course overview:
The muse of creativity and social movements are inexplicably linked. This course will explore those linkages in the creative outlets of music, literature, film, images, and performance.
Course instructors:
Adrian Mack is originally from Virginia, but currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.
Adrian is the Director of Business Development for Social Impact for 3C Institute. He
spends any free time he has as the president and co-founder of a scholarship fund, and serves
in leadership roles and on boards and committees for organizations including The Hill Center,
Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, Eno River Media Production, the University of Virginia, and the
crowdsourcing app, Pyne. He also is a fitness enthusiast. Writing is one of Adrian’s passions,
and he is currently working on a screenplay with his close college friend, Tony Peccatiello, who
is the co-founder of Pyne. In 2013, Adrian published his first book entitled, God Bless America:
The Discourse Between the American Dream & Christianity. He is currently working on a
second publication about the politics of identity with fellow CIIS peer, Keisha Thorpe, based on
research with Dr. Alfonso Montuori. Mack received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the
University of Virginia in 2011, a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Duke University in
2012, a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Liberty University in 2014, and is a 2nd year
PhD student in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).
Adrian is the Director of Business Development for Social Impact for 3C Institute. He
spends any free time he has as the president and co-founder of a scholarship fund, and serves
in leadership roles and on boards and committees for organizations including The Hill Center,
Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, Eno River Media Production, the University of Virginia, and the
crowdsourcing app, Pyne. He also is a fitness enthusiast. Writing is one of Adrian’s passions,
and he is currently working on a screenplay with his close college friend, Tony Peccatiello, who
is the co-founder of Pyne. In 2013, Adrian published his first book entitled, God Bless America:
The Discourse Between the American Dream & Christianity. He is currently working on a
second publication about the politics of identity with fellow CIIS peer, Keisha Thorpe, based on
research with Dr. Alfonso Montuori. Mack received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the
University of Virginia in 2011, a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Duke University in
2012, a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Liberty University in 2014, and is a 2nd year
PhD student in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).
Keisha Thorpe graduated from Goddard College with a MFA-W and is living, writing, and teaching college in northeast Pennsylvania. Keisha has held principle roles in plays and stage readings. She's been an editor, a guest lecturer, and spent 4 years as a radio show host in Philadelphia. Until recently, she was writing monthly articles for a popular online women’s magazine as well as social media copy. Keisha writes song lyrics, sings, and is featured on the sound track for Crest Fallen: A Webseries. She is a writer, director, and executive producer on short films and web series. She is a silent partner in the frequently nominated and award winning production company, Purple Shamrock Media with her close friend, Deirdre McCullagh, in hopes of creating work to showcase talent, diversity, and women in the film industry. The company has three film festival selections in 2015 alone. With several projects in production and many on the horizon, she is consistently working and excited about the future. When she isn't doing any of the aforementioned, she focusing on what's next and working as an Assistant Dean at a four year college in Pennsylvania. Keisha is now working on her PhD in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).