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HIVAN's second Ethnography Course
01 September 2004.
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The second in the series of annual Ethnography in Action courses, run by HIVAN in partnership with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, New York, has drawn to a close. Sponsored by the NIH (National Institutes for Health), this research methods course trains researchers and NGO workers in socially sensitive ways through which to address the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Professor Preston-Whyte (HIVAN) and Doctor Robert Sember (Columbia University) designed the Ethnography course and made active inputs into the training itself. Other members of the University of Columbia training team included Professor Richard Parker, Dr Claude Mellins and Professor Vagner de Almeida. Contributory trainers were HIVAN?’s co-Director, Professor Jerry Coovadia and Research Fellows, Doctors Patti Henderson and Fiona Scorgie, and from the University of Cape Town, Doctors Rachel Bray and Fiona Ross.
An experiential learning approach was successfully adapted in the transfer of knowledge. Instead of having formal sessions about Ethnography and how aligns with other social science research method disciplines, course participants were encouraged to ?“discover and explore?” the practice of Ethnography themselves. Practical projects included noting down observations and looking at how space is shaped at the Durban Botanical Gardens and uShaka Marine World, mapping the physical layout of the Durban City Centre and beachfront, documenting activity there at different times of the day, conducting interviews and collecting relevant data. Packs of current literature were provided to participants and, throughout the three-week period, interactive discussion groups provided an exciting space for people to reflect on the literature against the realities of their work or social environments.
Enrolling trainees from different African countries and research experiences greatly added to the overall richness of the course content. Candidates from Uganda, Nigeria and Zambia, who shared their country?’s history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, provided a stimulus for questions surrounding the complex issues inherent in the pandemic and the framing of research questions. Likewise, US colleagues were able to provide essential feedback on the global situation in relation to the pandemic. All in all, the meeting of people from different walks of life allowed for a stimulating combination of persons offering "grass-roots" awareness and expertise, with those from academic backgrounds who have both qualitative and quantitative experiences. |
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Dr Robert Sember at HIVAN's Ethnography Course
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