“This I Believe” Photography Project
(A, I, C, L)
This project exposes students to Zana Briski, an artist who unexpectedly becomes an activist
and a leader. The film Born into Brothels describes her journey. Students discover how
artistic vision can empower leadership and then design a project that reflects their learning.
The project spans several class periods during the final weeks of the course. It involves some
reading, online research, inviting a guest speaker to class, watching a film and discussing it,
taking and developing photographs, and integrating students’ learning with their life
experiences.
The teaching goals of the project are to:
Preparation:
• Invite an art professor or professional photographer to speak to the class about basic
photography and photojournalism. What makes a photograph effective? How does
looking through a camera lens change the way one sees the world? What is artistic
• A week before the photojournalism lecture have students view the film, “Born into
Brothels” on their own.
• At the next class period, discuss the film. Ask students to bring two questions to class
about the film. If students run out of questions, be prepared to ask your own questions
about the film. A sample discussion guide is included here.
• Before the photojournalism lecture, have students look up some photojournalism
websites such as Magnum Photo or Ryan Spencer Reed. How do the photos in the
gallery tell a story? Move people? Move people to action?
• Enjoy the guest lecture.
• After the lecture, have students look up websites related to artistic vision and read the
statements by artists about how they see the world. A simple but profound insight is
that artistic vision is about learning to see. How is this related to leadership?
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
• For the next phase of the project, students are asked to take their own photos (see
handout), focused on leadership. Some students may be able to use their cell phones
for this purpose. Others can use digital cameras, or purchase inexpensive disposable
cameras. Allow a week for taking pictures and developing them.
• Students create art projects using the photos they have taken, and share them in class.
Discussion Questions for Born into Brothels
• Why did Zana Briski go to Calcutta? What was the original project?
• What did she discover once she got there?
• How did she respond to that discovery? (Chose to change direction, paid attention)
• What effect did using a camera have on the children?
• Once she started teaching the children photography, what efforts were required to make
this project work? (Funding, parental approval, developed a relationship, vision, working
with government authorities, collaboration with U.S. colleague)
• What cultural challenges did she face? What are some of the values of that culture?
(Family responsibility, women low in importance, sex is a business, parents afraid of
losing children, taking away a resource from parents)
• Is it presumptuous for an American to go into another culture and intervene? Would an
Indian photographer have had the same impact?
• What explains Briski’s behavior? Would anyone have done the same thing in her
situation? How is she different from the general population (or is she)?
• What might be the long-term impact of her work? Should a person even try to intervene
against insurmountable odds?
• What aspects of authentic leadership or ethical leadership did Briski embody?
• The power of context: Would we have cared as much as if this were child labor in an ink
factory?
• Can an example like Briski’s be used to train leaders?
• What was your main impression of, or most significant reaction to the film?
Handout for Photography Project
(Instructor should adapt to his or her own course)
This project should reflect the culmination of your thoughts about leadership. It is based on
the NPR radio series “This I Believe,” but with a twist. Rather than writing an essay about
your beliefs in general, you are asked to photograph images that reflect your beliefs about
leadership.
In preparation, we have watched the film, Born into Brothels, and are learning from Prof.
______ some of the fundamentals of photography.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Part 2: Once the film is processed think about the best format for presenting your images—on
a poster board? As a collage? As a sculpture? A mobile? Arrange your photos in the form of
your choice and bring to class on ______.
Projects will be displayed throughout the classroom. In small groups, each student will be
able to explain his/her philosophy of leadership and how it is represented visually.