Documentary

As an educator at the UPR, one of the classes I teach is a basic freshman course. The students in this couse read some essays on identity and the new life that they will encounter in college. It has been my intention to create a documentary which we can use in class in later years when discussing this topic. My idea is to interview several 1st year students on the first weeks of class and to interview them again at the end of the 1st semester and at the end of their secnd semester as well. Then , if it were possible, interview these same students on their last semester before they graduate. The purpose of these interviews would be to have the students reflect upon their identities, how they perceive and project themselves to others and to have the new students who will see the documentary years later know that they are not alone and were not the first to feel how they do.

Questions on identity might be asking them:
How they see themselves?
How do they think others see them?
Into what category would they place themselves if they could.
(Ex. Popular, geeks, nerds, all these categories of teen-age culture)
Whatis the importance of being in one or other of these categories, if any?

I would also give them free time to express themselves freely.

Activities I would include aside fron the indicidual interviews would be gruop interviews, recordings of groups around campus, "normal" campus life and activities.

I don't think I'll have difficulty capturing the "truth" and reality in the activities recorded. Teen-agers are true to themselve spretty much on or off camera. But, the group intervies might cause a bit of doubt, since we all know how some students can me influenced , intimidated or cohibited by others. But the whole point of the group interview is just that, to observe teen-age life and reactions at it's true context. The individual interviews have more of a possibility of being more honest and true, if the student is really being hin/herself.