{"id":1673,"date":"2025-03-25T18:02:34","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T18:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/?page_id=1673"},"modified":"2025-09-23T17:57:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T17:57:57","slug":"engaging-the-world","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/?page_id=1673","title":{"rendered":"Engaging the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Engaging the World<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0allows you to embark on an interactive exploration of selected themes in international development. The film consists of very short individual videos that the Korkasow program uses to generate a documentary film that is tailored to your viewing interests.\u00a0Elsewhere on this website you can find a number of related tools that will assist you in making the most of this interactive experience. Read on for more information or\u00a0hit\u00a0the button below to begin.<\/p>\n

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START<\/a>\u00a0ENGAGING THE WORLD NOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

How it works
<\/strong>What you will find\u00a0are a total of 52 videos of individuals answering\u00a0questions about international development.\u00a0The videos range between about 1.5 and 2 minutes in length. The first large screen you see will be the introduction. Below the selected video\u00a0you will be given a choice\u00a0of four other related videos that\u00a0appear in random order. When you are ready to proceed you merely click on one of the videos on the bottom. Each video has a question as a title. Once you make your selection it will appear in a large screen and the cycle will begin again with four new options displayed at the bottom. \u00a0The viewer\u00a0decides what path to follow and once a\u00a0clip is viewed it will\u00a0not appear as an option again. There is no going back. Imbedded\u00a0keywords link the videos to one another in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n

Do it your way
<\/strong>The total viewing time is approximately 120\u00a0minutes without pause, but you do not have to watch it\u00a0all at once. It is recommended that you watch the film as a series of shorter web-docs and every time you do, it will be different. The only thing that remains the same is the first video which is the introduction. After that, no two viewing experiences are the same because the system provides different options for the order of the film every time.<\/p>\n

Take it to the limit
<\/strong>You can see a segment of the film again, but not with the technology used to create\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>. To locate the individual videos go to the\u00a0Elements<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0tab on the menu bar above and follow the instructions. The\u00a0Classroom<\/strong>\u00a0tab provides ideas on how to use\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0with students in\u00a0high school or\u00a0university. In the classroom section you will also find information about\u00a0two books that accompany\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0the television series. The\u00a0Project<\/strong>\u00a0tab on the menu will introduce you to the project leaders and\u00a0the\u00a0People<\/strong>\u00a0tab will introduce you to the participants in the films.\u00a0\u00a0If\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0is not enough for your appetite you can also watch the full documentary series by going to the\u00a0Television Series<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>on the menu bar.<\/p>\n

Engaging the World\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>is an interactive non-linear documentary film by\u00a0Ron Harpelle<\/a>. The film is produced by\u00a0ShebaFilms<\/a>\u00a0and powered by\u00a0Korsakow<\/a>,\u00a0an application used to make interactive documentaries for the web.\u00a0Engaging the World\u00a0<\/em>is designed\u00a0to introduce viewers to some of the challenges of international development and to consider solutions to some of the problems encountered in developing world. This interactive, non-linear web doc\u00a0provides viewers with insights based on\u00a0conversations with a number of dynamic individuals who work\u00a0in the field of international development.<\/p>\n

You Decide
<\/strong>Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0is different from other documentary forms because with\u00a0Korsakow the viewer, not the director, decides the order in which the scenes unfold and the conclusion\u00a0is what the viewer concludes based on their individual viewing experience.\u00a0Every person who watches\u00a0Engaging the World\u00a0<\/em>sees a different combination of critically interacting video components and the result is a different film every time.\u00a0The foundation for\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0are 52 individual videos that are linked together by keywords that self generate\u00a0viewing options for the next video segment\u00a0to form an evolving structure for the film. The individual videos have been edited to provide short answers to questions about international development, but the\u00a0viewer chooses\u00a0the\u00a0questions to be\u00a0answered. Each video component is a film in itself, so you can easily pause to ponder or discuss what you see and hear. The viewer interacts with the Korsakow program, but the viewer always decides what comes next.<\/p>\n

A Matter of Time
<\/strong>The beauty of an interactive film like\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0is that the main elements are stand alone videos that can be appreciated on their own or as one in a series of related videos. The individual videos are no more than a few minutes in length, but the entire film is two hours long if the viewer chooses to\u00a0watch every video component in the sequence. Therefore, the film can be short, medium or feature length. You can watch\u00a0Engaging the World\u00a0<\/em>between bus stops on the way to work. You can leave it on your desktop so that you can return to it at your convenience. Or you can sit down and make an evening of it. A viewer can also start the film over as many times as they\u00a0like and always get a different result. Similarly, the order can be completely random, carefully structured or any combination of the two. Viewers watch the film at their own pace and can stop anywhere they choose. All of this\u00a0makes\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0something you can enjoy on your own, with your family, with friends or with students you want to engage in thinking about big issues. If you have between five minutes and two hours, you have time to engage the world and you can do it over and over and over again.<\/p>\n

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The Project<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n

Engaging the World<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is the last piece of a project to write the history and make a documentary series about Canada\u2019s International Development Research Centre. The project was headed by historians Bruce Muirhead and Ron Harpelle. In addition to publishing\u00a0IDRC: 40 years of Ideas, Innovation and Impact<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Long Term Solutions in a Short Term World: Canada and Research for Development<\/strong><\/a>, the researchers collaborated with documentary film director Kelly Saxberg to produce\u00a0Citoyens du Monde\/Citizens of the World,\u00a0a six-part documentary series on International Development.\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0draws upon footage from around the world that could not be used in the series. The videos included in\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0were rescued before they\u00a0ended up on the\u00a0editing room floor. The videos are\u00a0drawn\u00a0from\u00a0conversations with some of the people who shared their stories with the filmmakers for the film series. The idea is to present viewers with opinions on some of the challenges of international development.<\/p>\n

Ron Harpelle<\/a>\u00a0teaches History at Lakehead University.<\/p>\n

Bruce Muirhead<\/a>\u00a0teaches History at the University of Waterloo.<\/p>\n

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Engaging Students in the\u00a0Classroom<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n

Engaging the World<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0has been used in high school and undergraduate classrooms to introduce students to a wide variety of themes dealing with international development. The flexibility of a non-linear\u00a0documentary provides instructors with a\u00a0number of ways of engaging students in the challenges of international\u00a0development. \u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0is built on a\u00a0platform\u00a0of\u00a0critically interacting video components that are designed to illicit critical responses from viewers. \u00a0Every experience with\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0is a personal experience for the viewer because the Korsakow program\u00a0self generates viewing options for the next video segment\u00a0to form an evolving structure for the film.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0keywords used for the videos include terms such as, women, agriculture, water, health, ICTs, and education. Also, the keywords include the countries the stories originate in and the names of the individuals in each clip. As a result, a video\u00a0on women and agriculture in India will trigger new video options that include women, India and agriculture. No two people will get the same set of options or make the same choices about the videos they will watch.\u00a0Every screening of the web-doc will be different and this is the magic of an interactive non-linear documentary.<\/p>\n

Bear in mind that students who are assigned to watch the film on their own will participate differently in discussions than if the film is shown in class to a group. Both approaches to using the film as a teaching tool are effective in their own way and lead to different teaching outcomes. This is because students will either come armed with a variety of individual\u00a0approaches to a common problem\u00a0or work from a common set of established benchmarks to deal with the issue at hand.<\/p>\n

The film series<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"cdm<\/a>If you are interested in a much more in-depth exploration of research for development you can watch Kelly Saxberg\u2019s \u00a0Citoyens du Monde\/Citizens of the World<\/em>\u00a0a six-part documentary series on International Development. The series is available in English and French.\u00a0Click here to find out more about the documentary series.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Find it\u00a0online<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also find information about many of the people in\u00a0Engaging the World.<\/em>\u00a0Many of them are the authors of articles, books and reports and they\u00a0have made significant contributions to international development over the years. The names of the individuals in the videos are listed under\u00a0People<\/strong>\u00a0in the menu above.<\/p>\n

Use\u00a0Engaging the World in the Classroom<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are a few ideas for using\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0to teach about international development.<\/p>\n

1)<\/strong>\u00a0The instructor can begin classes using one or two clips to break the ice. In this scenario students can be asked to pick which video\u00a0they would like to see next and then after each video\u00a0the instructor can pause for a brief discussion.<\/p>\n

2)<\/strong>\u00a0The instructor can also include questions on tests or exams about specific issues or themes discussed in the web-doc.<\/p>\n

3)<\/strong>\u00a0Students can be assigned to watch\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0on their own in its entirety and then write an essay based on what they have learned.<\/p>\n

4)<\/strong>\u00a0Students can also be asked to view a set number of videos and then write an essay that explains how the various development challenges are linked to one another.<\/p>\n

5)<\/strong>\u00a0Students can be separated into study groups to view segments of\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0and debate the issues.<\/p>\n

6)<\/strong>\u00a0Most of the videos are of individuals with reputations and publications. Students can be asked to research someone like Vanda Shiva, Dipak Gyawali\u00a0or\u00a0Margaret Catley-Carlson or to read something they have written.<\/p>\n

7)<\/strong>\u00a0Instructors can combine\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0with the books and documentary film series that part of the\u00a0supplementary materials listed below.<\/p>\n

Supplementary Materials<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0is designed as a stand-alone teaching tool, it can also be accompanied by\u00a0one or both of the books on international development published by Bruce Muirhead and Ron Harpelle. The documentary series about research for development is also available for classroom use.<\/p>\n

The Books<\/strong>
\"harpelle-2010-idrc<\/a>Consider having students read \u00a0IDRC: 40 years of Ideas, Innovation and Impact<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0(Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2010). This is a history of IDRC that illustrates the course of international development thinking from 1970 to 2010. This title is also available in French as\u00a0CRDI: 40 ans\u00a0d\u2019id\u00e9es, d\u2019innovations et d\u2019impacts<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0published by\u00a0Les\u00a0Presses de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Laval.<\/p>\n

\"harpelle<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are interested in reading about some of the researchers interviewed in\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0you can find chapters by them in \u00a0Long Term Solutions in a Short Term World: Canada and Research for Development<\/strong>,<\/a>\u00a0(Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2011).<\/p>\n

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Television Series<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Engaging th<\/em>e<\/em>\u00a0World<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>is a\u00a0spinoff from\u00a0Citoyens du Monde\/Citizens of the World\u00a0a six-part educational documentary series directed by\u00a0Kelly Saxberg.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ron\u00a0Harpelle and Bruce Muirhead\u00a0participated in all facets the project, providing the concept and foundational research for the film series, conducting interviews with leading figures in international development research and advising on various aspects of the production and post-production process to ensure accuracy and the general integrity of the project.<\/p>\n

Please note that use of this series in the classroom requires the purchase of the DVD collection from\u00a0Les Productions Rivard.<\/a>\u00a0Contact them for further information.<\/p>\n

Themes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The series consists of six documentary films about research for development. They were shot in 15 countries across the Global South. Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America were visited to make the documentaries.\u00a0The films focus on six themes that are linked together in a chain that explores issues related to research for development. The main themes are water, women, health, politics, ICTs and the BRIC countries, but there are also many sub-themes in the series that reveal much about the complexity and general challenges of international development. The first documentary also provides a short historical introduction to Canadian international development and the work of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is often discussed.<\/p>\n

Viewing Options<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u00a0may view them in the order below or as individual documentaries.\u00a0Each film is approximately 50 minutes in length and consists of three or four separate chapters that focus on different regions\u00a0of the world.\u00a0Each chapter is about 15 minutes in length, so viewers can also watch self-contained segments that focus on one geographic region or country. For example, the film about water and development consists of chapters that focus on India, Bolivia and Senegal and the film about women\u00a0focuses on Senegal, Morocco, Guatemala and Palestine.\u00a0The documentaries were originally produced in French for TFO but the series can also be viewed in English.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Films<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0films can be viewed in either English or French and you can watch them here.<\/p>\n

1) \u00a0Water for Life | <\/strong>\u00c0 la recherche d\u2019eau<\/strong><\/p>\n

2) \u00a0The Voice of Women | La voix des citoyennes<\/strong><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0The Politics of Exclusion | La politique d\u2019exclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

4) \u00a0Health For Life | \u00c9checs et progr\u00e8s<\/strong><\/p>\n

5) \u00a0Between Citizens<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Entre citoyens<\/p>\n

6)\u00a0New Paradigm<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Nouveau paradigme<\/p>\n

More\u00a0Information
<\/strong>Read More About Citizens of the World<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Credits<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n

Engaging the World<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is a ShebaFilms production by\u00a0Ron Harpelle\u00a0made with the financial assistance of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and hosting support by the Friends of the Finnish Labour Temple. The video clips used in\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>\u00a0are outtakes from a television series called Citoyens du Monde produced by Les Productions Rivard.\u00a0Kelly Saxberg directed Citioyens du Monde\u00a0and most of the photography is by Donald Delorme. The\u00a0interviews were conducted by Bruce Muirhead and Ron Harpelle. The\u00a0editing of the original videos was by Gabriel Harpelle. Adrien Harpelle edited segments to add graphics and make the videos compatible with\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Production Team:\u00a0<\/strong>Ron Harpelle, Kelly Saxberg, Donald Delorme, Gabriel Harpelle, Adrien Harpelle, Amanda Lino, Bruce Muirhead<\/p>\n

Participants:\u00a0<\/strong>Lamia Al Fatal, Daniel Annerose, Innocent Butar\u00e9, Alioune Camara, Roberto Bazzani, John Biehl, Alan Brum Pinheiro, Margaret Catley Carlson, Zoubida Charrouf, Omar Ciss\u00e9, Ernest Dabir\u00e9, Judith Erazo, Omar Fernandez, Amandine Fuchiron, Indira Gandhi, Dipak Gyawal, Yang Huan, S Janakarajan, Shalini Kala, Hammou Laamrani, D. Rosairo, D.S. Girjia, Moubarack Lo, Muhamad Ly, Lu Mai, Luz Mendez, D\u00e9thi\u00e9 Soumar\u00e9 Ndiaye,\u00a0Philomena Ndiaye, Eglal Rashad, Oumar Sissoko, Assiata Boubou Sall, Walter Sanchez, Fatou Sarr, Vandana Shiva, Yiching Song, Judith Sutz, MS Swaminathan, Ramata Thioune, Palmira Ventosilla,<\/p>\n

Special Thanks:\u00a0<\/strong>Lauchlan Munro, Matthew Burton, Louis Paquin, Louise Simard, Matt Soar, Yves Bernard, IDRC, Les Productions Rivard, KOMODO, Korsakow.org, and the Friends of the Finnish Labour Temple.<\/p>\n

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Korsakow<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n

Engaging the World<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is a non-linear documentary made using the\u00a0Korsakow System<\/a>\u00a0to generate\u00a0viewing options that\u00a0form an evolving structure for the film.\u00a0\u00a0Korsakow is an easy-to-use computer program for the creation of database films. It was invented by\u00a0Florian Thalhofer, a Berlin-based media artist. Korsakow films are films with a twist: They are interactive because the viewer has influence on the Korsakow Film. They are rule-based because the author decides on the rules by which the scenes relate to each other, but the viewer\u00a0does not create fixed paths. Korsakow Films are generative because the order of the scenes is calculated while viewing. Korsakow is a cutting-edge new media format that provides\u00a0educators and filmmakers with a unique means of producing research results and\u00a0allowing viewers to\u00a0interact critically with\u00a0those results.<\/p>\n

Make your own film<\/strong><\/p>\n

You too can make your own Korsakow film and it does not have to be made with short videos like you see in\u00a0Engaging the World<\/em>. Visit Korsakow.org\u00a0to find out more about the organization and concepts behind the Korsakow System. You will also find many examples of Korsakow\u00a0films produced by artists and researchers interested in non-linear and interactive engagement with audiences.<\/p>\n

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Engaging the World\u00a0allows you to embark on an interactive exploration of selected themes in international development. The film consists of very short individual videos that the Korkasow program uses to generate a documentary film that is tailored to your viewing interests.\u00a0Elsewhere on this website you can find a number of related tools that will assist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1673","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1673"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1734,"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673\/revisions\/1734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/finnishlabourtemple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}