Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University

09/29/2026

Register for a spot in Kenya (Robinson), LLC “Fluid Master” event happening this Thursday from 5 - 6:30pm at Center for Documentary Studies

Kenya (Robinson) will conduct two oil changes as continuous fluid master shots.

Come see what it takes to be a fluid master and enjoy the free food!

Registration link below: https://rsvp.duke.edu/event/f23fe0fa-ab31-482e-895f-d11d694f0b89/summary

09/24/2026

How is producing audio documentary different from traditional journalism?
“There’s the research and the reading, and setting up interviews with experts and with regular people,” says John Biewen, “but maybe the most pure joy that I have in doing this work is in the crafting of the audio.”

Read more about John Biewen’s Duke journey to develop a podcast that helps its audience explore the big issues of the world. The newest season of his documentary podcast “Scene on Radio,” produced by the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University in partnership with PRX, is an official selection for this year’s Tribeca Festival.
See why he loves working at the Kenan Institute for Ethics and learn more about his projects. We are so happy for our former CDS colleague and congratulate him on his success. The link to his interview is in the bio!

John Biewen poses on the red carpet at the Tribeca Festival in June 2026. Photo courtesy of John Biewen.

09/21/2026

New here? 👋 Here’s your introduction to Continuing Education at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

Swipe through for the basics: who our courses are for, what you can learn, where classes happen, ways to participate, and more.

And while you’re here: tell us in the comments what you’d like to learn next. We’ll DM you a one-time 20% off code for a future CDS Continuing Education course or workshop. ✨

Keep swiping →

Curious people welcome. Come learn with us. Use the link in the bio to register.

No Duke affiliation required. Seriously! Our doors are open to anyone 18+.

There’s no single “type” of CDS student. Bring your curiosity.

Beginner? Experienced? Somewhere in between? There’s room for you here.

Documentary is a big tent. 🎥 📷 🎙️ ✍️

What would you add to this list?

Our offerings change every semester. Check the link in our bio to see what’s coming up next.

Join us here in Durham—or from wherever you are. 💻

One day, one weekend, or several weeks. Find the format that works for you.

Come for the craft. Stay for the questions, conversations, and community.

Want to go deeper? Your Continuing Education courses can add up to something. 🎓

Ask us! We want to hear from you. Our DMs are open, and there are real people on the other side. 👋

What would you love to learn? What’s a course you’ve always wanted to take, or one you wish existed? Tell us in the comments. 👇

We’ll DM you a one-time 20% off code for a future CDS Continuing Education course or workshop. Use the link in the bio to register.

And yes, we really do want to know. Your ideas help us think about what Continuing Education can offer next.

See you in class!

09/09/2026

We’re excited to welcome visiting artist Kenya (Robinson) to CDS this October for two free public events that bring together documentary practice, auto mechanics, performance, philosophy, and art. Mark your calendars and register at links in bio!

Kenya (Robinson) is a multidisciplinary artist exploring the intersections of race, gender, economics, and imagination. Her research-based projects investigate how systems of privilege and cultural narratives shape perception and participation in the public sphere. Through humor, linguistic play, and collective ritual, Kenya examines how power and belonging are constructed and contested. Learn more and follow her at Kenya (Robinson), LLC

October 1 | Fluid Master | 5 - 6:30 PM | CDS Parking Lot

In filmmaking, a “fluid master” is an entire scene captured in one continuous shot while the camera remains in motion. For this live performance, Kenya will conduct two oil changes as continuous fluid master shots, inviting audiences to consider how routine automotive maintenance can be transformed through the language of filmmaking. View the action from multiple camera angles, including a live GoPro feed, while taking part in an artist talk exploring labor, performance, observation, and the stories embedded in everyday systems.

October 3 | TURBO TAROT | 10 AM – 12 PM | CDS Auditorium

Kenya returns to CDS for a hands-on exploration of TURBO TAROT, an artist-directed project that connects the integrated systems of a passenger vehicle with the symbolic framework of the tarot. Blending automotive knowledge, philosophy, and live tarot readings, participants will examine engines, fluids, tools, brakes, and suspension as systems that reveal broader ideas about care, transformation, resilience, and maintenance.

Both events are free and open to all. Space is limited, so save your spot at the links in bio.

*The promotional images on slides 2 and 3 are from TURBO TAROT and use generative AI as one component of an iterative visualization and production process. Kenya developed the project’s conceptual framework, automotive-to-tarot correspondences, visual system, imagery, and individual card concepts, using AI tools as one component of the artis

09/03/2026

Another gathering to see “Til Íslands” exhibition by Emma Geiger is coming up at CDS on Thursday, September 10, at 7 pm!

Join the screening of the “Til Íslands” short documentary film at 8 pm, and stay for Q&A with Emma moderated by Alexa Dilworth.

Come experience beautiful imagery and engage this amazing artist. For more information check the link in bio. We will see you there.

Hosted at CDS in partnership with Duke MFA|EDA program and supported by the Jessina Leonard Biennial Travel Fellowship.

09/01/2026

“Being a student in the arts or humanities can be really hard sometimes. It feels like people don’t recognize or validate a lot of the work that you do. But in spaces like CDS and through programs like Doc+, I truly felt like the work I was doing mattered, and that the academic path I had chosen was valid.”

Zoe, one of our talented Doc+ students, beautifully explains the power of being in creative spaces and consistent mentorship with amazing artists in our community. This summer, Doc+ gave students first-hand experience in the documentary arts and introduced them to the creative community at Duke and CDS.

Read more about their experience and how you can get involved here: https://documentarystudies.duke.edu/news/doc-summer-six-weeks-documentary-immersion

Photo Credits
Photo 1: Victoria Guillem Victoria Isabella Guillem Villafuerte
Photo 2: DaManuel Richardson DaManuel.
Photo 3: Victoria Guillem
Photo 4: Zoë Flint Zoë
Photo 5: Lauren Henschel Lauren Henschel
Photo 6: Zoë Flint
Photo 7: Lauren Henschel

08/28/2026

🚨 New Audio Workshop added to our Fall semester lineup!

Scene-making is the key to cinematic audio storytelling. But how do you pull off what can feel like a magic trick? 
 
In this two-day, hands-on intensive, we’ll break down scenes from award-winning audio storytellers including Jonathan Goldstein (Heavyweight), Sam Mullins (Wild Boys), Stephanie Wittels Wachs (Last Day), and Pulitzer finalist Lauren Chooljian (The 13th Step). 
 
Then, we’ll gather interviews and sound around Durham and on campus and turn them into 2–3 minute audio stories from scratch. You’ll learn how to capture interviews and evocative scenes, write and voice narration, apply narrative techniques to your own stories, edit and produce a 2–3 minute audio piece using Adobe Audition. 
 
Open to beginners and those with experience in podcasts, journalism, or documentary audio. Recording equipment is available to borrow. 
 
About the instructor: 
Elaine Appleton Grant is an award-winning audio journalist, podcaster, and educator. She is the creator and host of Sound Judgment, where she and leading audio storytellers dissect the craft of narrative podcasting in real time. Elaine brings decades of experience in documentary audio, narrative storytelling, and editorial coaching. 
 
📍 2-day in-person workshop 
🎙️ For podcasters, filmmakers, journalists, and storytellers 
🔗 Register now — link in bio 
 
ContinuingEducation

04/17/2026

03/31/2026

📣 Now accepting proposals for the Lehman Brady Visiting Joint Chair in Documentary Studies & American Studies! 

Duke Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) coordinates this two-year, open-rank professorship at Duke University and UNC–Chapel Hill — and we’re welcoming applicants from all backgrounds. 🎓 

Whether you’re a professor, artist, writer, documentarian, or independent scholar, we want to hear from you. 
What the residency looks like:  
 
🗓️ Year One (2026–27): Four week-long site visits to engage with faculty, students, and community groups and present work-in-progress  
 
🏡 Year Two (2027–28): Full-time residency in Durham/Chapel Hill — teaching one course per semester at each university and leading a creative public engagement project  
 
🎉 Culminating in Spring 2028 with a major public event, exhibition, and/or screening at Duke, UNC–Chapel Hill, or a community venue.

The position includes a research fund, salary (one-fifth salary for Year 1 and full salary for Year 2), and Duke benefits (Year 2). 

📅 Deadline: April 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET Apply via Academic Jobs Online — link in bio for details! 

03/25/2026

This spring, CDS Continuing Education presented a series of Free Talks 🎤 introducing new instructors and welcoming both new and returning students back into the CDS CE community. Each talk brought renewed energy and reconnection — and we loved every moment of it. ✨ 
 
The Free Talks are one of the ways CDS is expanding access to documentary arts and studies across the Duke and Durham/Triangle communities. Free and open to all, they’re deeply aligned with CDS’s mission to amplify voices, advance human dignity, break down barriers to understanding, and illuminate social injustices — and they count toward a Continuing Education Certificate in Documentary Arts. 🎬 
 
This spring’s speakers — Natalie Bullock Brown, Rebekah Fergusson, and Resita Cox — each brought something distinct to the conversation: 
 
- Natalie Bullock Brown reflected on how the liberatory visions of Marlon Riggs, bell hooks, and Angela Y. Davis shaped her path and inspired the Documentary Accountability Working Group (DAWG)’s care-centered approach to documentary ethics.

- Rebekah Fergusson drew on case studies from End Game, Crip Camp, and Make a Circle to trace the producing decisions behind access, funding, and distribution. 

- Resita Cox hosted a live pitch night where CE students presented their projects to a panel of industry leaders — a window into the full documentary ecosystem. 
 
Stay tuned for more on each speaker — and if you missed Rebekah Fergusson’s talk, her 6-week course on Documentary Film Producing starts March 31! Link in bio to register. 🎥