POTSDAM -- A new Clarkson University double major will train students to document social change and chronicle past and present events.

The social documentation (SD) major will allow students to combine interests in the social sciences or humanities with skills in communication and media technologies. It integrates a social science, humanities, or liberal studies major with a communication and media major. Students will receive one diploma listing the two majors.

SD majors may be interested in historical preservation of the creative arts or in creating oral and video histories of people. Or they may be social or political activists who want to create sound and video recordings that put their ideas before contemporary audiences.

The two majors will provide students expertise in a social science or humanities discipline, and the media and rhetorical expertise of the communication program. Clarkson says its SD program is different from similar programs elsewhere because it will show students how to use sophisticated communication and recording technologies to document social, political or creative developments.

After graduation, students may choose careers in radio or television broadcasting, media-oriented firms, or in public agencies charged with handling electronic datasets. Some may pursue independent work as filmmakers and writers.

SD graduates can also continue their education in creative arts programs leading to a master of fine arts (MFA) degree or one in social science, humanities or communication programs, to a graduate programs in social documentation, or it can serve as a base toward a graduate degree in law, the biological and physical sciences, and business.

For more information, contact Prof. Frances Bailey at fbailey@clarkson.edu or 268-3969.