PhD Courses in Denmark

Dates and time: 10 June from 9:00 to 16:45 and 11 June from 9:00 to 16:00

This two-day course on Writing with Images aims to expand participants' skills in critically and creatively engaging with images as part of their writing process. It utilizes the knowledge and techniques of esteemed visual anthropologists Robert Desjarlais and Karen Waltorp. It blends theoretical discussions with practical exercises, emphasizing how images—photographs, films, social media posts, dream images, and visions—enrich ethnographic analysis and are translated into written form.

This course will combine theoretical discussions, hands-on exercises, and interactive student presentations to deepen participants’ understanding of how images can inform and shape the ethnographic writing process.

In his lecture, Robert Desjarlais will share his approach to writing about photography, offering examples from his own work to demonstrate the connection between visual materials and written analysis. This will be followed by a discussion of his recent transition to filmmaking, during which he will reflect on how this shift influences his research and storytelling methods.

Karen Waltorp's lecture will revolve around her collaborative filmmaking practice, emphasizing multimodal anthropological approaches across formats and platforms. She will share a practical protocol for sorting and analyzing ethnographic material in various modalities during the writing process. Considering the ethics of framing and the ethnographic gaze, she will discuss how ‘listening’ deeply to images allows for an isomorphic anthropology that takes form and shape after that which it seeks to depict. 

Students are expected to come prepared by reading the materials provided by Robert and Karen, particularly those related to the references they will discuss during the lecture.

As part of the course, students will engage in presentations to showcase their ethnographic work. These will be followed by a dialogue facilitated by Robert and Karen Waltorp, who will provide feedback, pose questions, and offer real-time supervision to help deepen the students’ engagement with their visual material.

The course will also include practical exercises such as Phantasmography and Multimodal Sorting, where students must bring 4-7 printed images from the field. These can consist of photographs, film stills, archival material, or social media posts taken by them or shared with them by interlocutors.

At the end of the course, there will be a roundtable where the lecturers will lead conversations about ethical considerations in visual anthropology, including representation, positioning, informed consent, and collaborative research. This will offer students a comprehensive understanding of these issues in the context of their own fieldwork.

Professor Tine Gammeltoft from the University of Copenhagen will chair the two morning sessions.

Academic Aim

• Critical and Creative Engagement with Visual Materials: Students will learn how to incorporate various types of images (photographs, films, social media posts, etc.) into their ethnographic writing process, enhancing both their analysis and storytelling.
•  Ethnographic Writing Techniques: Participants will gain practical skills in translating visual materials into written form, drawing from the expertise of Robert Desjarlais and Karen Waltorp.
• Practical Hands-On Exercises: Through activities like Phantasmography and Multimodal Sorting, students will develop techniques for analyzing and organizing visual data from the field, contributing to their overall methodological toolkit for ethnographic research.

Target group and preparation
PhD students engaged in research involving photography, film, archival materials, and social media posts are invited to apply. Applicants are required to submit a half-page reflection discussing the relationship between their research and the analysis of visual materials. Students are expected to have completed their fieldwork prior to submission.

Students who are interested in the course can reach out by emailing froa@anthro.ku.dk with any questions and should also submit their applications to the same email.

Course lecturers
Robert Desjarlais, Department of Anthropology, Sarah Lawrence College
Karen Waltorp, Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen

Course organizer: Felipe Roa Pilar (froa@anthro.ku.dk)

PROGRAMME

Language: English

ECTS: 2

Max. numbers of participants: 12

Course fee: DKK 1,200 per ECTS for PhD students from CBS.

Registration: Please register via the link in the box no later than 19 May 2025.

Further information: For more information about the PhD course, please contact the PhD Administration (phd@hrsc.ku.dk).

Literature: TBA for the students accepted in the course