section 35 EXP+

Media Minor students who will be enrolling in THR 488 to meet the required or elective requirement can apply their internship hours to a variety of media-related projects that are a part of the “Pandemic Narratives Project.”  Contact Norman Prusslin for permission to register and/or more information.

Sociology contact Catherine.marrone@stonybrook.edu)

SOC 488 EXP+

The Sociology department has no pandemic-specific internships as yet, however, sociology majors and HMS minors may register for credit-bearing internships that are related to this program under this course number and with the permission of Catherine Marrone. 

Student Community Development  Contact Isobel.Breheny-Schafer@stonybrook.edu 

EXT 288, EXT 488  

Students of any major/minor can complete an EXT career internship in student media and work on a group or individual Pandemic Narratives Project. Project may include community dialogue, video or audio podcast, photojournalism, or written essay telling the stories of the pandemic experience through a student lens or focus.

Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies   contact lisa.diedrich@stonybrook.edu

WST 488 EXP+

Students interested in pandemic-related issues concerning gender, disability, and sexuality may do so by registering in WST 488.  Permission from the department is required.