A new take on children鈥檚 books
Loyola professor Bren Murphy, PhD, poses with one of the children鈥檚 books that her students created in her Community as Story class. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to use this class to look at the power of storytelling in communities to say what鈥檚 normal and what isn鈥檛鈥攂ecause that鈥檚 what books do,鈥� she said. (Photo: Natalie Battaglia)
| June 27, 2016 |
|---|
By Kristen Torres
Loyola professor Bren Murphy, PhD, believes we all can learn something from children鈥檚 books.
Murphy, who holds a joint appointment in the School of Communication and the College of Arts & Sciences, teaches an undergraduate course called Community as Story. In the class, students explore gender and diversity鈥攐r lack thereof鈥攊n children鈥檚 picture books. It鈥檚 a unique way, Murphy said, to study urban communities and the individual identities found there.
鈥淟ittle kids read the same stories over and over again,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey either see a mirror or a window to another world鈥攎aybe a world in which they don鈥檛 appear. They鈥檙e reading a book and looking at the pictures feeling like they don鈥檛 belong, or they鈥檙e seeing themselves in the images.鈥�
By studying how text and pictures influence and enhance each other, Murphy and her students hope to show others that children鈥檚 books are more than just breezy reads.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to use this class to look at the power of storytelling in communities to say what鈥檚 normal and what isn鈥檛鈥攂ecause that鈥檚 what books do,鈥� she said.
As part of the class, students also work with school children and nonprofit groups to gain insights so they can write and illustrate their own picture books鈥攚hich can be an eye-opening experience.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a story about a little Muslim girl who wears a hijab and is afraid to go to school because she looks different than the other kids,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a simple story, but it鈥檚 never been told through this platform before.鈥�
A fixture at the University
In the 32 years she鈥檚 been at Loyola, Murphy has done a little bit of everything.
She鈥檚 been chair of the Department of Communication, associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and director of the Women鈥檚 Studies program. She鈥檚 taught courses ranging from public speaking to the history of feminist thought. She鈥檚 even produced an award-winning documentary about nuns in popular culture.
And now, in addition to her research on children鈥檚 picture books, she鈥檚 working on two other projects.
鈥淚 have a lot going on right now,鈥� Murphy said, 鈥渁nd they鈥檙e all at various stages of development.鈥�
One of Murphy鈥檚 current projects combines her love for film with her research into children鈥檚 gender role development. She鈥檚 working with her students to create a website that people can search to find positive movies for children to see.
鈥淯nless you鈥檙e an expert, parents and teachers tend to show children the films that they loved as kids, or things that are currently being promoted,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to expand the exposure for older classics that still hold high educational value.鈥�
Movies on the still-to-be-developed website include a hodge-podge of films, both old and new, that vary greatly from genre to genre. The team has included present-day features such as Up (2009) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) as well as older films such as Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and Young Mister Lincoln (1939).
鈥淢any of the movies on our list aren鈥檛 even made specifically for children; some don鈥檛 even represent our criteria of the inclusion of racial and ethnic diversity,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥�Wizard of Oz doesn鈥檛 challenge gender roles except for making Dorothy the main character, yet the movie and music are still very well done so it made the list.鈥�
Praise for students
Murphy is also working on her third film, focusing on the influence of American culture on Catholicism, and vice versa.
鈥淚鈥檓 working with the same videographer and editor from my last documentary,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in the very beginning stages, but we want to do a multi-part series on what it means to be Catholic and American.鈥�
The film will explore the contributions and tensions that the world-wide religion and the unique political society have created for one another, and it will be filmed in multiple cities across the United States. 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about this one,鈥� Murphy said.
Though all her projects are ongoing, Murphy praised her students as a big reason for her continued progress.
鈥淭he student involvement in both the book and film projects is just invaluable,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have to use their experience and research skills to help come up with stories that are relevant. It wouldn鈥檛 even be a possibility without them.鈥�