They're in!

The Spring 2020 documentaries are in.  You can see them on YouTube as my Haunted UWF playlist, or you can play them right here at the post below.  The GHG (Ghost Hunting Girls) documentary is extraordinary.  It's very well done considering what these students had to deal with.  Las Fantasmas is another phenomenal documentary.  I hope you take a look.  We also have efforts by the Spooky Squad and Ghost Getters.

I have to say in Spooky Squad and Ghost Getters' defense that these students had done some of their historical re-enactments, done some interviews, and they had done the paranormal investigation of the UWF Library on 2/21/20.  That investigation was hampered by a joker who had set up several mocking sound effects to distract and trick my students.  Another employee moved some objects, which left my students' puzzled as to what was real evidence and what was a prank.  GHG and Las Fantasmas were graciously allowed a second investigation on 2/28/20 by the Dean of Libraries, Stephanie Clark.  The second investigation truly helped these two groups to do better documentaries.  The other two groups said they could work with what they got on the 21st, but, apparently, that was not the case.

The unexpected quarantines implemented as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic played hell with this course, and my student documentary film-makers.  I think they had intended to do a lot of supplemental interviews and a follow-up, daytime investigation of the UWF Library, and Spooky Squad and Ghost Getters were thwarted by the fact that the COVID-19 closure of the University of West Florida two weeks later caught everyone off guard.  All four groups were planning on doing another investigation of the old Whitmire Cemetery as soon as they returned from spring break, and I know that Spooky Squad and Ghost Getters were planning on making that investigation the highlight of their documentaries, and, of course, the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Order prevented that investigation from happening.  It stymied many aspects of the documentaries' production.  My four student groups were forced to meet with me via WebEx meetings and Canvas Live Chats, and this greatly limited my ability to assist my students. 

Despite this, all four groups persevered, and they made the most out of the video and audio that they had.  Instead of being able to meet at the Skylab, where they could work with the incredible John Barksdale to do their editing and put their project together, they had to access the Skylab programs remotely, and it was difficult for them to reach out for help because of the stress and confusion they felt from the entire situation.  They were trying to cope with doing their classes online--not just my class.  Instead of the groups being able to meet and discuss audio analysis and video editing of the project, they had to rely on email, texting, Discord and Snap Chat to communicate with each other.  Doing a group project on an entirely online, remote basis put all four groups at a great disadvantage. 

I say all of this to communicate to you, the audience, that their works should not be compared to the documentaries of previous classes because their situation so greatly differed from any other classes' trials or tribulations that I don't think there is any comparison to be made.  These students made their documentaries amid extreme adversity, yet they all managed to turn in a project that used the rhetorical appeals that they originally aimed for when they prepared their storyboards in early February.

For one, I applaud them for their steadfast dedication, even when we could have done a paper instead, they wanted to gamble on their own abilities to pull this project off, and I believe they all succeeded.  I hope you will enjoy watching their efforts.

Haunted Comp 2

Super Excited!

Right now, I am waiting on the Spring 2020 Student Ghost-Hunting Documentary submission for my UWF College English Composition 2 class.  These students have been challenged more than any other class in my 16 year career by the fact that half way through the course, they had to do a group project totally online and remote as a result of COVID-19.   However, I'm not worried because this is, hands down, the best group of Comp 2 students I've ever taught.  They are so bright and so motivated.  That's why I just can't wait to see their submissions!  I'll share them with you as soon as I get them on May 1st....

The New Fall Documentary Submissions!

They're in!  I have received all of the documentaries for the fall 2019 Comp 2 classes. 

G.A.S.

Spooky Daze

4D

Bhost Gusters

The Mystery Machines

Mystery Inc.

The Ghost Malones

The Ghouligans

The Supernaturals

Register for Comp 2 / FALL 2019

My Comp 2 course at UWF's main campus is for Fall 2019, and will start on August 23rd.  In this Comp 2 course, you are going to learn to translate skills from Comp 1 (aka the academic sphere ) to Comp 2 (aka the public sphere).  We are going GHOST HUNTING!  You will investigate haunted locations, and you will be taught how to turn your video record into a real documentary.  A documentary has a formula.  It has voice over narrative and B roll shots.  This connects the Interviews, Historical Re-creations, and Video Evidence.  You will learn all of this. Students will work in groups of five persons.  Each group will produce a ghost hunting documentary as their major project.  At the end of the course, we put on a Paranormal Documentary Film Festival here in the auditorium, and it's a great experience.

There are actually two sections of Comp 2 that will both be Ghost Hunting Documentary-making, and will be taught by me.

80197 - ENC1102 English Comp II (3 hours)

Tech: Primarily Classroom  Start / End: 08/26 - 12/14 Part of Term: 1 - Full Term Campus: Main (Pensacola) Meets: TR 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM Bldg/Rm: 51/165

80205 - ENC1102 English Comp II (3 hours) 

Tech: Primarily Classroom Start / End: 08/26 - 12/14 Part of Term: 1 - Full Term Campus: Main Pensacola) Meets: TR 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM Bldg/Rm: 74/102

Advance Registration begins on April 15th.  Open enrollment for Fall 2019 is on April 22nd.  Freshmen can enroll for Fall classes on April 19th, as per the attached enrollment instructions:

Advanced Registration

             Day 1:

• • • • Currently enrolled graduate degree seeking students
      • Students registered with Military & Veterans Resource Center
      • Honors Students
      • Students registered with Student Accessibility Resources
      • Athletes
      • Students registered with Student Success Programs
      • International Exchange students (with IEIS attribute)
      • MARC & Chem Scholars
      • Seniors with active graduation application on file

Day 2:

• • • • Currently registered Seniors without graduation application on file

       Day 3:

• • • • Currently registered Juniors

       Day 4:

• • • • Currently registered Sophomores

       Day 5:

• • • • Currently registered Freshmen

Examples of the 2015 Comp 2 Ghost Hunting Documentaries made by my students.