GLI Capstone Presentation Session: North UC Ballroom

Montana: Humanizing the Wage Debate

Presentation Type

Presentation

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Tobin Shearer

Faculty Mentor’s Department

History

Abstract / Artist's Statement

Minimum wage has been debated throughout American history. As society weighs wage inequality against employer burden, statistics define the discourse. Our team will humanize this debate by telling the stories of people working in Montana in low-income jobs. Rather than statistics, we will offer the faces of those living on the bare minimum. Our project gathers a variety of stories – from the single parent working multiple jobs to the small business owner – to explore the debate’s complexities. We will write at least three stories, each profiling a different person affected by wage inequality. For each story we will talk to a minimum of three sources. Our vehicle for change will be a website that includes print reporting, multimedia reporting, and social media posting. The print reporting will cover wage inequality through in-depth features and profiles written as newspaper articles and features. The multimedia reporting will cover the same topic but through short videos or radio pieces and miniature packages. Our social media campaign will create awareness about wage inequality through updates on our work, teases to our finished product, and highlights of other people’s work through four different platforms. Some might argue our project will not solve wage inequality. We believe one of the most effective ways to incite change is to put a face to the issue and to motivate people to initiate action by changing their perception of the average low-income worker.

Category

Interdisciplinary (GLI)

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Apr 17th, 1:40 PM Apr 17th, 4:10 PM

Montana: Humanizing the Wage Debate

North UC Ballroom

Minimum wage has been debated throughout American history. As society weighs wage inequality against employer burden, statistics define the discourse. Our team will humanize this debate by telling the stories of people working in Montana in low-income jobs. Rather than statistics, we will offer the faces of those living on the bare minimum. Our project gathers a variety of stories – from the single parent working multiple jobs to the small business owner – to explore the debate’s complexities. We will write at least three stories, each profiling a different person affected by wage inequality. For each story we will talk to a minimum of three sources. Our vehicle for change will be a website that includes print reporting, multimedia reporting, and social media posting. The print reporting will cover wage inequality through in-depth features and profiles written as newspaper articles and features. The multimedia reporting will cover the same topic but through short videos or radio pieces and miniature packages. Our social media campaign will create awareness about wage inequality through updates on our work, teases to our finished product, and highlights of other people’s work through four different platforms. Some might argue our project will not solve wage inequality. We believe one of the most effective ways to incite change is to put a face to the issue and to motivate people to initiate action by changing their perception of the average low-income worker.