Students sought for foreign film program

There's more to be learned about Thailand than what can be gleaned from Murray Head's 1984 hit "One Night in Bangkok."

UNC's Study Abroad Office will offer students the opportunity to create a documentary in the Thai capital next semester and earn 12 credit hours in the process.

Student-created documentaries on Thai social issues of students' choice will be the focus of the semester. UNC students will work in groups of three alongside Thai students from the Motion Picture and Still Photography Department at Chulalongkorn University, a partner school in Bangkok.

"We're still in the application process and will probably send between 10 and 15 students," said Daniel Gold, assistant director for Asia at the Study Abroad Office.

Sophomore standing and a 3.0 grade point average are the only requirements for applying for the trip, but Gold said the office is looking for students who want more than the average study abroad experience.

"We're looking for students who are interested in experiences and are open-minded," Gold said.

The program is not specifically geared toward those with documentary film experience, but applicants with previous knowledge of the subject are welcome to apply.

The trip is part of the Burch Field Research Seminar in Documentary Video Studies and Production, which will be led by Professor Joanne Hershfield.

"When I teach documentaries, I want the students to think about the other culture in relation to their own," Hershfield said.

"They're going to be figuring out how they're going to represent the other culture and what their position is on it."

Hershfield, who teaches communication and women's studies at the University, specializes in documentaries about women's issues and recently completed a 52-minute piece with another professor, Jan Bardsley, called "Women in Japan: Memories of the Past, Dreams for the Future."

"I want my students to come away with a good product," Hershfield said. "It's an experiential learning project."

Hershfield said that she visited Bangkok this past summer and that the city was chosen to host the trip for a variety of reasons.

"Bangkok is a place where a lot of people speak English," she said. "It's both a First and Third World country - hidden among the high rises and McDonald's you'll find Buddhist temples."

Anne Kinsella, a sophomore management and society and psychology major, studied in Singapore for seven weeks this summer and also spent a week in Thailand.

Kinsella, who was in the city during July's International AIDS Conference, said she found Bangkok to be different from Malaysia. The size of the city and its large Buddhist population contrasted with the areas of Singapore in which she studied.

"It was definitely beautiful," she said. "I really liked it. In fact, I'm going back this summer with Habitat for Humanity."

Students who plan to apply for this Burch Field program should turn in their applications this week to ensure time to apply for visas and passports.

"It should be a fun experience as well as an educational one," said Hershfield. "Bangkok is a very exciting place to be, and there are great beaches."

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.