Documenting Local Culture:
An Introductory Field School on "Disability and Community"
June 9 - July 1, 2001
Bloomington, Indiana
Are you interested in learning how to:
- document the cultural resources of your community or region through the use of photography, sound recordings, ethnographic fieldwork and other methods?
- preserve documentary materials for future generations?
- build community through the creation of exhibitions, publications and other examinations and celebrations of local culture?
If you are, then you should apply to become a participant in an exciting and intensive three-week field school called Documenting Local Culture, sponsored by the Indiana University Folklore Institute, The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, and the American Folklife Center (Library of Congress).
Content
This three-week-long field school will be an immersion experience. It offers hands-on training in professional techniques for cultural documentation, including archiving, interviewing, still photography, ethnographic writing, project planning, research ethics, computer applications, and the development of community-building participation programs. Trainers are experienced specialists, who will provide lectures, workshops, discussions, curriculum materials, and supervised fieldwork experiences.
"Disability and Community" will be the focus of the 2001 field school, to be held in Bloomington, Indiana. Field school participants will work closely with local residents with and without disabilities to document the history and experience of disability in the community. Their gathered materials will be later used to launch a local "Museum of the Person," a format that uses the web to present life stories of persons whose voices often are submerged in official history and community planning.
Who Should Apply?
The field school is designed for adults who have a strong interest in cultural documentation, but little or no previous training or experience in this area. Preference will be given to persons who are in a position to utilize newly learned skills upon returning to their home communities. School teachers, museum curators, local historians, leaders of cultural groups and foundations, librarians, community organizers and activists, and undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. Persons with disabilities, professionals in the field of disabilities, and members of minority groups are especially urged to apply. Indiana residents will be given preference, but residents of other states are welcome to apply.
Dates and Location
The field school will begin on Saturday, June 9, 2001, and conclude on Sunday, July 1, 2001. Participants requiring housing will make independent arrangements with Indiana University Residence Halls. Field documentation will focus on Bloomington and nearby communities.
Cost, Housing, and Credit Options
Registration fee for the field school is $750 for the entire three-week package. The package includes most meals, instruction, equipment, and all course materials. A non-refundable deposit of $375 will be required upon acceptance; the balance will be due by May 11.
Fee scholarships will be granted according to need and available funds. Please specify need and required amount on the application form below.
Housing arrangements on the IU campus may include single rooms as well as apartments, which may be shared. Rate information is not available at this time but may range from $250 per person for Residence Halls rooms to $450 per person for shared apartments. For rate and application information contact Inta Carpenter, address below.
Optional class credit hours available. Participants may sign up for 1-3 IU undergraduate or graduate credits, by registering for F404/804 or E400/E600. Tuition costs as follows: Undergraduate Indiana residents $121.80 per credit; non-residents, $404.90. Graduate Indiana residents $168.69 per credit, non-residents $491.15 per credit. Registration information for non-Indiana University students is available from Mitchell Byler, College of Arts and Sciences, IU, mbyler@indiana.edu.
Application
An application form is attached (below). A total of 15 participants will be selected from the pool of applicants. There is a rolling application deadline. Application review will begin on March 15, 2001 and continue until all 15 spaces are filled.
Questions?
For more information, contact one of the co-directors: Dr. Inta Carpenter, Director Special Projects, Indiana University, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 504 North Fess, Bloomington, IN 47408 (812) 855-8049, carpente@indiana.edu. Dr. Philip B. Stafford, Director , Center on Aging and Community, 2853 East Tenth, Bloomington, IN, 47408-2696 (812) 855-2163, staffor@indiana.edu. Dr. David A. Taylor, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-4610. (202) 707-1737, dtay@loc.gov.
Application Form
Documenting Local Culture:
An Introductory Field School Disability and Community
June 9 - July 1, 2001 Bloomington, Indiana
We encourage each applicant to seek support from your school, workplace, or other source for field school fees. We will have limited funds for fee reduction. If you wish to be considered for a fee scholarship, please explain your need, including the amount required, in the application form.
Send completed form to Dr. Inta Carpenter by email (carpente@indiana.edu) or by regular mail to her at Indiana University Folklore Institute, 504 N. Fess, Bloomington, Indiana 47408.
Please limit your response to the questions below to no more than two (2) pages. Send completed application to the address above. Application review begins March 15.
Name:
Address:
Home phone: Work phone:
Email: Fax:
Occupation: Age:
1. How could the training you receive help you in your work?
2. Have you had previous training or experience with cultural documentation? If you have, please describe it.
3. Do you have any experience with or own any of the following equipment? If you own any equipment, would you be willing to bring it to the field school for your own use? (Previous experience with documentation equipment and the supplying of equipment are not prerequisites for the course.) Please respond below:
35mm camera
_____________ level of experience own can bring
Portable cassette tape recorder
_____________ level of experience own can bring
Laptop computer
_____________ level of experience own can bring
4. Request for fee scholarship (optional). If you would like to apply for a fee scholarship, please explain your need and specify the amount of your request.
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