JOUR 2316 Social Change Through Documentary

Note to Journalism minors: this course satisfies the requirement for an elective with a craft" orientation. This course on video journalism pays special attention to telling meaningful stories in short documentary form. Students select a story to follow, develop a production plan, and film and edit a three- to five-minute documentary. The course considers storytelling and technical skills, as well as the ethical questions that arise when documenting a story with a camera. Throughout the course, we will also look at examples of how other video journalists have approached their work, considering short documentaries on topics such as immigration, healthcare access, culture and arts, and personal family stories. By the end of the course, students will have produced one finished short documentary and developed a deep understanding of how to tell a compelling story through video.

Course overview

Department
Journalism
School
MCAS
Credits
3
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Annually

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
3.67 / 5 · Very Good
9 responses
Instructor rating
4.25 / 5 · Very Good
9 responses
Terms evaluated
1
Most recent: Spring 2026

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Spring 2026Andrea Patino Contreras3.74.34.34.24.24.04.24.04–6 hrs/week9 of 11

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Andrea Patino Contreras · Stokes Hall 113S Th 04:30PM-06:50PM · Offered