Seeking Visual Researchers for IVSA Conference Workshop

[Announcement from Comm-engagedscholarship]

Hi All! I am currently seeking academics with experience in visual research to be a part of my upcoming workshop. Please see the call for presenters here. If you are interested, visit my post to sign up: http://j.mp/1lfOXiJ Thanks! (Feel free to share widely.)

Call for Presenters:

Workshop Title: You Wanna Do WHAT? Using Visual Research to Forge a Path to Epistemological Flexibility
Conference: International Visual Sociology Association's (IVSA) annual conference
Dates: June 26-28, 2014
Location: Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA
Researchers have an ethical responsibility to be mindful of the impact our work has on the people and/or communities we study, regardless of discipline. Participatory and other visual methods support this ethical responsibility by honoring the perspectives and expertise of research participants. However, the majority of research bestows expertise upon the primary investigator and team. This poses the question, “What do we miss when research does not include the eyes, ears, voices, and actions of those whom we are researching?”
Community-based participatory research has shown how privileging the voice of participants through collaborative work not only supports ethical responsibility but also provides particularly rich data through the collaborative experience. Visual methods – particularly participatory ones – enhance the lens through which we understand our respondents’ lived experiences. However, many junior scholars face significant barriers to preparing for and launching careers in visual methods, whether participatory or not. While the use of visual methods in research dates back over 100 years, there is still significant hesitation to their acceptance in many disciplines. Larger institutions, funding sources, and other [powers that be in research] often view such work as “unscholarly”, lacking rigor, or too deeply rooted in the arts.
To address this hesitation, visual scholars are invited to participate in a workshop to help rising scholars prepare for research careers using visual methods, particularly in the absence of resources within their own institutions. The workshop organizer is seeking experts from various disciplines who utilize visual methods, especially participatory methodologies and non-positivist epistemologies, to field inquiries from students and early career researchers interested in employing visual methods in their careers. Issues of particular concern for this workshop include:

• identifying and accessing training opportunities for visual research;
• maximizing epistemological and methodological flexibility through visual methods, while maintaining ability to converse in the language of traditional research;
• job security in visual research; and
• managing political considerations when training for and engaging in non-positivist work.

The workshop agenda will consist of an introduction to the topic and experts, a dialogue about building one’s career as a visual researcher, small-group discussions, and identifying resources to support careers in visual research:
Agenda
10 mins: Introductions
30 mins: Discussion
45 mins: Small Group Discussions
5 mins: Wrap-up/Resources

Thanks for your consideration!

_____________________________________
Amanda Michelle Jones, M.S.
Engaged Scholar ◾ Youth Ally ◾ Creative ◾ AM/PhD Student
University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration

http://www.amandamichellejones.com
The Universe is my Classroom: every encounter 

is an opportunity to both teach and learn. - me