Shall you accept this side quest, weary traveler? College of DuPage (COD) is hosting a panel, “Side Quest: Storytelling in Film, Video Games and Literature.” This event is free and open to COD students and faculty members this Thursday, March 12, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Berg Instructional Center, room 1437.
COD English professor, Jason Snart, organized and will host the panel. He said the term ‘Side Quest’ refers to the storytelling elements that complement different subject areas.
The panel will explore how storytelling connects different professions and highlight career paths available through COD programs. The event will feature three COD professors from different fields to discuss how storytelling intertwines with their professions. Panelists include film professor Brian Brems, game development professor Steve Santello and Snart.
“There’s all these different kinds of [subjects] that we identify as,” Snart said. “There’s a lot more similarity in crossover and opportunity to be part of those different areas than people realize, so that’s what I want people to take away from the presentation.”
The event will begin with an introduction from Snart, followed by Brems’ presentation. Brems prepared clips to show students about how narrative techniques can be used in film. This will be followed by Santello making his presentation on video game development and connecting storytelling to his subject. Then Snart will talk specifically about how to display narrative in literature. All speakers will be displaying and connecting elements of their subjects to storytelling while presenting. The panel will end with a question and answer portion for any attendees to ask the panelists about their profession or any other related questions.
“We’re hoping that students who [want to attend] might have an existing interest in film, video games or maybe their English majors studying literature,” Snart said. “[Students attending may] already have that interest but they don’t necessarily see the crossover, the connection [or] the interconnection between these other areas. It’s the connections between the various disciplines that we’re interested in exploring and opening student’s eyes to [different subjects].”
Snart said this event also represents the open-mindedness of exploring and learning about different subjects. Even though these subjects do not typically merge together and share commonality, Snart said these ideas challenge this by promoting the connections between them with this event.
“[The idea] really derived from my desire to have it be a little more transparent that what people do in English, my department, what people do in computer science [have in common], even though we don’t think of them as very similar in a lot of ways,” he said. “Sort of breaking down those perceived academic barriers. Opening more doors for more people.”
To attend this event, go to BIC 1437 on the main campus March 12 from 4:30 to 6:00pm. The event is free and open to all students and faculty members. No sign up required. For any questions regarding the event, contact Jason Snart at [email protected].
