Independent Study!
Our friend, and occasional Fresh Meat, Dee Sabatino, is doing an independent photographic study this semester at Penn State Harrisburg. We are proud to be her subject! This letter was written to us. If you are a fan of H.A.R.D. be sure to look out for Dee at upcoming bouts and events!
For other leagues, this is a great example of how to get local schools involved with your league.
Ladies and Refs of H.A.R.D.,
This semester I am working on an independent study in photography for Penn State Harrisburg's Communications program. This is my final semester and I want to work on a project that is educational (three credits worth) and can provide good material for my final student portfolio. Here is a description of my study:
The student will create a photojournalistic ethnography of the sub-culture of women’s amateur roller derby, as represented through the Harrisburg Area Roller Derby. This independent study is designed to guide understanding and perspective on the study of sub-cultures through observation, interviews, and fieldwork. Each assignment will focus on skills and technique in photographic disciplines such as photojournalism, objectivism, and sports photography as well as the application of key concepts of ethnographic field work and participant observation of a sub-culture.
The student will be expected to observe and photograph roller derby practices, bouts, and team gatherings over the course of the semester, as well as perform weekly readings on ethnographic field work and research. For each assignment, the student will produce 50-100 photographs and keep a weekly research journal that will reflect on the student’s observation, responses and key concepts from the reading assignments.
The goal of this independent study is to give the student experience in working with and observing a sub-culture of people, while incorporating skills in photography, journalism and design. The final project will be a compilation of photographs, interviews, and journals, forming one cohesive narrative in the form of a magazine publication. The student will also participate in a group gallery exhibit with other students involved in Photography Independent Studies in May of 2012.
If anyone is interested in helping me with this project, please contact me on Facebook or through E-mail. I will not use these images for profit of any kind, which will be in my terms of agreement for this study.
Thanks for your support!
Dee
