Hack the story, change the world!

Are you creative and do you care about societal issues, and do you want to learn how to make a difference in the world through stories? How to contribute to major societal issues by creating counter-narratives? Become a Storyhacker and join our minor!

In this international minor, you'll spend 20 weeks creating stories with societal impact. You'll develop an impact campaign with video, audio, and text, focusing on the video product. This could be a documentary, short film, animation, reportage, or something else. This is your opportunity to use your creative skills and voice to make a difference!

And it's urgently needed because as a society, we face significant challenges. Whether it's climate change, inclusive living, or the future of our democracy; humanity is on the brink of major changes.

The old world no longer works; something needs to change. However, we tell each other stories that fit this old world; for example, that economic growth is paramount, immigrants are stealing our jobs, heterosexual relationships are the norm, and privacy is dead. These stories prevent us as individuals and as a society from embracing the necessary change. We need new stories. New creators, new ideas, new voices, new words, and new images.

We call this story hacking: understanding and interpreting existing stories in society that hinder us from changing. Then creating a refreshing counter-narrative. What does your ideal world look like? And how do you express your voice to bring that desired future world closer? With your counter-narrative, you focus on the change you want to see in the future society.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/embed/78t4xNtz1JI

Visual storytelling takes center stage in the challenge, so you'll truly enhance and delve into the language of visuals. This involves improving your skills in conceptualizing and creating various visual stories through photography, animation, and moving images. Additionally, you'll learn how to integrate visual storytelling with audio and text to make it even more impactful.

You will also gain knowledge about storytelling, plotlines, narrative psychology, genres, story production, new technologies (such as AR and VR), futuring methods, concept thinking, and art. You'll understand what impact means and how you can have societal impact through video, audio, and text.

You meet the admission requirements of your own programme for following a minor (see OER of your programme).

No books or additional study material needed.

12-16 hours per week, with one fixed day off per week.

During the week, after each class, you will have a preparational assignment for the next class.

Storyhackers - 2 x 15 ECTS - Portfolio assessment

During the scope of the minor you will be working on at least 4 assignments: e.g.

• Personal Impact Manifesto (Block 1 - week 1)
• Hack your story (Block 1 - week 2-4)
• Hack your safe space (Block 1 - week 4-8)
• Hack the public space (Block 2 - week 2 - 8)

You will work on these tasks by going through different steps:

1. Issue analysis
2. Narrative research
3. Deconstruction – narrative analysis
4. Strategize
5. Reconstruction – prototype counter narratives
6. Pretest
7. Iterate counter narrative
8. Develop story + experience concept
9. Pretest + impact test
10. Develop final story + experience

Throughout the minor you will get weekly feedback on your task and steps, this will give you signals and information if your learning efforts and work are going into the right direction.

By working on the tasks and going through the steps you will create different counter narratives that you will tell and evaluate. All these products will be combined in your portfolio. Your stories, your supporting research and substantiation for it and your personal reflection.

The teachers will assess the portfolio together and grade it.

There are no other modules in the minor that have separate grading. All your efforts in reaching the learning outcome will be assessed by your portfolio.

In the first block you will work on assignment 1, 2 and 3, the work and production process of these three assignment you will report, share and elaborate on in a portfolio. This portfolio will form the basis of the oral assessment at the end of the block. If your grad is 5,5 or higher, you will earn 15 EC. 

In the second block of the semester you will work on assignment 4 and it will be assessed in the same way as the first block; through a portfolio assessment for 15 EC.

Resits:

Resit of block 3 is in block 4.

Resit of block 4 is in the last weeks of block 4 (beginning of July).

Questions about the minor?
Contact Silvana Beerends-Pavlovic via s.pavlovic@hva.nl

Questions about the Kies op Maat procedure?
Contact ​​​​​​Karin van de Haterd via minoren-co-cb@hva.nl

Applications will be processed in order of receipt signed learning agreements.