This past January, religion professor Courtney Dorroll led an Interim class that focused on studying media, both on a global and local scale. An ethnographer by trade, Dorroll was inspired by the widely followed “Humans of New York” webpage to create a local version of the project in Spartanburg. “Students acted as everyday ethnographers doing participant observation, interviews and photo documentation, so it allowed students to have fieldwork experience in their local community,” says Dorroll.

While the course included lectures, films, fieldwork with guest lectures, and trips to downtown and to local neighborhoods, the ethnographic social media project created by the students has not slowed down and has continued to receive attention from the community. The page is followed by and contributed to by more than 500 members – a huge increase from the original handful of student- admins.

The Facebook page titled “Stories of Spartanburg” was created by and contributed to by members of the class throughout the month as students “[told] Spartanburg’s story through its local inhabitants, neighborhoods, downtown, restaurants, etc.,” says Dorroll. “Students went to many areas of the city and went outside of their comfort zones… I was impressed by how my students engaged with people and how seriously they took the opportunity to tell Spartanburg’s story.”

The page is filled with portraits and snapshots of people, places and food all over the city, each accompanied by a quote that tells a story of Spartanburg and its residents. Some of the posts are autobiographical, while some are simply portraits of others or even simply photographs of the city itself. All these posts promote Spartanburg’s story, says Olivia Crotts ‘17. “[The page] tells the stories of the people and places in Spartanburg and highlights all of the good and valuable things the city has to offer.”

Mary Margaret Holden ‘18 wants to go into communications and says she took the class for the media aspect but was ultimately most struck by the history she learned. “There is a lot of history here [in Spartanburg] that many people don’t know about,” she says. “I don’t look at Spartanburg as a sort of suburb of Greenville anymore – I look at it as its own place that is special for what it is.”

Crotts, who took the course primarily interested in ethnography, saw a similar shift in her view of Spartanburg. “My perception has definitely shifted as a result of venturing into the city and getting to know its people and places. I have a much greater appreciation for all that the city has to offer,” says Crotts.

In addition to receiving public attention and continuing to grow, the work of the students is still impacting the city in other ways as well, says Dorroll. “One of my Interim students is in the process of writing a paper about the project to present at a conference. That is indicative of how my students have gone above and beyond with this project,” says Dorroll.

Dorroll hopes that the project will continue to grow over time and says that she’d like to offer the same Interim in a few years to document the changes in Sparkle City. “I hope that when my students from this Interim come back to visit Spartanburg over the years, they will look back at the pictures and videos they recorded of Spartanburg in 2015 and be able to document the changes the city will undergo and the new stories that emerge.”

The page is now open for all members to post their story, and Wofford students are encouraged to join the group. “I cannot wait to see how the page and project continues to evolve,” says Dorroll.