Description
RD-VE is comprised of a semester-long sequence of online and in-class modules, which are designed to both train you in an expanded set of ethnographic methodologies and mentor you to independently design and execute your own original research during a 2,5-month period of full-time ethnographic fieldwork.
This course emphasizes a strongly hands-on, heuristic approach, which requires students to play an active role in mastering the audiovisual toolbox. The mastery of technical skills as well as the critical attunement of documentary aesthetics provide the basis for a practice-based ethnography, which understands ethnographic filmmaking, photo-ethnography, sonic ethnography, and their related practices as processes of production rather than merely passive documentation. In order to cultivate a refined research practice, this course requires students to engage with a rigorous set of class exercises, field studies, and proposal writing assignments.
The basis of this training program is rooted in the legacy of the “Leiden school of visual ethnography,” which exemplifies a rich history of sound/image-based field research and material culture studies. Building on this school of thought, the current program emphasizes the merits of observational cinema as radically empirical, embodied, and ethical mode of ethnographic analysis. This analytical stance opens further to several related theory/practice paradigms, namely sensory ethnography and artistic practice. While these disciplinary distinctions enable a nuanced tracing of conceptual genealogies, the primary pedagogical objective is to enable students to produce empirically grounded, theoretically informed, and aesthetically engaging practice-based ethnographies as part of their thesis projects. By employing a mixed methods approach, the student-researcher can present complimentary but distinct studies of the chosen topic in text, image, and sound. The resulting thesis combines a 9-12000-word text with a 30-minute sound and image project.
Program Policies
Academic Conventions
All assignments must have student’s name, student number, and assignment title listed on the front page. Text files should be saved as a Word file [.doc(x)]. The file name should begin with the name of the assignment and then the student’s full name, e.g., “RPA1-MarkWestmoreland.docx”. All work should use the academic conventions outlined in the institute’s Stijlgids. Work that does not comply with these conventions will be marked insufficient.
Examination Policy
Assignments must be complete (with all required components, including metacommentary) in order to be assessed. All assignments must be graded sufficient in order to pass the course. Any insufficiently graded or late assignments must be (re)submitted before 1 December. If a student fails the course, then the course as a whole must be retaken. If circumstances prevent you from complying with these requirements, you must communicate this to your supervisor at your earliest convenience to make alternative arrangements.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to come to every class session, arrive on time, stay for the entire time, and be actively engaged in the activities of the day. All assigned readings and viewings should be completed before class. More than 2 absences will result in failure of the course.
Disabilities & Contingencies
Students with documented disabilities that require modified instructional procedures should notify us within the first week of classes. Please have Leiden University’s Fenestra Disability Centre notify the institute with any special needs you may have. If a student is facing problems completing the requirements of the course due to medical or other personal circumstances, notify the course coordinator as soon as possible to arrange alternate conditions.
Participation Policy
Classes require significant discussion and everyone is expected to contribute. Students are encouraged to speak in class, but must speak to the entire class, unless in a group activity. The university classroom is an ideal space for the open exchange of ideas between professors and students. This exchange requires a mutual trust among those involved. This trust helps foster an environment in which individual ideas will be respected and evaluated without prejudice by both the professor and peers. While certain ideas are laden with deeply personal opinions and emotions, differences of opinion naturally exist. The classroom affords us the opportunity to share and exchange these different ideas and to debate the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Academic Integrity
The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity, published by a consortium of hundreds of colleges and universities, defines academic integrity as “a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. From these values flow principles of behavior that enable academic communities to translate ideals into action” (CAI 4).
- “Honesty is the foundation of teaching, learning, research, and service and the prerequisite for full realization of trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility” (CAI 5).
- “Only with trust can we collaborate with individuals, sharing information and ideas without fear that our work will be stolen, our careers stunted, or our reputations diminished” (CAI 6).
- “[I]mportant components of fairness are predictability, clear expectations, and a consistent and just response to dishonesty” (CAI 7).
- “Students and faculty must respect themselves and each other … for extending their boundaries of knowledge, testing new skills, building upon success, and learning from failure. Students show respect by attending class, being on time, paying attention, listening to other points of view, being prepared and contributing to discussions, meeting academic deadlines, and performing to the best of their ability. … Members of the faculty show respect by taking students’ ideas seriously, providing full and honest feedback on their work, valuing their aspirations and goals, and recognizing them as individuals. All must show respect for the work of others by acknowledging their intellectual debts through proper identification of sources” (CAI 8).
- “Every member of an academic community — each student, faculty member, and administrator — is responsible for upholding the integrity of scholarship and research. Shared responsibility distributes the power to effect change, helps overcome apathy, and stimulates personal investment in upholding academic integrity standards. Being responsible means taking action against wrongdoing, despite peer pressure, fear, loyalty, or compassion” (CAI 9).
Violation of Academic Integrity
In order for individual ideas to be respected by colleagues, mentors, and instructors in the academic community, it is necessary to acknowledge that these ideas belong to the person or organization that produced and advanced them. Attributing another’s ideas as one’s own, whether by intention or accident, is considered plagiarism. Any information, arguments, or data used by students in their work should be properly cited and credited. This includes paraphrased information and direct quotations used in your assignments. Should a student fail to give proper credits wherever appropriate (this includes, but is not limited to, directly pasting material from the World Wide Web into one’s paper without giving proper credit and copying papers from friends), then the student will be reported to Examination Board for disciplinary measures. Furthermore, academic fraud and dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following categories: cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, multiple submissions, obtaining unfair advantage, unauthorized access to academic or administrative systems, aiding and abetting, impersonation, threatening harm, and copyright infringement. Any evidence that a student has failed to comply with the university’s codes of academic integrity will be reported to the Examination Board for further disciplinary measure.
Media & Equipment Requirements
Media
Students will need to provide their own recording media and portable digital storage:
- Journal suitable for notes, diagrams, and sketches.
- Memory cards: For students using a HD camera, you will need at least two memory cards (SDXC with minimal UHS Class 30 U3, minimal write speed 30mb/sec), 32 GB or higher preferably. It is advisable to also purchase an SD cardholder case to keep and organize your SD cards.
- Hard drive(s): Students will need a portable hard drive for saving and organizing work between home and the editing labs. It is advisable to back up to a second hard drive at home. If you work on both PC and Mac, please format your External Harddrive in exFAT. Minimally, 1TB, USB 3.0.
- USB flash drive: You’re recommended to have a large capacity Flashdrive for presenting work in class and sharing it with your professors (16GB+, USB 3.0).
Equipment
The institute has available a limited number of semi-professional HD cameras, which also include professional audio-sets. This equipment is used during training tutorials and will be distributed to students for use during their fieldwork based upon an equipment request procedure. Specific equipment needs will be made in consultation with your supervisor and the program coordinator. If student demand exceeds available resources, we will arrange sharing partners.
Audio Kit: audio recorder + directional microphone + shotgun microphone + wireless microphone + pistol grip + windjammers + headphones + cables + bag = €100 fee
Camera Kit: Sony PXW-X70 video camera + batteries + charger + lens filter + cables + cleaning kit + bag = €100 fee
Individual items:
- audio adaptor (DSLR) + audio mixer + individual microphones = €25 fee
- tripod + monopod + LED light = €15 fee
Editing suite: The university has facilities for editing audio-video productions (Pieter de la Court building, room 1A45). To use these facilities you must reserve an editing station with your LU login credentials. You may borrow headphones for editing from the SOLO office 1B.11 (M-F 9-17h). Computers run Windows 10 with Adobe CC 2018. Users sign in with their own account and may store their projects temporarily in a local folder on the C drive (but this will be deleted after 30 days).
Many students prefer to edit on their own laptops, but they often run into problems with laptops that do not have enough computing power or if moving between computers may encounter ‘backwards’ compatibility issues.
Troubleshooting: Whether with audio/video equipment or editing facilities, we can only resolve technical issues with university equipment and resources.
Personal Equipment: Alternatively, students may use their own equipment, but its suitability will need to be approved. To purchase a kit similar to ours would cost you €4000+ and renting production kits like these would run you minimally €400/week. That said, if you want to take this kind of work seriously (why else would you be doing a masters degree), then investing in good equipment is essential. We can give you recommendations if you would like to buy your own equipment and particularly advocate investing in good quality audio equipment.
Payments & Checkout Procedures
Equipment Fees
Permission to take this equipment to the field requires: a) passing a skills test, b) proof that student is insured for damages done to property of third persons, and c) payment of a non-refundable equipment fee. Transfer the equipment fee no later than 29 November 2019.
Details that you must include in the payment transcript:
- SAP 2402102002 (essential)
- your initials & last name
Payment confirmation: The university deals with hundreds of transactions daily, so it is strongly advised that you make a screen shot of your payment confirmation and email it to the course coordinator.
Name: Universiteit Leiden, Sociale Wetenschappen
IBAN number: NL98RABO0102469091
Address:
Pieter de la Court Gebouw
P.O. Box 9555
2300 RB, Leiden
The Netherlands
Equipment liability: In the event of loss, theft, and/or damage, students are responsible for covering the cost of repair or replacement up to the following ceiling: Maximum €1000; camera €500; all other items €100 each.
VE Tech Support
Max Ostendorf, the institute’s Visual Ethnography A/V technician and web programmer, manages the equipment checking-out and checking-in procedures. He is currently completing a database of the equipment kits, which will eventually allow students to make equipment requests online and see the status of their loaned items.
Max also serves as the administer of the VE film library. He will be in his office (3.A29a) every Thursday afternoon following LISP (13.00-17.00) so you may peruse the collection and check out films on DVD. Max can also introduce you to the online Ethnographic Video volumes 1-4 (distributed by Alexander Street Press), which you can stream on campus through the library website.
Max is also the Web Designer, Web Developer and Webmaster who built (and continues to build) this entire website.
Max needs a break!
Max Ostendorf
Webmaster and things
m.ostendorf@fsw.leidenuniv.nl