Continuing Studies - Certificate in Documentary Studies

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Certificate in Documentary Studies

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Certificate in Documentary Studies

The Certificate in Documentary Studies offered by CDS in conjunction with Duke Continuing Studies is an open-admissions adult education program for exploring and improving documentary skills and increasing understanding of the issues involved in doing documentary work. The certificate, a non-credit educational option, requires a minimum of six sixteen-hour courses (or the equivalent) and the completion and presentation of a final documentary project.

Students in the program may choose from a variety of CDS courses, offered mainly during the evening and on weekends, during three terms (September through June) set by Duke Continuing Studies. These courses, based in different documentary mediums, are oriented toward building skills and ideas for planning and completing a final project. They involve instruction in photography, film and video, oral history, and writing. Course topics include traditions, techniques, fieldwork theory, and ethics involved in conducting and presenting documentary work.

In addition to four electives, the certificate requires completion of the Seminar in Documentary Studies, which covers the methods and practices of doing documentary work, and the Project Seminar in Documentary Studies, the capstone course of the curriculum, in which students complete their final projects.

Most courses meet for eight weeks, two hours per week, and range in cost from about $195 for fundamentals courses to $375 for courses using sophisticated technology. Weeklong institutes and workshops, usually held during the summer, cost from $500 to $1,125, depending upon the expertise and technology required.

Because most continuing studies students maintain full-time jobs or have other commitments, and because the final project requires in-depth work, completion of the Certificate in Documentary Studies usually takes about two years. However, it is possible to complete the program in about half that time.

Recent final projects have included a documentary video profile of an outsider artist, a photo-essay on a West Virginia town’s struggle to rebuild after a flood, a video documenting the successes and struggles of an arts immersion after-school program, and a photographic and oral history exploration of a hairdresser’s journey.

To enroll in the Certificate in Documentary Studies program, or to register for courses, please contact Duke Continuing Studies by calling 919-684-6259, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). A one-time $60 fee and a brief personal statement (75-250 words) describing the student’s background and goals are required for enrollment in the certificate program.

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Certificate in Documentary Studies graduation ceremony, December 2004. Students on stage, from left, Jan Eason (photography: Portsmouth, N.C.), Thorarinn Einarsson (video: Playing Chess with the Stazi), Bob Gilgor (photography and audio: Vital Aging); Amy Kellum (video: God Got Bigger), Sylvia Lai (video: Anime Rocks!), Todd Lothery (video: A Reel Man), Ed McCall (video: Small Swords: Pop and His Gladiolus), and Janet Perez (audio: Insight Beyond Eyesight).

Read about final projects by recent certificate students: Summer 2004 | Fall 2004 | Summer 2005 | Fall 2005 | Summer 2006 | Fall 2006 | Summer 2007 | Fall 2007

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Untitled, from the series Raising Helana. Photograph by Lissa Gotwals, from her project for the continuing studies course Final Project Seminar in Documentary Studies. Gotwals's work from this series was published in issue 03 of Blueeyes Magazine.