Study at the GCVA
Our courses
Our Master’s and PhD programmes combine anthropology with practical training in filmmaking, editing, photography and sound recording. We welcome students from across the social sciences and humanities, supporting them with an internationally renowned staff and providing them with professional equipment. Our courses are tailored to meet the needs of different levels of anthropological and media-making experience, from complete beginners to established professionals.
GCVA alumni say
My experience in Manchester made possible an old dream: to incorporate a new language – the audiovisual – in the anthropological discourse.
I was very satisfied with how fast I progressed with my filming skills, since when I started, I did not even know how to switch on a video camera!
It was provocative and challenging to work out how I could use filmmaking as an analytical tool to shape, not just reflect, my research process.
The MA is possibly the most fun bit of education I have ever done. Aside from learning the basics of hands-on film-making, it is a very different way of doing anthropology.
The MA in Visual Anthropology has been central in shaping my theoretical, methodological and practical work as an anthropologist.
There is so much to gain from this course. Before I started I had never even picked up a film camera, now my final film has gone on to win several awards. It’s opened my eyes to the different ways research can be done
I became part of a community of peers and tutors that were genuinely interested in each other, and empathetic, offering support and critical views to each other in respectful and sensitive ways. The programme encouraged us to develop projects collaboratively and learning to assume different roles, negotiating and learning how to overcome obstacles as an individual and as a team.
The MAVA programme taught me how to work collaboratively with participants and explore ways to situate our creative process within anthropological significance. Above all, what I value the most from the programme is the time spent with world-class professors and fellow students from across the globe.
The course was one of the most well-organized and informative courses I have ever been a part of. Not only do I come away from it with technical and theoretical knowledge, but the contacts, colleagues, and friends that I have made will be a part of my life and career for many years to come.
I highly recommend this course! In only two weeks I feel like I have learned the basics of filmmaking and would feel comfortable using these in a research project.
Great course! I believe that filmmaking practice for research is quite useless without theory. The short course provides both to a high standard.
The GCVA is one place where Deaf participants feel at home and learn on an equal basis.
I found the course inspiring and invigorating. The focus on enjoying the learning process helped me to feel free to make mistakes, experiment and have fun.
Experienced and inspiring tutors. Never thought I would learn so much in two weeks.
If you’re considering doing it, just do it! It will give you the foundational skills and principles, and crucially the confidence, to get out and film.
When I took my first visual anthropology course, my inspiration grew as I experienced the satisfaction that comes with visualizing human themes through a camera. I am still applying these lessons today as a cinematographer for Mission Margraten Plus, a non-profit that takes US World War II veterans to the Netherlands to participate in commemorative ceremonies.