Continuing Education

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Continuing Education Overview

Certificate in Documentary Arts

Workshops and Institutes

Doc U Arts

Courses Offered for the Upcoming Term

Current and Past Term Courses – Fall 2009 Courses

What Students Have to Say

Click to register now for CDS Continuing Education courses using our new on-line registration system

Overview

Throughout the year, the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University offers a wide range of short courses, institutes, and workshops for adults who are interested in learning to do their own documentary work. These documentary arts courses, available through flexible admission with reasonable fees, involve instruction in photography, film and video, audio, and writing. Special topics and such subjects as documentary traditions, techniques, fieldwork theory, and ethics involved in conducting and presenting documentary work are included. The hands-on courses at CDS help adults achieve their goals of completing a first project or refining an ongoing project.

A team of experienced working professionals, including CDS staff and faculty members, teaches these continuing education courses. Most instructors have won awards and recognition for their own work. Many have been teaching for CDS for years and are very familiar with practical methods to help students accomplish their goals. All courses are designed to help students explore concepts in documentary arts and apply them to their own work.

Examples of Courses
• The Five-Minute Video
• Documentary in the Digital Age: Publishing Your Video Documentary on the Web
• Documentary Photography as Fine Art
• Alternative Processes in Photography
• The Personal Narrative in Radio
• Creating a Multimedia Documentary Exhibit: A Hands-On Project
• Whose Story is It Anyway?
• The Art of the Interview
• How to Watch a Documentary

Key Facts
• Courses per Term: About 30
• Number of Certificate Students: More than 300
• Enrollment Fees: Individual Courses $0 / Certificate Program $60
• Course Tuition: $50 (workshops) to $315 (Advanced Projects seminars)
• Summer Institute Fees: $450 to $1,390

Register Now

For additional information about workshops, institutes, courses, or the continuing education certificate program, contact Continuing Education at the Center of Documentary Studies (CDS) by calling 919-660-3663 or emailing cdscourses@duke.edu.

Certificate in Documentary Arts

The cornerstone of the CDS continuing education program is the Certificate in Documentary Arts. Enrollment in the certificate program is not required for students to take CDS courses; however, working toward a certificate provides a more formal process for involvement and for reaching specific goals. No prior educational specialization or expertise is required for enrollment in the program. Certificate students receive special invitations to events and other unique opportunities at CDS.

The certificate program establishes a process for engaging and empowering already motivated people to do the work they care about. Specific project goals, integral to the certificate program, create better opportunities for the successful completion of this work. In addition, certificate students can become part of a vibrant program with interested, supportive colleagues. Students are encouraged to think broadly about their projects. While most are photo, audio, or video projects, students have also completed multimedia projects, websites, books, and installations.

Students must complete six courses of sixteen hours each (or ninety-six total hours) and a substantial final project in order to receive the certificate. Four of the six courses are electives; two are mandatory: the Introductory Seminar in Documentary Studies, which covers the methods and issues of doing documentary work, and the Final Project Seminar in Documentary Studies, the capstone course of the curriculum, in which students complete and present their final projects. An Advanced Projects workshop course, in which students make progress on their own projects, is highly recommended.

Introductory courses in darkroom photography, video production and editing, and audio documentary are offered each term, along with a variety of other courses and special topics opportunities. All completed courses count toward the total credit hours for the certificate.

A student conceivably could take enough courses in one year to satisfy the certificate requirements, but most students find that the program takes longer. Other commitments, such as work or family obligations and the depth of the final project, often make a two-year schedule for completion more realistic.

To enroll in the certificate program, a student must apply and be accepted. This requires a $60 enrollment fee and a brief personal statement (75–250 words) describing the student’s background and goals for the program.

Workshops and Institutes

Summer intensive institutes and weekend courses offer both local students and those who live in other areas the opportunity to participate in the CDS documentary arts program. Video, audio, and Literacy Through Photography institutes and an Intensive Introduction to Documentary Studies course are available during the summer months. Examples of work produced in these institutes are posted on the Duke University iTunes site and the CDS Web site.

Summer 2009 upcoming workshops and institutes

Fall 2009 upcoming workshops and institutes

“My favorite part of the weekend was that there were producers of all ages, skill levels and experience gathered together at the same time. The Center is a welcoming place. . . . Thanks for a challenging and fun experience.”

—Lydia Wilson, program associate, Media Program, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (Hearing Is Believing II: Making it Sing)

“This program was incredibly well run. We had everything we needed to learn and create, and more generally, everything we needed to become familiar with a town most of us had never been to. Food, transportation, all the logistical issues, were handled for us, and handled smoothly. We were introduced to each new skill at exactly the moment we needed to learn it. There was so much to learn. I’ve been home for almost a month and I’m still making my way through the additional reading material we were provided. This program packs in as much as anybody can hope to learn in a week of her life. It’s a wonderful resource run by terrific people.”

—Paula Mauro, Greenport, New York (Hearing Is Believing I)

Doc U Arts

Singular Vision / Community Goals + Relationships / Self-reflection + Collaboration / Artistic Freedom + Public Impact

Once a year, CDS offers an opportunity for more advanced students and professionals in the field to come together for the Doc U Arts Institute. Previous Doc U Arts guests have included Les Blank, Bruce Jackson, Laurel Nakadate, Misty Keasler, and Sylvia Plachy. Past themes have included documentary engagement and the examination of new work by successful young photographers. This weekend institute features lectures and workshops focused on students who are already well into their work. Students are invited to bring samples of their own projects for professional review.

What Students Have to Say

“My first exposure to CDS was attending the final project presentation program of certificate candidates. It was so inspiring to experience the body of work and meet such enthusiastic students. Now I am pursuing my own certificate, learning new skills, and making lots of friends along the way. We are blessed to have CDS located here in the Triangle.”

—Jon Parker, Community Organizer and Certificate Student

“The Center for Documentary Studies is unlike any other program out there. It is not a place that simply teaches you how to hold a camera and print an image, but a place that asks you to consider what you are photographing and who the work is for. The classes are taught by working professionals who deal not only with the technical skills required to photograph, film, or record, but the ethical and existential questions that arise throughout the process of in-depth documentary work. Your fellow students are not just documentarians, but psychologists, photographers, anthropologists, artists, community organizers, and social workers. Through its interdisciplinary curriculum, CDS offers not just a place to continue your studies, but an opportunity to explore and share the process of documentary work with a remarkable group of people who are themselves following the same journey.”

—Anne Weber, Certificate Student

“After graduating from a high-ranking film school, I felt that I had an excellent background in film theory, but I still didn't know how to make a film . . . let alone a documentary. It wasn't until I came to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University that I really became a documentary filmmaker. The warm, supportive community provided me with a safe place to grow, allowing me to experiment with and hone my storytelling abilities. I gained the technical skills I had been lacking in areas such as lighting and camera techniques, while I was able to build on the basic skills I had already acquired through advanced courses such as editing and photography. Being introduced to various funding opportunities and legal issues taught me the business side of documentary filmmaking, while discussions, screenings, and guest speakers made me look at film theory and documentary in a whole new way. CDS gave me the foundation I had been looking for and the confidence I needed to go forward with my career. I have successfully completed my first documentary film, and I have gone on to a career in editing for documentary and factual entertainment television. Currently I am working on my second documentary.

CDS has really been instrumental in shaping who I am today as an editor and documentary filmmaker. I am grateful for my experience there and I would highly recommend the program to anyone who is serious about documentary filmmaking.

—Lori Axler, Independent Filmmaker, Toronto

“I thought I would like this course but actually I loved it! I haven’t felt that level of passion for anything in a long time. I have learned so much. The comments/discussion with other students was fantastic—everybody had such good ideas. The presentations on the last day were amazing. . . . I’m sure that I’ll apply for the certificate based on this course alone.”

—Sandra Stinnett, Introduction to Documentary Studies class, Spring 2009

Banner photograph: Graduating CDS Continuing Education students, spring 2009 (from left): Lisa Marie Albert, Jennifer Carpenter, Jamara Knight, Margaret Morales, Jean Parker, Marcia Sutherland, Anne Weber. Composite photograph by Christopher Sims.