Writing, Film, and Language

Spring semester, 2024, three professors across campus at Boise State University joined forces to create a unique experience for students. “Traversing Landscapes: Francophone Stories from Boise” combined student writers from Kyle Boggs’ course, “Writing, Advocacy, and Leadership,” student filmmakers in Rulon Wood’s “Intermediate Film Production” course, and student French translators in Brittney Gehrig’s course on “Careers and Community.” Students worked in teams to interview a range of French speaking community members. For situated and nuanced reasons, most, but not all of these interviewees identify as refugees, having gone through the lengthy legal process of arriving to our community from countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and elsewhere, and have overcome insurmountable challenges to be here. Our work delves into those challenges, as well as those that persist long after the legal process of resettlement concludes.