Teaching
Meredith Davenport teaches in the BFA program at the Rochester Institute of Technology- a teaching focused institution. She teaches on topics and skills in non-fiction narrative and classes related to photojournalism and documentary media- an area she has worked in for 20 years. She is particularly interested in multi-disciplinary project based classes that explore and push beyond traditional classroom and lecture models. She is engaged in teaching on an international scope working on a joint partnership with Malmö University in Sweden. She has co-taught a class in Dubai and developed an international summer class at RIT Kosovo in Prishtina documenting post-conflict issues in the region.
She works with MFA students in critiques and through invited lectures.
Courses
Documentary Projects in NYC
2006-2009
Taught as a five week summer workshop at the International Center of Photography, this class brought together photographers from all over the world who were interested in exploring the neighborhoods of New York City through their own eyes and the work of photographers like Bruce Davidson, Joseph Rodriguez and Mark Peterson.*
Elements of Photojournalism
2009-2011
An introduction to photojournalism that includes basic on location lighting techniques and the exploration of non-fiction story telling with single and multiple images.
Photo Arts
2010-2014
An introduction to photography for incoming freshman, this class introduces technical skills like metering and exposure and the use of Adobe Lightroom, with an emphasis on developing clear ideation and critical thinking.
Multimedia for Photojournalism
2011-2017
An introduction to narrative using basic skills in photography, sound and video. Students learn to record sound, edit video and develop strategies to tell stories effectively with these different tools. The multimedia project Strength in Sacrifice won first place in the College Photographer of the Year award which is a notable achievement for an introductory class.
Multimedia for Photojournalism II
2011-2013
This class builds on the basic Multimedia 1 class to learn more advanced editing and shooting techniques and to develop a longer term project.
Community Journalism
2011, 2017
This class works with students to ideate, develop and complete a community based project. The first iteration of the class developed a community website called 585 Magazine which referred to the area code. The content, which was created during the course of the class, contained local stories about Rochester. We worked with students in the design department to create an early iPAD version of the website. The second iteration of this class created the web based project If these walls could talk that explores the issue of immigration through the idea of home. The title refers to an augmented reality component of the project where posted portraits connect to the video interviews.*
Alternative Influences: Documentary and Art
2011-2013
An elective lecture class that explored the contemporary relationships, changing boundaries and practices in journalism, documentary photography and socially engaged art practices*
Photojournalism II
2013
This advanced photojournalism course built on basic skills to develop longer term documentary projects and deepen students storytelling skills.
Special Topics: Upstate Girls
2012
A collaborative class with the award winning photojournalist Brenda Ann Kenneally and her 10 year project on women living in poverty in Upstate New York. The students edited, organized and worked to conceptualize a non-linear online documentary of Kenneally’s work. We worked with a data scientist to create a tool to search and visualize the relationships between the material.*
Alternate Influences: Fundamentals of Documentary
2014-2017
Lecture based class that introduces students to early forms of documentary work in visual, audio and written mediums and studies the development of the genre today.
Alternate Influences: Magnum and the history of photojournalism
2014
An elective class that used the history of Magnum Photos as a starting point to think about issues in the contemporary practice of documentary photography and photojournalism*
Dubai- City as Site
2013
Using the city of Dubai as a departure point, this group of students created daily journals and maps of their experiences on the 10 day trip. These observations and accounts became the basis of a joint design charette with a group of international students from the American University around the idea of “souvenir”. The RIT students also completed their own individual projects based on their experiences which became a book and an exhibition. I worked with Professor Roberley Bell on this class in Dubai.
Senior Capstone Project
2014-2017
A senior capstone project class for photojournalism students that is required for graduation where students develop a long form narrative in one of three areas: photography, multimedia or picture editing. All students research and write a final paper. The class presented their work in a final exhibition First Comes Trust *
Documentary Projects in Kosovo
2015-2017
Part of a summer Peace and Conflict Program at the RIT Kosovo campus in Prishtina this six week intensive course taught the fundamental skills for audio interviews and photo narratives in the challenging environment of an international country. Students from the US collaborated with local colleagues to produce powerful stories about the people and issues of the Balkans today. The final produce of each class was a book Generosity of Strangers and Tregime (Stories).
Portfolio for Photojournalism
2014-2017
A professional development class that evaluates and strengthens the senior portfolio and discusses strategies for job applications, interviews and cover letters. Student’s also developed business materials like cards, photo releases and basic contracts*
Transmedia Storytelling
2014-2016
A class that explored designing and telling a story across platforms including print, web, mobile, social media and installation. Taught in collaboration with the Media Sciences Department, students from various programs collaborated to create different final transmedia projects.*
*new curriculum