Students in Prof. Lisa Gilman’s Spring 2021 Folklore and Ethnographic Research Methods class partnered with Calvert County, Maryland to produce short documentary-style videos and podcasts on the theme of Agriculture: Past and Present in Calvert County to be preserved in a permanent county archive. M.A. Folklore student, Alyssa Tsukamoto, has continued working with Calvert County through an internship.
Tsukamoto was drawn to the opportunity because of the connections she had made while in Gilman’s class and was excited to continue working with the materials and people. The class interviewed many residents of the county to discuss topics such as history of tobacco farming, meat and poultry farms, arts, industrialization, life in the county, and indigenous culture. Tsukamoto focused on ensuring that the data collected by the class, such as audio transcripts were correct and consistent, fixing sound imbalances, and other minor audio and video editing.
Tsukamoto has also been able to tap into her creative side and was asked to add visual elements to the podcasts. She spent time storyboarding the audio with photos and video from the students and the archive to create appealing content for Calvert County to use in the future on their social media channels, website, and archive. She loved being able to hone her audio-visual skills, and the internship has provided her with professional experience working with a government agency to collect and preserve oral narratives.
Tsukamoto is the first intern with Calvert County to work on this project, and she noted that was one of her favorite parts. “I’m really proud to know that my experience will shape the future of this internship,” Tsukamoto said.
April 26, 2022