Colleagues from the Business School have organised a series of seminars on Visual Methods and Ethnography in Interdisciplinary Research, running from March to June, with prominent external speakers and internal colleagues invited to talk.
The aim of the series is to bring together various research projects and approaches with the objective of discussing the role and potential of visual and ethnographic methods in academic research across academic disciplines.
The next seminar in the series takes place at Craiglockhart on 5 June, with the following speakers:
Terence Heng, University of Liverpool
Creating Visual Narratives in Social Science Research
Ethnographic research has overwhelmingly relied upon text as a way to communicate one’s findings and insights. Although visual methods is becoming increasingly popular as a way to capture and create data, the use of photographs in research outputs remains stubbornly static, usually as accompanying illustrations to a text-heavy argument.
This talk considers how we can create visual arguments and narratives as part of our social scientific research. Drawing on visual research of spiritual and sacred spaces in Singapore, Terence will explore how visual essays can and should be a significant part of our scholarly repertoire.
Dr Julia Fotheringham, Edinburgh Napier University
Talking with students: Mr Potato head and Poker Chips
This presentation on the use of creative visual methods is based on a study which explores how Associate students at college ‘become’ 3rd year undergraduates on engineering programmes at Edinburgh Napier. In the first year of data collection, Mr Potato Head construction toys were used as part of object-oriented focus groups with Associate Students. The playful interactions amongst the groups opened up conversations about their expectations of University study providing a rich source of qualitative data for the study.
After the students had started as direct entrants to third year, further focus-groups were held, this time using maps of campus spaces and poker chips. Once again, the interactions with the artefacts and the maps provided a focus for relaxed conversation about students’ engagement with the University and the places on campus that the students had made their own.
Participants will be invited to discuss how these, and other creative visual methods open up new, less formal ways of talking with students in order to understand more about their experience at university.
When: Wednesday, 5 June – 2pm to 4.30pm
Where: Room 1/08, Craiglockhart Campus
Cost: Free
For more information, and to book your slot at this event, click here. For catering purposes, register here by 31 May.