Presentation at Solent Learning and Teaching Community Conference

1. Examining the suitability, use and impact of photo-ethnography and
documentary film as learning and teaching strategies in sport
Dr Joel Rookwood
@joelrookwood
photo
film

2. Context
• ‘Building an excellent university’ – sport as an academic discipline
• Exploratory/critical analysis: problems, challenges (Houlihan, 2014)
• Geographical spread: detached student body (Rose, 2014)
• ‘Bringing the world to the classroom’
• Suitability, use and impact of documentary film and photo ethnography 2001-2016
• Research methods employed: Focus groups / interviews – Spain/UK: 2014-2016
• Watt & Wakefield: Teaching visual methods in the social sciences, Routledge June 2016

3. Sport-for-Development Projects

4. Modes of Engagement: Sport-for-Development
LecturerResearcherJournalistPractitioner
Coach education:
Mozambique 2004
HIV/AIDS Education:
Honduras 2007
Extra-nationals:
Thailand 2008
Diaspora:
India 2010
Orphans:
Malawi 2014
TEFL and Sport:
Venezuela 2006
Refugees:
Australia 2009
Asylum seekers:
Albania 2005
Terrorism survivors:
Russia 2004
Youth prisoners:
Belarus 2003
Frontline soldiers:
Russia 2002
Child soldiers:
Liberia 2006
Disseminator

5. Film and photography as visual methods
• “Seeing comes before words and establishes our place in the world” (Berger, 1977: 7).
• Photography: selective art of framing, capturing, processing, presenting images (Palmer, 2015)
• Documentary: pictures or interviews with people involved in real events, providing ‘factual’
report on a particular subject (Clevé, 2014)
• HE: Visual presentations, diverse media; mainstream media landscape – partisans/consumers
• Technology: accessibility and usability; expectancy, literacy, engagement
• “Images are used in diverse ways: Created, shared, pirated, broadcast, narrowcast, copied,
mashed and otherwise circulated; they record, represent, argue, create affect” (Rose, 2014: 38)
• Document, represent, interpret – experiences, projects, perspectives
• Photo-ethnography:
Photo elicitation, autodriving, reflexive photography, photo novella, photovoice (Shell, 2014)
• Tool for theory building and critique – e.g. social identity; legislative proportionality

6. ‘Football and favelas’,
Brazil – June 2014
‘The warm heart of Africa’,
Malawi – September 2014
‘A month in the life’,
Puerto Rico – August 2014
‘The Animals’,
Bulgaria – November 2014
‘Four days in the Faroes’,
Faroe Islands – May 2015
‘Valparaiso street art’,
Chile – June 2015
‘Galapagos’,
Ecuador – July 2015
‘Patagonia’,
Argentina – August 2015
Films
‘Walking the coast’,
Isle of Man – April 2016
‘Sport for Tibet’,
India – April 2010
‘Football in Sarajevo’,
Bosnia – June 2016
‘Where were you in Istanbul?’,
Turkey – January 2006
‘My country and football’,
Georgia – forthcoming: July 2016
‘Voices across the Wall’,
Israel/Palestine – January 2008
‘War and peace’,
Rwanda – forthcoming:
August 2016

7. Teaching globally: Sport, politics, events and development
Sofia
University,
Bulgaria
THF India
NDLL,
Venezuela
Via University,
Denmark
Sport University,
Germany
University of
Vic, Catalunya
University of
Technology Sydney
Pacific
University, USA
SOS, Malawi
Malmö University,
Sweden
Liverpool Hope /
Southampton Solent
University, UK

8. Football and disorder: Continental Europe
• Emerging fandom, social identity, sites of conflict (Millward, 2015)
• Segregation, distinction and hostility (Spaaij, 2016)
• FH: definitions, causality, severity, response (Rookwood, 2014)
• Balkans: persistence of hooliganism and nationalism (Brentin, 2015)
• Film: The Animals
• Impact of applied method
“Hooliganism used to be rife in England, and it’s
changed with the policing and laws and new grounds,
but although you hear reports of trouble in Eastern
Europe, you don’t really know what it’s like. The film
on Bulgaria showed the attitudes to homophobia and
racism and violence. It helps you see what the police
have to deal with and how policies should be shaped.
It helped me understand how hard it is to combat
hooliganism” (Interview, Liverpool: March 2015).
“Hooliganism used to be rife in England, and it’s
changed with the policing and laws and new grounds,
but although you hear reports of trouble in Eastern
Europe, you don’t really know what it’s like. The film
on Bulgaria showed the attitudes to homophobia and
racism and violence. It helps you see what the police
have to deal with and how policies should be shaped.
It helped me understand how hard it is to combat
hooliganism” (Interview, Liverpool: March 2015).

9. Football and peace building: Western Asia
• Muscular Christianity, pacifist potential (Sugden, 2009)
• Agencies: football for ‘social development’ (Scculenkorf, 2014)
• Israel – Football for peace (Rookwood, 2010)
• Value-based education, teachable moments (Lambert, 2007)
• Coaching and collaboration: football festivals (Stidder, 2010)
• Challenges, approaches
• Impact of applied method
, adaptation
“In our exam last year we were asked
about sport and peacebuilding in the
Middle East, and the picture of the
Arab and Jewish lads came to mind,
and the problem solving activities. It
helped me remember and write about
values and conflict and peace. Pictures
speak a thousand words, but an image
can stay with you too” (Interview,
Liverpool: November 2014).
“In our exam last year we were asked
about sport and peacebuilding in the
Middle East, and the picture of the
Arab and Jewish lads came to mind,
and the problem solving activities. It
helped me remember and write about
values and conflict and peace. Pictures
speak a thousand words, but an image
can stay with you too” (Interview,
Liverpool: November 2014).

10. Football mega events and soft power: South America
• Sporting, financial, political benefits; trade, tourism, influence (Grix, 2012)
• Soft power – e.g. Qatar? (Brannagan and Rookwood, 2016)
• Critique: Sponsorship, broadcasting, attendances, legacy (Millward, 2016)
• Brazil 2014: mass protest (Holston, 2014)
• Film: Rio - Football and favelas – c.f. Chile’s Copa America 2015
• Impact of applied method
“The Rio film helped me structure the
presentation we had to do. It was a
very useful and dynamic way of
teaching. I’ve now started to include
brief clips during my [assessed]
student-led sessions. This teaching style
has inspired my interest in short films”
(Interview, Liverpool: December 2014).
“The Rio film helped me structure the
presentation we had to do. It was a
very useful and dynamic way of
teaching. I’ve now started to include
brief clips during my [assessed]
student-led sessions. This teaching style
has inspired my interest in short films”
(Interview, Liverpool: December 2014).

11. Film and photography: Gauging impact
“There is a new emphasis on generic learning outcomes,
focusing on: broad skills, key competencies, communication
beyond specialisation and transferable skills; fostering peer-
assisted, self-directed and lifelong learning through reflective
practice and critical self-awareness” (Boud et al., 1999).
“When lecturers throw random videos on from YouTube I’m
usually a bit cynical. Unless it’s really relevant or interesting at
least, you can think of it as a bit of a time-filler for them, a bit
lazy. But if they’re relevant and current, they work. And if the
lecturer has actually made them you appreciate the effort”
(Interview, Southampton: February 2016).
“Some subjects are just so theoretical it’s hard to see the point
in them. If you switch off you’re lost. And some of the political
issues we look at are from places you’ve never been and can’t
visualise. But then the videos bring places to life, which helps us
see the problems and talk about possible solutions. I guess the
films feed your imagination” (Focus group, Vic: March 2015).
“When lecturers throw random videos on from YouTube I’m
usually a bit cynical. Unless it’s really relevant or interesting at
least, you can think of it as a bit of a time-filler for them, a bit
lazy. But if they’re relevant and current, they work. And if the
lecturer has actually made them you appreciate the effort”
(Interview, Southampton: February 2016).
“Some subjects are just so theoretical it’s hard to see the point
in them. If you switch off you’re lost. And some of the political
issues we look at are from places you’ve never been and can’t
visualise. But then the videos bring places to life, which helps us
see the problems and talk about possible solutions. I guess the
films feed your imagination” (Focus group, Vic: March 2015).

12. Visual Methods in HE: Some Lessons Learned
• Challenges: Sport – development, health, peace, poverty, exploitation
• ‘Problem-solving’: critically examine problems/response
• Depth, rate, efficiency of learning/teaching: student-centred, research-informed
• Investigative activities – assessments aligned to learning outcomes
• (Trans)national contexts – creative pedagogies; maximise available resources
• Shifting ratio between visual and textual – combination requires risk / innovation
• Messages, arguments, interpretation, analysis
• Limitations: Ethical, logistical, piracy, selectivity, bias
• Suitability: relative to subject: embraced… reluctance, marginal, (un)orthodox
• REF: impact – views/likes; (inter)national media coverage
• TEF: Experience, achievement, development: NSS comments?
• Strategic priorities: recruitment, engagement, retention, reputation