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Workshop presents video as a research tool in humanities

Written by Dustin L. Dangli

Wednesday, 28 January 2009 06:13 PM

Thomas Linehan obtained a better grasp on Afghan culture through exploring the urban and rural areas of the country. The director of the University of Texas at Dallas Institute for Interactive Arts and Engineering learned about the culture through a computer game. Linehan will present Serious Games, 3-D Immersive Games for International Cultural Awareness (Afghani Village) at 10 a.m. Friday as part of The Mustaque Ahmed Festival of Ideas. The event will feature discussion-based events and presentations on video as a research tool in humanities today and Friday. “Our games are not traditional war games but rather are designed to develop understanding of particular cultures and how they function,” he said about the games he and his UT-Dallas team develop. The event’s focus first came from observations of professors using video as a tool in their own disciplines, said Colleen Fitzgerald, Language and TESOL chair. “In language research, video offers a way to catch visual clues, like what the lips are doing or a way to capture how people physically interact when they use speech,” she said. “Dr. Linehan’s name came out of discussions with faculty in the art department, and his work on cultural immersion and awareness training for U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan just resonates with the current events of the day and the topics of video and visualization.” She later put examples together to create the topic for the festival, video and visualization as research tools. Besides for training soldiers Linehan wants to continue using the program to give students the benefits of a study abroad program. He said gaming creates an immersion and offers essential learning while tracking and recording the user’s progress. Phil Cash Cash, Ph.D. candidate in the joint program in Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Arizona, Tucson, will also take part in the festival to speak on his use of video in working with indigenous Pacific Northwest communities. A free showing of “The Linguists” marks the kick-off to the festival at 7 tonight in 100 Nedderman Hall. A discussion will follow the showing and K. David Harrison, one of the linguists in the film, will be present. He plans to speak about endangered languages and the knowledge and culture lost when a language becomes extinct. “The film The Linguists has lots of adventure, science, suspense, discoveries, touching moments, laughter, tension, dancing, singing, rituals, gifts and adventures along the way.” Harrison said. “This is not your typical science documentary.” In addition to the guest speakers, university faculty will speak at the festival. The showing is open to anyone interested, but preregistration is advised for Friday’s discussion-based event due to limited seating. Fitzgerald said she hopes students come out to the festival. “It’s a great way for students to learn about cutting-edge research tools and cutting-edge research without leaving campus,” she said. Correction Colleen Fitzgerald is chair of the Department of Linguistics and TESOL. Her title was incorrect in Thursday’s paper. Views: 1317 | E-mail   Comments (1)  1  More Details about Workshop Written by Joshua Jensen , on 01-29-2009 06:19 You can find a workshop schedule (and more details about speakers) at the workshop page on Linguistics & TESOL's site:    Video as a Research Tool    (from Ling & TESOL's webmaster) Report Abuse Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

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