Grandfather’s Diary: Documenting a Life’s Search for Meaning
David Mayer is a rising junior and is majoring in public policy with a minor in German and a documentary studies certificate. His interests revolve around film and the documenting of human behavior. David grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and his childhood home is only a few blocks off campus. He grew up playing basketball and walked on to the men’s basketball team his freshman year but left the team the summer before his sophomore year. He loves writing of all kinds but mostly enjoys short stories and poetry. Prior to travelling to Germany for 6 weeks documenting his grandfather’s life, David will be in Italy studying techniques and ethics of documentary film.
Follow his posts here.
And view part of his documentary in progress here.
Project summary: David’s project is to make a film investigating a diary written by his grandfather while living in Germany during WWII. He will research the diary by traveling to Germany and deepening his understanding of the life his grandfather recorded in his diaries before, during, and after his time spent in a German labor camp in the Harz Moutnains. David’s documentary project will explore the ethical challenges faced by his grandfather and other family members during the Holocaust, but in the context of developing an understanding of how his grandfather defined an ethical life prior to as well as after the Holocaust. Faculty mentor: Gary Hawkins