ADST Projects

ADST projects support theoretically sophisticated research or program development that has practical application to historical, cultural, political, social, economic, and/or public health issues affecting black communities.  Of particular interest to the program is the development of projects that bridge ADST's programmatic mission with the needs and concerns of black people living and working throughout Greater New Orleans and projects that provide for the cultivation of research skills among undergraduate students.   

The HIV/AIDS Music Project (HAMP)

The HIV/AIDS Music Project is an electronic database featuring music in all genres by artists from throughout the world that encourages critical reflection, dialogue, and action aimed at encouraging people to know their status; dispelling myths about HIV/AIDS; and eliminating stigma.  The database will be accompanied by a curriculum that highlights the database's multiple instructional benefits, including how it can be used to introduce theoretical issues relevant to the study of music and narrative.  Training sessions on the use of the database and curricula will be offered beginning in Summer 2010.  For more information, or to become involved in this project, please contact Dr. Nghana Lewis at nlewis2@tulane.edu, or Dr. Richard Witzig at rwitzig@tulane.edu.

From Community to Stage

From Community to Stage is offered in conjunction with the Free Southern Theater Institute, staffed by John O'Neal of Junebug Productions, with major assistance from Program Associate, Kiyoko McCrae. Sponsorship at Tulane includes faculty from ADST and Barbara Hayley from the Department of Theater and Dance. Having formalized his community-centered theater approach into a flexible pedagogy suitable for groups of all ages and backgrounds, O'Neal teaches the students of From Community to Stage through a method he calls the "Story Circle." In the Story Circle, participants do not become actors in their own social dramas until they define the nature of the conflict in those dramas through group discussion and individual reflection.  From Community to Stage is offered in the Fall and Spring semesters.  Students completing the first part of the course may continue with the project by completing an internship or independent study.  For more information, contact Kiyoko McCrae at  kmccrae@junebugproductions.org  or Felipe Smtih at  felipes@tulane.edu.  For more information about the work of the Free Southern Theater and Junebug Productions, visit Junebug's blogspot at http://www.junebugproductions.blogspot.com.