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Communism: A Documentary

The following short video was a semester-length extracurricular project produced by Lucas Astorian and Richard Song (both Hotchkiss '17). Their key question was, "What is communism?" with Lucas Astorian approaching the question from a philosophical direction and Richard examining the history of communism as a social movement and a governing ideology. They were particularly interested in incorporating perspectives from members of the school community in shaping their response.

The video

Q&A with Richard Song about the project

1) How did you get the idea for this project? What did you hope to learn?

I got idea of this project because I became interested in Marxism after attending Mr. Drake's "Anatomy of Revolution" class. My parents also strongly encourage me to pursue the study of communism. I hope to learn the theory of communism and its relationship with the practice. 

2) Briefly describe your process. What did you find most engaging? Most challenging?

The most engaging part of the project is definitely the exciting conversations we had with the interviewees. Their answers are far more diverse and profound than I had imagined. The most challenging part is putting all the video clips together. It is quite hard to work on the same computer with the other person.

3) What has been the response to your documentary? What reactions have you found most interesting or surprising?

People are generally impressed by the documentary with one exception, which is the surprising part. The one critic I encountered believes that Lucas and I tried to reach a conclusion too hastily without fully developing the evidence.

4) Do you have any advice for students who might want to take up a project like this in the future?

Plan ahead, because much of the work we did was not directly related to the documentary itself.
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  • Asian Studies
    • Course: China's Fall and Rise >
      • Course Information
      • In-Class
      • Assignments
    • Field Study: Hotchkiss in China
    • Further Reading >
      • Books
      • News
      • Podcasts
  • Humanities History
    • Course Information
    • In-Class
    • Assignments
  • Resources
    • Reading >
      • Active Reading
      • Advanced Reading Strategies (Upper Mids and Seniors)
      • Outlining for Reading
    • Thinking >
      • What is History?
      • Historical Thinking Chart (PDF)
      • Breaking Down History with the SPICE Factors
      • Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources
      • Analyzing Primary Sources with SOAPSTone
      • Selecting & Evaluating Secondary Sources
    • Discussing >
      • Engaging in Class Discussion
    • Researching >
      • Identifying Research Topics & Questions
      • Note Cards
    • Writing >
      • Zero Draft
      • Thesis Statements
      • Forming Counterarguments
      • Formatting Chicago-Style Papers
      • Ford Library Guide to Chicago-style Citations (PDF)
    • Tech Tips
    • Links for Educators
    • Current Events around the World
  • Archive
    • Student Projects >
      • "Communism" (Independent Study)
      • "Issues of History" (Japan's Empire and its Legacies)
    • Archived Courses >
      • Living China's History (fall 2017) >
        • Course Information
        • Course Project
        • In-Class
        • Assignments
      • Thinking about a Changing China (spring 2017) >
        • Course Information
        • In Class
        • Assignments
      • Japan's Empire and its Legacies (fall 2016) >
        • Course Information
        • Daily Review
        • Schedule >
          • JE Unit 1
          • JE Unit 2
          • JE Unit 3
          • JE Unit 4
          • JE Unit 5
          • JE Unit 6
        • Research >
          • Issues of History
          • Research Schedule >
            • Checkpoint #2: Annotated Bibliography
            • Checkpoint #3: Outline
            • Checkpoint #4: Supplemental Pages
      • Humanities History (2016-17) >
        • Course Information
        • In Class
        • Assignments >
          • U1: The American Revolution & the Constitution
          • U2: Defining the Nation
          • U3: 19th Century Social & Cultural Transformations >
            • Cemetery Project
          • U4: A House Divided
          • U5: Industry & Empire
          • U6: Progressive Promise & Disillusion
          • U7: Global Conflicts
          • U8: Civil Rights & Human Rights
  • About
    • About
    • Writing
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