Where do the differences between genders come from? How is life experienced for men, women, and those outside the gender binary?
These complex and nuanced questions have long been explored in the 300-level course Psychology of Gender. But this spring, students in the course encountered a dynamic new element: a collaboration with Story Gorge, a video production firm based in Hood River, Oregon. Story Gorge produces multimedia projects that inspire action and positive change, often collaborating with nonprofits, mission-driven brands, and educational institutions. The collaboration was made possible by $7,000 in grant funding from Lewis & Clark’s Health + Humanities Community Connections award and the Mellon Foundation.
Students enrolled in this spring’s course are charged with creating short audio-visual media projects, with creative guidance and resources from Story Gorge staff.
Jolina Ruckert, assistant professor with term of psychology, teaches Psychology of Gender. She believes digital storytelling is primed to help us learn about both ourselves and others, particularly when it comes to multifaceted, politically charged issues like gender.
“It’s helpful to be able to hold our emotions and work through them, explore them, and even name them—it can be like turning the light on to see the monster in the dark,” Ruckert says. “The literature shows that pedagogy is advanced through storytelling, enabling students to build compassion and form community with one another.”
Throughout the semester, in addition to traditional lectures, readings, and classroom discussions, students worked to create two pieces of audio-visual media: one related to their own personal experience of gender and another, produced in a group, on how gender appears within the Lewis & Clark community or the broader Portland area. The projects allow students to connect academic theories with their own lived experiences and observations, combining voice-over narration, photographs, music, and video footage to express an idea involving the intersection of gender and psychology.
To bridge the gap between idea and execution, staff from Story Gorge lead six classes, providing instruction on recording, editing, and production. They cover a variety of skills and topics, from how a certain sound can be used to elevate a moment in the script to how emotion can be represented through visual imagery.
“Digital storytelling creates a democratic space where diverse voices can be amplified and heard. This is particularly valuable in Professor Ruckert’s course, where students are already examining the complexities of identity and representation,” says Sean O’Connor, founder of Story Gorge. “What’s been remarkable about the Lewis & Clark students is their willingness to be vulnerable in their storytelling while maintaining analytical rigor. They’re not just creating engaging content—they’re developing a visual language that can transform academic insights into catalysts for meaningful conversation and action in the world beyond campus.”
Ruckert has been encouraged by her students’ feedback and high levels of enthusiasm for their projects. All students enrolled were given the opportunity to showcase their individual stories at the 2025 Festival of Scholars and Artists in early April, and 10 students—nearly half of the class—decided to participate.
Sharon Michael BA ’25, a psychology major, enrolled in the course to better understand how gender identities and roles interact with psychological factors. Amid ongoing tension surrounding gender politics in the U.S., she felt a psychological perspective would help ground her personal awareness and ability to meaningfully contribute to conversations.
“The focus of my project revolved around my search for belonging, the struggle to embrace both my Indian heritage and my American life, and the quest to find a sense of home in the middle of this duality. I wanted to explore how identity is shaped by both roots and experiences, and how sometimes home isn’t a fixed place but rather a feeling that evolves over time,” says Michael. “It was an incredibly reflective and emotional process.”
At the end of the semester, in lieu of a written final, students will participate in a class “film festival” that screens their group projects with the goal of stimulating discussion. The success of the course has inspired Ruckert to incorporate aspects of digital storytelling into other classes, including her capstone course titled the Psychology of Sustainability.
“I’d like to continue to iterate on this way of teaching, and I plan to go to workshops and online trainings to sharpen my skills,” says Ruckert. “In the long term, my hope is that I’m able to bring different ways of playing with narrative into all of my classes.”
Psychology Center for Community and Global Health
