ENGH 417
For approval of new courses and deletions or modifications to an existing course.
Course Approval Form
registrar.gmu.edu/facultystaff/curriculum
Action Requested:
Course Level:
X Create new course Delete existing course Modify existing course (check all that apply) Title Prereq/coreq Other:
College/School: Submitted by: Subject Code:
Credits Schedule Type
Repeat Status Restrictions
CHSS Debra Lattanzi Shutika ENGH
x Grade Type
Department: Ext: 3-1170
Number:
417
English Email:
Effective Term:
x
(Do not list multiple codes or numbers. Each course proposal must have a separate form.)
Title:
Undergraduate Graduate
Fall Spring Summer
[email protected]
Year
2015
Current Banner (30 characters max including spaces) New Topics in Folklore Research (RS)
Credits:
X
(check one)
Grade Mode:
Fixed Variable
X
(check one)
3
or to
Repeat Status:
X
(check one)
Regular (A, B, C, etc.) Satisfactory/No Credit Special (A, B C, etc. +IP)
Prerequisite(s): ENGH 305 (3 credit) and 85 credit hours earned.
Not Repeatable (NR) Repeatable within degree (RD) Repeatable within term (RT) X
Schedule Type Code(s): (check all that apply)
Lecture (LEC) Lab (LAB) Recitation (RCT) Internship (INT)
Corequisite(s):
Maximum credits allowed:
6
Independent Study (IND) Seminar (SEM) Studio (STU)
Instructional Mode: X 100% face-to-face Hybrid: ≤ 50% electronically delivered 100% electronically delivered
Special Instructions: (list restrictions for major, college, or degree;hard-coding; etc.) Notes: May be repeated if the topic is different.
Are there equivalent course(s)? Yes X No If yes, please list
Catalog Copy for NEW Courses Only (Consult University Catalog for models) Description (No more than 60 words, use verb phrases and present tense)
Topic-based course in research methods. Students conduct advanced research in folklore studies using traditional and digital research tools and approaches. Indicate number of contact hours: When Offered: (check all that apply)
Notes (List additional information for the course) May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits when topic is different.
Hours of Lecture or Seminar per week: Fall Summer Spring
3
Hours of Lab or Studio:
0
Approval Signatures Department Approval
Date
College/School Approval
Date
If this course includes subject matter currently dealt with by any other units, the originating department must circulate this proposal for review by those units and obtain the necessary signatures prior to submission. Failure to do so will delay action on this proposal.
Unit Name
Unit Approval Name
Unit Approver’s Signature
Date
For Graduate Courses Only Graduate Council Member
Provost Office
Graduate Council Approval Date
For Registrar Office’s Use Only: Banner_____________________________Catalog________________________________
revised 2/2/10
Memo for New Course ENGH 417 RS: Topics in Folklore Research Approval The new course ENGH 417 was approved by the Undergraduate Committee in English in April 2015. It was approved by the Department of English on October 7, 2015. ENGH 417 has received the provisional designation of research-intensive course from the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). As soon as the course has been taught once, OSCAR will award a permanent designation. Objectives ENGH 417 will offer advanced undergraduates an opportunity to complete independent research using either ethnographic or archival methods for a capstone project. For courses focusing on ethnographic research: faculty will supervise students as they create research questions, conduct ethnographic research (including participant observation, in-depth oral history interviews, write field notes, and prepare collected materials for archiving at the Northern Virginia Ethnography Archive. For courses emphasizing archival research: faculty will supervise students as they create research questions, find and evaluate archival sources. In both classes, students will compose a research essay and do a public presentation of their work. Statement of need First, our newly revised BA—English curriculum requires all majors to complete a capstone course. We are committed to offering capstones across our concentrations. While one capstone course in folklore does exist—ENGH 484 RS: Writing Ethnography—that course is shared with our Writing and Rhetoric concentration both in its staffing and the students that it serves. We need one dedicated RS-designated capstone in folklore that is a topics course into which a range of faculty can teach. ENGH 417 is that course. Last year OSCAR approved the Field School for Cultural Documentation (taught under ENGH 412: Topics in Folklore) as an RS course. We are requesting a new course number because we want a distinct identification for research in Folklore Studies. We currently offer the class under ENGH 412, a topics course. While most of those topics courses also require advanced independent research, we wanted the flexibility to occasionally offer those topics classes without the RS requirement. Audience and enrollment ENGH 417 will attract English majors concentrating in folklore and, depending on the topic, it may also attract majors concentrating in literature. We expect to meet our enrollment targets with this course because a capstone course is now a requirement for our majors and this course fulfills that requirement. Faculty for the course No new faculty will be required to staff this course. All three folklore faculty members will be able to teach into this course number. Rotation of the course We are expecting to offer this course once in AY 2016-17 and then on an approximately yearly basis depending on the number of folklore and literature concentrators it attracts.
Sample syllabus: The sample syllabus included in this proposal is for The Field School For Cultural Documentation. It is an upper-level course in ethnographic research method and fulfills concentration requirements for students in Folklore, Mythology and Literature and Writing and Rhetoric, and the Minor in Folklore. The course offers undergraduates a comprehensive introduction to ethnographic fieldwork and requires students to work together in research teams at a pre-selected field site. Each team will focus on one specific area of study, will formulate research questions and conduct intensive ethnographic research, including participant observation, in-depth oral history interviews using state-of-the-art documentation equipment, write field notes, and prepare all collected materials for preservation in the Northern Virginia Ethnography Archive. Students also prepare a public research presentation at the end of the term. Thus the Field School for Cultural Documentation takes the students through the entire research process of conducting a primary research project supported by secondary research. Please note that while this course may be taught during the normal academic year, to date it has been offered during the summer session. In the first 5-7 class sessions, students meet with faculty from GMU and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for intensive field training. These sessions are generally 4-5 hours in length and teach students the fundamentals of ethnographic research, including planning, research ethics, using field equipment (broadcast quality digital recorders and digital cameras), conducting interviews, and field archival practices (e.g., numbering documents, images, recordings so they can be easily accessed and archived). Toward the end of field training students are sent into the field to a generic field site to observe and take notes. They submit their first field note based on this observation and the field note is analyzed in a workshop in the following class. At the end of field training students are assigned to teams and given their field assignments, based on their interests and the availability. The field assignments are pre-screened by the instructor, who has completed 3-4 months of preparatory fieldwork in anticipation of the start of the field school. Students are given an overview of their assignment, a list of potential informants, and possible research questions for the site. In the second week of the field school, students begin their fieldwork. The class moves from a classroombased learning environment to a tutorial. Each group meets with the instructor at least once a week for team meetings. Students must write weekly research plans and receive approval for the plan before they move into the field. For safety, students are also required to check in with the instructor (usually by text) before they embark on interviews so that the professor knows who they are speaking to, where, and when. Fieldwork is closely monitored weekly. Students submit their field notes, photos, and audio interviews at the end of each week. They are not required to transcribe interviews, but they are asked to do audiologs, a procedure used at the Library of Congress to summarize each interview so that it is easier to create meta-data about the work. Students are also asked to keep a Dublin Core (DC) spreadsheet for each item collected. The DC is updated weekly. In includes a unique identifying number for each item collected, a brief description, and keyword metadata that will be used by the archivist to catalog the data. Fieldwork collection ends about a week before the end of the term, although some students collect until the end. The last week of classes and team meetings is dedicated to preparing for the final public presentation, which always takes place in the community at a time when participants in the study are available to attend. Each team has 10-15 minutes to present their findings, followed by Q&A from the audience. The final project
of the term is a research report that summarizes the findings, major questions addressed, and suggestions for further research. The final graded project is a portfolio that includes the student’s DC spreadsheet, all collected materials (field notes, audiologs of interviews, photos, ephemera that the collect in the field —business cards, flyers, local histories, etc.) and their final report. In the four years the field school has been offered, it has been tremendously successful. Students have found paid ethnographic work for the National Park Service because of their field school experiences. The course is a combined graduate-undergraduate class, and many of the graduate students have used the course to conceptualize their thesis or dissertation work. Still others have become inspired and elected to go on to graduate school.
ENGL591/412
INSTRUCTORS: Library of Congress: Marager Kruesi, and Guha Shankar, Stephen Winick and Nicole Saylor GMU: Debra Lattanzi Shutika & Joy Fraser
Field School for Cultural Documentation 2013
E-Mail: [email protected] Phone: 703-993-1178/703-216-9010 Office: Robinson A 421 Office Hours: R 11-12 AM; in Arlington by appt.
Overview
Required Materials
ENGL 591/412 is a field school in cultural documentation, a collaborative effort between the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and the Folklore Studies Program at George Mason University. The course will provide in-depth training in ethnographic field research and provides a fieldwork assignment where students apply what they learn by completing a real documentary project.
All readings are available on the course wiki.
Goals The course will provide instruction in the following instruction in the following areas: n n n
The documentation of local cultural resources, the preservation of documentary materials, and the public presentation of cultural heritage. Research ethics, preliminary research, interviewing and sound recording techniques, ethnographic observation, and field note writing. Training will also be provided on the archival organization of documentary materials gathered in the field and the use of documentary materials for exhibitions and other public presentations
Requirements
Students are encouraged to purchase dictation software to record field notes (e.g., Dragon Dictation).
Milestones May 20-May 24 In-class instruction on documentation techniques May 27 Begin Fieldwork May 29 and 30 Team meetings. Field notes and interviews due on wiki by 11:58 on May 31
To complete the course, students are required to: n n n n n n n n n
Attend all class sessions Participate in a group ethnographic collection Complete at least 30 hours of fieldwork between May 27 and June 14 Meet weekly with field director to provide updates on the progress of individual and group research’ Complete 2-3 oral history interviews (graduate) or 1-2 oral history interviews (undergraduate) Write and file complete field notes for each day of fieldwork Complete a final report summarizing their field experience (5-7 pages for graduate, 45 pages for undergraduate) Submit all data collected by June 21 & attend the archiving session on June 17 Do a formal presentation of the fieldwork materials on Wednesday June 19 at Arlington National Cemetery
Evaluation Class Participation: students will be evaluated on the work they complete in the classroom and in the field. To receive full credit, students must complete 30 hours of fieldwork and the required number of interviews. 40% Students will also be evaluated on the quality of their field notes (e.g., that they include “thick” description and adequately detail field observations). 30%
June 5-6 Team meetings. Field notes and interviews due on wiki by 11:58 on June 7 June 12-13 Final Team meetings. Field notes and interviews due on wiki by 11:58 on June 14 June 17 Meet at Arlington Campus for NFAI training June 19 Final Presentations at Arlington Cemetery (open to public). Hand in all research equipment June 21 Final reports. all field notes, digital recordings, and other research materials due (must be archive-ready).
The final report and presentation (guidelines will be posted on the wiki). 30%
Field School for Cultural Documentation 2013
1
ENGL 591/412 Advanced Ethnographic Research Methods LOC/GMU Field school Summer 2013
Instructor Key: JF=Joy Fraser MK=Maggie Kruesi NS=Nicki Saylor GS= Guha Shankar DLS= Debra Lattanzi Shutika Stephen Winick
Course Schedule WEEK 1: May 20
• • • •
• • •
Course Overview/Introductions (DLS) History of American Folklife Center Field School (GS) Review of Syllabus and assignments (DLS) Introduction to the Arlington National Cemetery & Preliminary fieldwork report (DLS) Project Planning & Advertising the Project (DLS) Teamwork and working in teams (GS, SW, DLS) Audio Recording Equipment Introduction (GS)
READ (before class): The Veterans History Project (VHP) Website (http://www.loc.gov/vets/). Carefully read the following sections: “About” and “How to Participate” —read all subsections of “How to Participate” carefully. AND: Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) website (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Default.aspx). CAREFULLY READ “About” with all subsections and messages from leadership. ALSO READ: Burgess, Laurie, “Buried in the Rose Garden: Levels of Meaning at Arlington National Cemetery and the Robert E. Lee Memorial” (pp. 159-75) in Myth, Memory, and the Making of the American Landscape – available as an eBook via the GMU Library catalogue Recommended: Foley & Lennon, “JFK and Dark Tourism.” (on wiki)
May 21
• • • • •
News from the ANC (Students) Occupational Folklore (JF) Fieldwork ethics and the GMU HSRB (DLS) Participant Observation & Writing Field Notes (Part 1) (DLS, SW) Audio recording techniques and practices (GS, SW)
READ McCarl, Robert, “Occupational Folklife: A Theoretical Hypothesis” (on Wiki). Yocom, Margaret, "We'll Watch Out for Liza and The Kids": Spontaneous Memorials and Personal Response at the Pentagon, 2001.” (on wiki). Flores, Richard, “Private Visions, Public Culture: The Making of the Alamo.” (on wiki) Sign in and take the CITI Ethnics Training. https://www.citiprogram.org/enroll/courseregistration1.as p?language=english Note: this should take no longer than 45 minutes to an hour
May 22
• • • • •
News from ANC (Students) Drafting interview questions for an occupational setting (SW, GS, JF, DLS) Interview Techniques and demonstration (DLS, SW) Audio Recording Equipment Practice (GS, SW) Participant Observation & Writing Field
Read (all on wiki) Shopes, Linda “What is Oral History?” from History Matters (http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/what.html)(wiki) Tuesdell, Barbara, “Oral History Techniques” from Center for the Study of History and Memory (http://www.indiana.edu/~cshm) (wiki)
•
May 23
• • • • • •
Notes (Part 2) (DLS, JF) Practice Interview with Dr. Talmadge T. Williams, President Black Heritage Museum of Arlington
News from ANC (Students) Using the Dublin Core (MK, SW) The Ethnographic Thesaurus (MK, SW) Field Archival Practices (MK, SW) Numbering techniques for fieldwork materials (MK, SW) Overview of Fieldnote assignment (JF)
Read: The Ethnographic Thesaurus: http://openfolklore.org/et/ Review Handout (on wiki) Numbering System: https://engh591engh412a02s2013.pbworks.com/w/page /65848986/Fieldwork%20materials Please peruse: Bartis, Peter. Folklife and Fieldwork: An Introduction to Field Techniques and the Resources for Cultural Documentation (in course packs) HOMEWORK: Field Note Assignment (on wiki)
May 24
• • • • • •
News from ANC (Students) Review of Field Note Assignment (DLS) Research Topic overview (DLS) Organization of the field research and group assignments (DLS) Teamwork and working in teams (GS, SW, DLS) Team Assignments finalized (All faculty)
WEEK 2: May 27
Fieldwork
Some students will begin fieldwork immediately after our May 24 meeting. Others will begin later in the week. ALL groups should consult today about their fieldwork schedules.
May 28
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently.
May 29 May 30 May 31
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Field notes, interviews, and other research materials should be turned in to your folder in the wiki today*
2
WEEK 3:
June 6
Fieldwork
June 7 June 8 June 9 June 10
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently.
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently. Field notes, interviews, and other research materials should be turned in to your folder in the wiki today*
WEEK 4: June 10 June 11 June 12 June 13 June 14
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently.
Fieldwork Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
All field notes, interviews, and other research materials should be turned in to your folder in the wiki today.
WEEK 5: June 17
Archiving your materials in the National Folklife Archive Initiative Database
All students and faculty will meet at Founders Hall in a computer lab to upload materials into the NFAI database
3
June 18
Rehearsal for formal presentations
We will do a formal rehearsal of the presentations at ANC in the conference room of the Visitor’s Center
June 19
Formal Presentations
The formal presentations will take place from 2-4:30 at the Women in Military Service Memorial Theatre. You can invite your families, professors, or anyone who would be interested in the presentation to join us. Turn in all fieldwork equipment today
June 20
Complete final reports and organize fieldwork
June 21
This is a free work day to prepare your fieldwork portfolios Final reports and all research materials due today (submit all files into your wiki folders)
DUE DATES, FINAL PRESENTATIONS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Scheduling Fieldwork
May 27-June 14
Students are free to negotiate fieldwork schedules with their ANC Points of Contact (POCs). I have told all POCs that you are to collaborate with them as you develop an observation schedule. It is best to not try to do more than 3-4 hours in the field in any given day. The reason for this is simple: you have to write a field note about all your observations and a day much longer would require a VERY LONG field note. Each week students are required to complete fieldwork and submit their field notes, interview recordings, and any other collected research material. Team Meetings
As noted on syllabus and by appointment
Team meetings are mandatory weekly meetings where team members meet with Prof. Lattanzi Shutika to discuss progress and any issues that may arise in the field. Each team will meet once a week. Team members should come to this meeting with a written outline of the work they have completed as well as any questions or concerns about the project. Also bring the digital recorders so your work can be backed up. Submitting Research materials
May 31, June 10 and June 14
Researchers must submit their work each week on the dates listed above. Each team has a folder on the wiki, and each researcher should upload their field notes as Word documents and their digital recordings. Prof. Lattanzi Shutika will read field notes every week and provide feedback. Final Presentations
Wednesday June 19 at 2PM
The final presentation is an opportunity to share what you have learned about the Arlington National Cemetery with cemetery staff, your professors, community members, and local educators and politicians who are supporting this project. These are formal research presentations. I will post guidelines for this on the wiki. Returning Research Equipment
June 19
You should return your research equipment no later than June 19 proper working condition. No grades will be submitted until research equipment is returned. 4
Course Approval Form
registrar.gmu.edu/facultystaff/curriculum
Action Requested:
Course Level:
X Create new course Delete existing course Modify existing course (check all that apply) Title Prereq/coreq Other:
College/School: Submitted by: Subject Code:
Credits Schedule Type
Repeat Status Restrictions
CHSS Debra Lattanzi Shutika ENGH
x Grade Type
Department: Ext: 3-1170
Number:
417
English Email:
Effective Term:
x
(Do not list multiple codes or numbers. Each course proposal must have a separate form.)
Title:
Undergraduate Graduate
Fall Spring Summer
[email protected]
Year
2015
Current Banner (30 characters max including spaces) New Topics in Folklore Research (RS)
Credits:
X
(check one)
Grade Mode:
Fixed Variable
X
(check one)
3
or to
Repeat Status:
X
(check one)
Regular (A, B, C, etc.) Satisfactory/No Credit Special (A, B C, etc. +IP)
Prerequisite(s): ENGH 305 (3 credit) and 85 credit hours earned.
Not Repeatable (NR) Repeatable within degree (RD) Repeatable within term (RT) X
Schedule Type Code(s): (check all that apply)
Lecture (LEC) Lab (LAB) Recitation (RCT) Internship (INT)
Corequisite(s):
Maximum credits allowed:
6
Independent Study (IND) Seminar (SEM) Studio (STU)
Instructional Mode: X 100% face-to-face Hybrid: ≤ 50% electronically delivered 100% electronically delivered
Special Instructions: (list restrictions for major, college, or degree;hard-coding; etc.) Notes: May be repeated if the topic is different.
Are there equivalent course(s)? Yes X No If yes, please list
Catalog Copy for NEW Courses Only (Consult University Catalog for models) Description (No more than 60 words, use verb phrases and present tense)
Topic-based course in research methods. Students conduct advanced research in folklore studies using traditional and digital research tools and approaches. Indicate number of contact hours: When Offered: (check all that apply)
Notes (List additional information for the course) May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits when topic is different.
Hours of Lecture or Seminar per week: Fall Summer Spring
3
Hours of Lab or Studio:
0
Approval Signatures Department Approval
Date
College/School Approval
Date
If this course includes subject matter currently dealt with by any other units, the originating department must circulate this proposal for review by those units and obtain the necessary signatures prior to submission. Failure to do so will delay action on this proposal.
Unit Name
Unit Approval Name
Unit Approver’s Signature
Date
For Graduate Courses Only Graduate Council Member
Provost Office
Graduate Council Approval Date
For Registrar Office’s Use Only: Banner_____________________________Catalog________________________________
revised 2/2/10
Memo for New Course ENGH 417 RS: Topics in Folklore Research Approval The new course ENGH 417 was approved by the Undergraduate Committee in English in April 2015. It was approved by the Department of English on October 7, 2015. ENGH 417 has received the provisional designation of research-intensive course from the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). As soon as the course has been taught once, OSCAR will award a permanent designation. Objectives ENGH 417 will offer advanced undergraduates an opportunity to complete independent research using either ethnographic or archival methods for a capstone project. For courses focusing on ethnographic research: faculty will supervise students as they create research questions, conduct ethnographic research (including participant observation, in-depth oral history interviews, write field notes, and prepare collected materials for archiving at the Northern Virginia Ethnography Archive. For courses emphasizing archival research: faculty will supervise students as they create research questions, find and evaluate archival sources. In both classes, students will compose a research essay and do a public presentation of their work. Statement of need First, our newly revised BA—English curriculum requires all majors to complete a capstone course. We are committed to offering capstones across our concentrations. While one capstone course in folklore does exist—ENGH 484 RS: Writing Ethnography—that course is shared with our Writing and Rhetoric concentration both in its staffing and the students that it serves. We need one dedicated RS-designated capstone in folklore that is a topics course into which a range of faculty can teach. ENGH 417 is that course. Last year OSCAR approved the Field School for Cultural Documentation (taught under ENGH 412: Topics in Folklore) as an RS course. We are requesting a new course number because we want a distinct identification for research in Folklore Studies. We currently offer the class under ENGH 412, a topics course. While most of those topics courses also require advanced independent research, we wanted the flexibility to occasionally offer those topics classes without the RS requirement. Audience and enrollment ENGH 417 will attract English majors concentrating in folklore and, depending on the topic, it may also attract majors concentrating in literature. We expect to meet our enrollment targets with this course because a capstone course is now a requirement for our majors and this course fulfills that requirement. Faculty for the course No new faculty will be required to staff this course. All three folklore faculty members will be able to teach into this course number. Rotation of the course We are expecting to offer this course once in AY 2016-17 and then on an approximately yearly basis depending on the number of folklore and literature concentrators it attracts.
Sample syllabus: The sample syllabus included in this proposal is for The Field School For Cultural Documentation. It is an upper-level course in ethnographic research method and fulfills concentration requirements for students in Folklore, Mythology and Literature and Writing and Rhetoric, and the Minor in Folklore. The course offers undergraduates a comprehensive introduction to ethnographic fieldwork and requires students to work together in research teams at a pre-selected field site. Each team will focus on one specific area of study, will formulate research questions and conduct intensive ethnographic research, including participant observation, in-depth oral history interviews using state-of-the-art documentation equipment, write field notes, and prepare all collected materials for preservation in the Northern Virginia Ethnography Archive. Students also prepare a public research presentation at the end of the term. Thus the Field School for Cultural Documentation takes the students through the entire research process of conducting a primary research project supported by secondary research. Please note that while this course may be taught during the normal academic year, to date it has been offered during the summer session. In the first 5-7 class sessions, students meet with faculty from GMU and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for intensive field training. These sessions are generally 4-5 hours in length and teach students the fundamentals of ethnographic research, including planning, research ethics, using field equipment (broadcast quality digital recorders and digital cameras), conducting interviews, and field archival practices (e.g., numbering documents, images, recordings so they can be easily accessed and archived). Toward the end of field training students are sent into the field to a generic field site to observe and take notes. They submit their first field note based on this observation and the field note is analyzed in a workshop in the following class. At the end of field training students are assigned to teams and given their field assignments, based on their interests and the availability. The field assignments are pre-screened by the instructor, who has completed 3-4 months of preparatory fieldwork in anticipation of the start of the field school. Students are given an overview of their assignment, a list of potential informants, and possible research questions for the site. In the second week of the field school, students begin their fieldwork. The class moves from a classroombased learning environment to a tutorial. Each group meets with the instructor at least once a week for team meetings. Students must write weekly research plans and receive approval for the plan before they move into the field. For safety, students are also required to check in with the instructor (usually by text) before they embark on interviews so that the professor knows who they are speaking to, where, and when. Fieldwork is closely monitored weekly. Students submit their field notes, photos, and audio interviews at the end of each week. They are not required to transcribe interviews, but they are asked to do audiologs, a procedure used at the Library of Congress to summarize each interview so that it is easier to create meta-data about the work. Students are also asked to keep a Dublin Core (DC) spreadsheet for each item collected. The DC is updated weekly. In includes a unique identifying number for each item collected, a brief description, and keyword metadata that will be used by the archivist to catalog the data. Fieldwork collection ends about a week before the end of the term, although some students collect until the end. The last week of classes and team meetings is dedicated to preparing for the final public presentation, which always takes place in the community at a time when participants in the study are available to attend. Each team has 10-15 minutes to present their findings, followed by Q&A from the audience. The final project
of the term is a research report that summarizes the findings, major questions addressed, and suggestions for further research. The final graded project is a portfolio that includes the student’s DC spreadsheet, all collected materials (field notes, audiologs of interviews, photos, ephemera that the collect in the field —business cards, flyers, local histories, etc.) and their final report. In the four years the field school has been offered, it has been tremendously successful. Students have found paid ethnographic work for the National Park Service because of their field school experiences. The course is a combined graduate-undergraduate class, and many of the graduate students have used the course to conceptualize their thesis or dissertation work. Still others have become inspired and elected to go on to graduate school.
ENGL591/412
INSTRUCTORS: Library of Congress: Marager Kruesi, and Guha Shankar, Stephen Winick and Nicole Saylor GMU: Debra Lattanzi Shutika & Joy Fraser
Field School for Cultural Documentation 2013
E-Mail: [email protected] Phone: 703-993-1178/703-216-9010 Office: Robinson A 421 Office Hours: R 11-12 AM; in Arlington by appt.
Overview
Required Materials
ENGL 591/412 is a field school in cultural documentation, a collaborative effort between the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and the Folklore Studies Program at George Mason University. The course will provide in-depth training in ethnographic field research and provides a fieldwork assignment where students apply what they learn by completing a real documentary project.
All readings are available on the course wiki.
Goals The course will provide instruction in the following instruction in the following areas: n n n
The documentation of local cultural resources, the preservation of documentary materials, and the public presentation of cultural heritage. Research ethics, preliminary research, interviewing and sound recording techniques, ethnographic observation, and field note writing. Training will also be provided on the archival organization of documentary materials gathered in the field and the use of documentary materials for exhibitions and other public presentations
Requirements
Students are encouraged to purchase dictation software to record field notes (e.g., Dragon Dictation).
Milestones May 20-May 24 In-class instruction on documentation techniques May 27 Begin Fieldwork May 29 and 30 Team meetings. Field notes and interviews due on wiki by 11:58 on May 31
To complete the course, students are required to: n n n n n n n n n
Attend all class sessions Participate in a group ethnographic collection Complete at least 30 hours of fieldwork between May 27 and June 14 Meet weekly with field director to provide updates on the progress of individual and group research’ Complete 2-3 oral history interviews (graduate) or 1-2 oral history interviews (undergraduate) Write and file complete field notes for each day of fieldwork Complete a final report summarizing their field experience (5-7 pages for graduate, 45 pages for undergraduate) Submit all data collected by June 21 & attend the archiving session on June 17 Do a formal presentation of the fieldwork materials on Wednesday June 19 at Arlington National Cemetery
Evaluation Class Participation: students will be evaluated on the work they complete in the classroom and in the field. To receive full credit, students must complete 30 hours of fieldwork and the required number of interviews. 40% Students will also be evaluated on the quality of their field notes (e.g., that they include “thick” description and adequately detail field observations). 30%
June 5-6 Team meetings. Field notes and interviews due on wiki by 11:58 on June 7 June 12-13 Final Team meetings. Field notes and interviews due on wiki by 11:58 on June 14 June 17 Meet at Arlington Campus for NFAI training June 19 Final Presentations at Arlington Cemetery (open to public). Hand in all research equipment June 21 Final reports. all field notes, digital recordings, and other research materials due (must be archive-ready).
The final report and presentation (guidelines will be posted on the wiki). 30%
Field School for Cultural Documentation 2013
1
ENGL 591/412 Advanced Ethnographic Research Methods LOC/GMU Field school Summer 2013
Instructor Key: JF=Joy Fraser MK=Maggie Kruesi NS=Nicki Saylor GS= Guha Shankar DLS= Debra Lattanzi Shutika Stephen Winick
Course Schedule WEEK 1: May 20
• • • •
• • •
Course Overview/Introductions (DLS) History of American Folklife Center Field School (GS) Review of Syllabus and assignments (DLS) Introduction to the Arlington National Cemetery & Preliminary fieldwork report (DLS) Project Planning & Advertising the Project (DLS) Teamwork and working in teams (GS, SW, DLS) Audio Recording Equipment Introduction (GS)
READ (before class): The Veterans History Project (VHP) Website (http://www.loc.gov/vets/). Carefully read the following sections: “About” and “How to Participate” —read all subsections of “How to Participate” carefully. AND: Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) website (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Default.aspx). CAREFULLY READ “About” with all subsections and messages from leadership. ALSO READ: Burgess, Laurie, “Buried in the Rose Garden: Levels of Meaning at Arlington National Cemetery and the Robert E. Lee Memorial” (pp. 159-75) in Myth, Memory, and the Making of the American Landscape – available as an eBook via the GMU Library catalogue Recommended: Foley & Lennon, “JFK and Dark Tourism.” (on wiki)
May 21
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News from the ANC (Students) Occupational Folklore (JF) Fieldwork ethics and the GMU HSRB (DLS) Participant Observation & Writing Field Notes (Part 1) (DLS, SW) Audio recording techniques and practices (GS, SW)
READ McCarl, Robert, “Occupational Folklife: A Theoretical Hypothesis” (on Wiki). Yocom, Margaret, "We'll Watch Out for Liza and The Kids": Spontaneous Memorials and Personal Response at the Pentagon, 2001.” (on wiki). Flores, Richard, “Private Visions, Public Culture: The Making of the Alamo.” (on wiki) Sign in and take the CITI Ethnics Training. https://www.citiprogram.org/enroll/courseregistration1.as p?language=english Note: this should take no longer than 45 minutes to an hour
May 22
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News from ANC (Students) Drafting interview questions for an occupational setting (SW, GS, JF, DLS) Interview Techniques and demonstration (DLS, SW) Audio Recording Equipment Practice (GS, SW) Participant Observation & Writing Field
Read (all on wiki) Shopes, Linda “What is Oral History?” from History Matters (http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/what.html)(wiki) Tuesdell, Barbara, “Oral History Techniques” from Center for the Study of History and Memory (http://www.indiana.edu/~cshm) (wiki)
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May 23
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Notes (Part 2) (DLS, JF) Practice Interview with Dr. Talmadge T. Williams, President Black Heritage Museum of Arlington
News from ANC (Students) Using the Dublin Core (MK, SW) The Ethnographic Thesaurus (MK, SW) Field Archival Practices (MK, SW) Numbering techniques for fieldwork materials (MK, SW) Overview of Fieldnote assignment (JF)
Read: The Ethnographic Thesaurus: http://openfolklore.org/et/ Review Handout (on wiki) Numbering System: https://engh591engh412a02s2013.pbworks.com/w/page /65848986/Fieldwork%20materials Please peruse: Bartis, Peter. Folklife and Fieldwork: An Introduction to Field Techniques and the Resources for Cultural Documentation (in course packs) HOMEWORK: Field Note Assignment (on wiki)
May 24
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News from ANC (Students) Review of Field Note Assignment (DLS) Research Topic overview (DLS) Organization of the field research and group assignments (DLS) Teamwork and working in teams (GS, SW, DLS) Team Assignments finalized (All faculty)
WEEK 2: May 27
Fieldwork
Some students will begin fieldwork immediately after our May 24 meeting. Others will begin later in the week. ALL groups should consult today about their fieldwork schedules.
May 28
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently.
May 29 May 30 May 31
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Field notes, interviews, and other research materials should be turned in to your folder in the wiki today*
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WEEK 3:
June 6
Fieldwork
June 7 June 8 June 9 June 10
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently.
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently. Field notes, interviews, and other research materials should be turned in to your folder in the wiki today*
WEEK 4: June 10 June 11 June 12 June 13 June 14
Fieldwork
Teams will continue to conduct fieldwork independently.
Fieldwork Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
Team meetings*
Fieldwork
All field notes, interviews, and other research materials should be turned in to your folder in the wiki today.
WEEK 5: June 17
Archiving your materials in the National Folklife Archive Initiative Database
All students and faculty will meet at Founders Hall in a computer lab to upload materials into the NFAI database
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June 18
Rehearsal for formal presentations
We will do a formal rehearsal of the presentations at ANC in the conference room of the Visitor’s Center
June 19
Formal Presentations
The formal presentations will take place from 2-4:30 at the Women in Military Service Memorial Theatre. You can invite your families, professors, or anyone who would be interested in the presentation to join us. Turn in all fieldwork equipment today
June 20
Complete final reports and organize fieldwork
June 21
This is a free work day to prepare your fieldwork portfolios Final reports and all research materials due today (submit all files into your wiki folders)
DUE DATES, FINAL PRESENTATIONS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Scheduling Fieldwork
May 27-June 14
Students are free to negotiate fieldwork schedules with their ANC Points of Contact (POCs). I have told all POCs that you are to collaborate with them as you develop an observation schedule. It is best to not try to do more than 3-4 hours in the field in any given day. The reason for this is simple: you have to write a field note about all your observations and a day much longer would require a VERY LONG field note. Each week students are required to complete fieldwork and submit their field notes, interview recordings, and any other collected research material. Team Meetings
As noted on syllabus and by appointment
Team meetings are mandatory weekly meetings where team members meet with Prof. Lattanzi Shutika to discuss progress and any issues that may arise in the field. Each team will meet once a week. Team members should come to this meeting with a written outline of the work they have completed as well as any questions or concerns about the project. Also bring the digital recorders so your work can be backed up. Submitting Research materials
May 31, June 10 and June 14
Researchers must submit their work each week on the dates listed above. Each team has a folder on the wiki, and each researcher should upload their field notes as Word documents and their digital recordings. Prof. Lattanzi Shutika will read field notes every week and provide feedback. Final Presentations
Wednesday June 19 at 2PM
The final presentation is an opportunity to share what you have learned about the Arlington National Cemetery with cemetery staff, your professors, community members, and local educators and politicians who are supporting this project. These are formal research presentations. I will post guidelines for this on the wiki. Returning Research Equipment
June 19
You should return your research equipment no later than June 19 proper working condition. No grades will be submitted until research equipment is returned. 4
