NCA Center for Communication, Community Collaboration, & Change

Students Team up to Film “Tight Knit” Communities at Neighborhood Markets

Posted on April 6, 2021

Two students enrolled in Communication & Community, a UNCG Department of Communication Studies course, are collaborating with the NCA-CCCC project coordinator to craft a video about the community formed through the Neighborhood Markets’ Corner Farmers Market.

In March, undergraduate communication studies minors Mark Hartmann and Harrison Rhodes developed questions and interviewed market patrons, vendors, and leadership on camera at the Corner Farmers Market. Hartmann and Rhodes are tag-teaming the editing process for the video. The Corner Farmers Market and the People’s Market make up the Neighborhood Markets Inc.

“It’s been a pleasure working alongside [Project Coordinator and grad student] Jessica and Harrison on the Corner Farmers Market,” Hartmann said. “We’ve visited two times together as a group to interview vendors, customers, and gather b-roll shots for our video and it’s been going along well.”

The Communication & Community course is required for communication studies majors and is an elective for minors. The class focuses on the impact and role of communication in communities and the ethical and social responsibilities of civic action through service-learning projects like this one. Students must complete 20 hours of service in the community through similar projects that partner with local organizations or initiatives.

According to Rhodes, it is interesting to see how different communities develop outside of the UNCG campus.

“I learned from the market that community is an instinctual thing for us. Like, we thrive off of sociability, so seeing that in a small scale of a close knit community as opposed to what you’d find on campus is a nice way to see how differing communities develop,” Rhodes said.

Hartmann has learned a lot about the importance of community, especially during a worldwide pandemic. 

“The course I’m taking at the university…has helped to give me a better perspective on how important community is and what it does for people,” Hartmann said. “The farmers market has shown to me that they are a tight knit community with a lot of heart and dedication towards their craft. Even during trying times, they’ve come out on top and proved to me they are more than capable of anything.”

The light-hearted video will primarily be used for academic purposes, including presentations at upcoming communication conferences. 

View the video here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MkWv8nf228UNbSav8tPq_uFyFI0XU7M4/view?usp=sharing