Duke MfaedaThe MFA in Experimental & Documentary Arts is a two-year degree program requiring 15 courses over 4 semesters: 10 required courses (Core) in prescribed sequence, and 5 electives. The prescribed sequence is below. Electives for MFA|EDA students are commonly found in Art-Art History-Visual Studies, and the Center for Documentary Studies, but elective options are not limited to those departments.
YEAR 1 – FALL
- Documentary Fieldwork (3 units) Exploration of the range of mediums and approaches to community-based documentary work that expresses both cultural/political realities through a personal point of view. Final project required.
- Genealogies of the Experimental (3 units) Historical and theories of experimental expression in the 20th and 21st centuries. Final paper required.
- Elective: (3 units)
- Critique I (1 unit)
YEAR 1 – SPRING
- Experiments in the Moving Image (3 units) Techniques and methodologies of experimental film and video production. Final project required.
- Continuity and Change in Experimental and Documentary Arts (3 units) Historical and conceptual survey of documentary studies with attention to experimental and artistic practices. Final paper required.
- Elective: (3 units)
- Critique II (1 unit)
SUMMER
- Individual Thesis Research
YEAR 2 – FALL
- Thesis Writing Workshop (3 units)
- Elective: (3 units)
- Methods Elective: (3 units) An elective that supports thesis research or production.
- Critique III (1 unit)
YEAR 2 – SPRING
- Thesis Project Workshop (3 units) Production and completion of thesis project.
- Elective: (3 units)
- Critique IV (3 units)