This five-day course prepares participants to collect and analyze anthropological data gathered through video recording. Participants will learn to use high quality video and audio recording equipment and the basics of video interviewing, including location of audio and lighting, camera handling, and scene composition. These basic skills will allow participants to generate higher-quality footage for their research projects.

Using pre-recorded video clips from the instructors’ archives, participants learn to tag and code images and how to partition video footage into meaningful sequences that can be coded and analyzed for audio and visual content. Naturally occurring speech in the footage can be analyzed thematically, as can movements, interactions, facial expressions, and other observable events. Still images from video allow researchers to measure and more accurately observe subtleties in body language and facial expressions that may not be detected during full-speed play back. Participants learn how to produce still images from video footage and how to use those stills to understand proxemics and as a means for eliciting informants’ descriptions and interpretations of a scene.

Readings will be available on the course web page (participants will be asked to read the materials prior to the course so we can concentrate on hands-on learning). At the end of the course, participants should be able to use the various methods presented in the analysis of their own data and to demonstrate the methods to their students and colleagues.

 

 

Course Requirements

Participants are encouraged to bring their own camcorders, either high quality hand-held or prosumer level models are suggested. Participants should bring their microphone set-ups, headphones, recording cards or mini DV tapes, tripods, and anything else that they use in the field. We will discuss the pros and cons of different set-ups for different field situations.