Anthropology of Tourism class
A new video featured on the St. Mary’s County Division of Tourism site, Visitstmarysmd.com, provides a glimpse into St. Mary’s County’s African-American history and heritage. It was filmed and produced this spring as an independent study project by St. Mary’s College of Maryland students.
Students from St. Mary’s College’s “Anthropology of Tourism” class, taught by Assistant Professor Liza Gijanto, and students Dylan Hadfield and Eli Ayres, of the Department of Theater, Film and Media Studies, collaborated on the six-minute clip, which is narrated by two life-long county residents and highlights historic sites and museums.
Production assistance was provided by documentary and experimental filmmaker David Ellsworth, who is associate professor at St. Mary’s College, and Azie Mira Dungey, creator of the “Ask a Slave” YouTube series. Dungey aided in the project during her time this spring as visiting scholar with the college’s Center for the Study of Democracy. The scholar is asked to deliver a public lecture at the college, be a part of an ongoing class, and spend time in small groups with students.
Funding to support the project came from a three-year grant received by the college in 2012 by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The grant funds initiatives expanding civic-engagement and service-learning opportunities in the college’s core curriculum.
The video is now available on the African-American Heritage webpage of the county tourism site, under the Activities and Attractions tab, Special Themes and Interest sub-tab. View here>>