Immersed in oil: Community journalism, petroculture, and environmental justice in Los Angeles

Abstract

Courses

Digital Storytelling, Community Journalism.

Objectives

This course is designed to introduce students to basic concepts in digital storytelling and community journalism. “Immersed in urban oil” is an interdisciplinary project-based, community-engaged course focused on documenting the historical and contemporary oil infrastructures of LA County. Students are taught how to produce a publicly accessible and immersive digital library that highlights issues of environmental justice in the past/present of local Los Angeles oil production. Visual journalism and community storytelling inform the reporting, media production, and digital methodologies components of the course.