Visual Research Methods
Visual methods have become increasingly popular tools for research, yet despite the increasing ease of technological usability, visual methods pose complex epistemological and ethical dilemmas that deserve careful consideration. This course will explore the use of visual media for research, particularly as it is used within ethnographic and community-based projects. We will focus on the different forms and styles of visual production such as the use of film, participatory video, photo elicitation, and mapping. Each visual tool can be used for different types of methods, and each method gathers different types of data, uses different analytical frameworks, and requires different ethical considerations. We will explore the consequences of these approaches and evaluate their role in larger projects.
Development Studies Capstone
This course culminates the minor in development studies for participating students. The seminar’s purpose is to bring development studies minors back together as a classroom community at the beginning and end of the semester. Common readings and class meetings will be used for discussion, and students will begin the term with introductory presentations about their capstone projects and papers and how they plan to complete them during the semester. A final presentation of completed projects to the Faculty Capstone Committee will end the seminar. The steering committee will approve service learning opportunities, internships, and research projects and maintain regular contact with each student over the course of the project.
Masters in Development Community Practicum
The local field practicum is a key part of the first year curriculum for the MDP. Over the course of the year, you will have a number of opportunities for structured and informal reflection on your internship experiences; this course will be one of those places. We will meet together weekly to talk about themes and issues as they emerge in your internship sites. We will work on cultivating the skills of observation, analysis and reflection that are essential tools for making sense of any field experience, with an eye toward preparation for your international field placements this summer. This semester, we will also continue to explore questions about how economic and social development (and underdevelopment) in the greater Atlanta area is shaped by social, political and economic forces that extend beyond the “local” context, drawing on themes, theories and approaches to development that were introduced during the August intensive and practices of participant observation and analysis that you began to develop during the Fall semester.