Comparative Studies
Jacqueline H. Fewkes, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and has conducted research in many different parts of the world, including India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Professor Fewkes has written several articles on topics as diverse as visual ethnography, transnational economic histories, development and Islam. She is the author of the books “Locating Maldivian Women’s Mosques in Global Discourses” (2019) and “Trade and Contemporary Society along the Silk Road: An Ethno-history of Ladakh” (2008), as well as editor of “Anthropological Perspectives on the Religious Uses of Mobile Apps” (2019), and co-author of “Our Voices, Are You Listening? Children’s Committees for Village Development” (2001). Professor Fewkes has also co-directed/produced two video works: “Progressive Pesantren: Challenging the Madrasa Myth in Java” and “The Culture of Here: Preserving Local History in a Local Museum.”
Anthropological Life Histories: Create Your Own Autobiographical Film
This course is designed to explore the topic of life histories in
anthropology — works that focus on the lives of one individual as a
lens through which to understand social change and cultural ideas. In
this course, we will view and discuss a variety of anthropological films
that focus on the lives of individuals in many different societies around
the world. While we will study these films to understand their
contents and learn about other cultures, we will also be viewing them
to help students to create their own engaging autobiographical films to
share with their family and friends. Professor Fewkes will discuss both
theoretical and practical considerations when creating your own autobiographical
film and provide guidance for taking on such a project.
The course website will offer links to materials discussed in class, as
well as links to tutorials for using the software and technologies
necessary for completing your project successfully. Students are
welcome to take the course out of interest in the topic, whether or not
they would like to complete a film project during the course. Those
students interested in completing their own film project during the
course will need some basic computing skills, time outside of class to
work on the project, and access to a computer with basic editing and
imaging software. No previous software experience is necessary.
Four Lectures
- What is a Life History? - In this week, we will discuss the concept of an anthropological life
history and view several example clips selected from films about
individuals in cultures around the world. We will talk about what
makes an engaging and informative life history.
- What’s in a Question? - In this week, we will examine how anthropological interviewing
techniques can be employed to gather information for your film. We
will watch some film clips of excellent examples of interviewing
techniques in action and discuss how we might employ these in our
own films.
- Choosing Your Visuals - In this week, we will view examples of strong visuals used in
anthropological films, and discuss what images you might include in
your own films, as well as how to digitize those images successfully.
Professor Fewkes will also share information and links about online
sources for amazing photographs, maps and other visuals from littleknown
archives. We will also discuss how some technologies, such as
GPS coordinates, have been used by anthropologists to visually add
layers of meaning and information to life histories.
- The Nuts and Bolts - In this week, we will review several narrative and editing techniques
for actually making a film. We will examine how anthropological
films create a “story” from a person’s life information. We will look at
how editing choices can affect the finished project in a film and view
examples of what ways anthropological films use editing techniques
most effectively. This will involve a discussion of the software that can
be used to create your own film; the level of discussion will be
inclusive — you may find new techniques if you already edit videos
on your computer, but those who have never used film editing
software before will also be able to follow and benefit. There will be
some optional “open lab” times this week outside of the scheduled
class time when participants with editing software on their laptops
can get guidance from FAU students while editing their film
materials; these open lab times are a complementary “add-on” for
participants which is separate from the class itself.
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| Course # F4T1 — First 4 Weeks
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| Place: | Room 151 (Annex), Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Tuesdays, October 11, 18, 25; November 1 2016 |
| Time: | 9:30 - 11 AM |
| Fee: | $34 / member; $54 / non-member |
| Class Cancelled |
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Bridging the Cultural Divide
Anthropological Optimism and Understanding the “Other”
In spite of the violence, suffering and fear we see in the
news, there is an alternative contemporary narrative
that gathers little attention; many people around the
world are trying to reach out to understand others and
create positive connections between communities.
These interfaith and intercultural initiatives are
important to forming a positive version of our
increasingly global future and there are many lessons
to be learned from their programs and successes.
In this lecture, Professor Fewkes will explain how
anthropologists study cultures to understand others of
very different backgrounds and the insights the
discipline can provide for an optimistic understanding
of our global future. She will discuss the
anthropological commitment to understanding the
variability of humankind as strength of our species is
not merely a product of naive optimism, but a studied
perspective that contributes to our understanding of
the richness of human experience. Through a
discussion of both anthropological theory and
examples of successful interfaith/intercultural
programs, Professor Fewkes will encourage the
audience to consider the variety of ways in which we
can reach out to the “other” — both conceptually and
concretely — and better the world while doing so.
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
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| Course # F1R1 — One Time Event
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| Place: | Room 151 (Annex), Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Thursday, October 20 2016 |
| Time: | 9:30 - 11 AM |
| Fee: | $25 / member; $35 / non-member |
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