• University of Glasgow
New

Working with Cultural Data: A Creative Approach

Explore how culture and data connect to transform your work and engage with stories through ethical and artistic approaches.

Fragment of the Procession Fresco at Knossos Palace in Heraklion, Crete, Greece

Working with Cultural Data: A Creative Approach

  • 3 weeks

  • 10 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    10 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Diversify your research methods for creative arts and migration studies.

On this three-week course, you’ll explore the compelling intersection between creative arts and migration studies, uncovering new perspectives on global migration patterns.

With the guidance of the University of Glasgow, you’ll engage with pioneering research and artistic methodologies that illuminate the multifaceted experiences of migrants.

Discover artistic methodologies in migration studies

This course aims to emphasise the critical role of creativity in research, allowing you to approach migration studies from a unique angle.

You’ll engage with various artistic mediums such as poetry and visual arts to enhance your ability to communicate research findings in accessible and emotionally resonant ways.

Interpret data through a creative lens

You’ll learn to view data through a creative lens, unlocking the potential to tell compelling stories and highlight diverse perspectives. This segment encourages you to think outside the box and apply innovative thinking to data interpretation, preparing you for the creative challenge of turning data into art.

Guide your artistic and academic transformation

This final segment consolidates your learning, offering a structured pathway to apply the course’s teachings to your research projects. Embrace the challenge of transforming data into art, enriching your research with creativity and interdisciplinary innovation.

By the end of this course section, you’ll be armed with questions and strategies to guide your approach to turning data and experiences into art.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Cold data

    • Pieces of card pegged to a string reading 'welcome' and 'empathy'

      Welcome to the course

      Welcome to the course! In this section, you will find out more about the educators and the content of week 1.

    • The word 'DATA' printed in black on a window

      What is cold data?

      For efficiency reasons, data is often presented as tables, graphs or charts. What happens in this disconnection between the human forms that provide the information, and the non-human forms in which information is treated as data?

    • Close up of hands playing an mbira, a musical instrument traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe

      Counting and discounting data

      In this section, we will look at different types of data and the way they get valued in society.

  • Week 2

    Warm data

    • Group of workshop participants standing and reaching one arm into the air

      How to warm up data

      In this section, we will be looking at ways to 'warm up' cold data, to go from warm, to cold and back to warm data.

    • Close-up of a woman's hands breaking a loaf of bread in half

      Comfort and discomfort

      Warming up data can feel uncomfortable. In this section, we will be looking at the causes of the discomfort and we will critically assess our reactions to the process.

    • A woman, pictured from behind, looking at a tapestry of multicoloured fabric scraps, ribbons, Polaroid photographs, and small pieces of writing in Arabic, English, and German

      Creative arts and language

      In this section, we will look at some examples from the UNESCO RIELA work, so see how arts and language can help to warm up data.

  • Week 3

    Reflecting on cultural data

    • Close-up of two people holding hands

      How to care for cultural data

      Cultural data can be personal, we need to make sure we care for it and the people who have provided it appropriately. In this section, we will be looking at safeguarding, ethics and the permaculture approach to help you do that.

    • Three performers from Ha Orchestra, two black and one white, wearing African prints and playing traditional African instruments

      How to navigate colonial legacies

      Colonial practices, both present and past, have and continue to have an impact on large parts of the world. How can we successfully navigate these legacies and continuing structures?

    • A woman standing up delivering a talk in front of a seated audience with various cultural objects spread on the floor in front of her

      How to work with intangible cultural data

      Warm cultural data can often be harder to work with that 'cold' data, because of its intangible nature. Here we will discuss some concrete strategies you can try yourselves.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Demonstrate knowledge of, and how to apply, artistic research methodologies
  • Apply critical thinking and interpretation of data
  • Identify collaborative approaches to working in diverse teams
  • Develop increased capacity for diversified research project design
  • Develop and gain insight into migration from the many contexts that the MIDEQ research project involves.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for students, academics, artists, journalists and others working with cultural data. Perfect for those who are looking for alternatives to measurement-heavy ways of working with data, who are looking for more nuanced approaches and who are open to trying new ways of working.

Who will you learn with?

Tawona Sithole

Lecturer in Creative Practice Education, within the UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration Through Education, Languages and the Arts - University of Glasgow
researcher, poet, storyteller

Hyab Yohannes

Lecturer in Forced Migration and Decolonial Education, University of Glasgow, Scotland.

Bella Hoogeveen

Bella Hoogeveen is the project manager of the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Education, Languages and Arts (UNESCO RIELA) at the University of Glasgow.

Alison Phipps

Alison Phipps is UNESCO Professor of Refugee Integration through Languages & the Arts; Co-convener of Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network & Principal Investigator: AHRC RM Borders

Who developed the course?

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities.

  • Established

    1451
  • Location

    Glasgow, Scotland, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 70Source: QS World University Rankings 2020

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$54/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 26 Feb 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

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  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
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  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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