This unique program is a collaboration between the Faculty of Law (RCH), the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW), and the Faculty of Religion and Theology (FRT).
After an inspiring first year, with over sixty students from various disciplines participating, the minor concluded in late January with a celebratory film festival. Students showcased their self-produced films to a jury of film professionals - delivering impressive results. The innovative and interdisciplinary approach of the minor earned it the prestigious VU Education Innovation Award.
Interdisciplinary approach and learning by doing
The Visual Evidence minor is developed and taught by an interdisciplinary team of lecturers from law, anthropology, and philosophy, religion, and theology. The team includes anthropologists Eva van Roekel (FSW), Peter Versteeg (FSW) and Eva Koemar (FSW), theologian and anthropologist Johan Roeland (FRT); theologian Srjdan Sremac (FRT); legal scholars Sofia Stolk (RCH) and Wouter Werner (RCH); as well as filmmaker Guusje Meeuwissen and educator and trainer Mikkie van der Mik. What unites them is a shared fascination for film and camera-based research methods. They explore how knowledge is created and how both film and academia shape knowledge production.
'In an era where media strongly influence our perception of the world, it is crucial that students learn how visual media work - how to analyze, deconstruct, and improve them,' says theologian and anthropologist Johan Roeland.
In addition to theoretical insights, students develop hands-on skills: they work with cameras, analyze visual material, and learn to think critically about visual media. Thanks to this learning by doing approach, they immediately apply their knowledge in their own visual productions.
Film Festival as the Grand Finale
The highlight of the minor was the film festival, where all final projects were screened. The jury, consisting of professional filmmakers and Margreet Cornelius, the new director of Griffioen, was impressed by the quality and creativity of the films. The award-winning minor not only underscores the importance of visual media in academic research but also highlights its impact on knowledge dissemination.
'The award allows us to further strengthen and scale up the program,' says Sofia Stolk. 'We want to invest in film equipment and expand the involvement of filmmakers. It also creates opportunities to deepen our collaborations within VU (e.g., with Rialto and other programs) and beyond (such as Stichting Movies that Matter and EYE Film Institute).'
Read the jury report
About the education innovation award
The Education Innovation Jury selected two winning teams, each receiving €15,000. The Centre for Teaching and Learning will also provide free support to help scale up their projects. The second winning team, led by Esther Schagen (FSW), was recognized for “Let’s collaborate! Practicing collaboration skills through AI-powered avatar training.”
VU Minor Visual Evidence wins Education Innovation Award
11 March 2025
How does film shape our perception of reality? And how can scholars use visual media to generate and share knowledge? These are the central questions of the Visual Evidence minor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.