Curriculum Vitae

LYNETTE HARPER

B.A. (UVic), M.A. (UBC), Ph.D. (UBC)

Dr. Lynette Harper is an author, ethnographer and dancer based on Vancouver Island. Her academic and popular publications address museology, cross-cultural education, Middle Eastern diaspora and dance, life history, collaboration, and partnership. She currently teaches anthropology at Vancouver Island University.

Research Interests

Collaboration and Partnership, Cross-Cultural Education, Middle Eastern Diaspora and Dance, Museums and Social Justice, Action Research, Qualitative Methodology

Academic Background

2006 Ph.D, Educational Studies, University of B.C. Thesis: A Multi-Site Ethnography of Culture and Power in Post-Secondary Education Partnerships
1994 M.A. Adult Education, Faculty of Education, University of B.C. Thesis: Seeing Things From Different Corners: A Story of Learning and Culture.
1975 B.A. First Class, Anthropology, University of Victoria

Academic Awards

2002-03: Faculty of Education Graduate Student Research Grant, University of B.C.
1999-02: Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
1998: University Graduate Fellowship, University of B.C.
1993: Museum Studies Research Scholarship, Canadian Museums Association
1992: Coolie Verner Prize, University of B.C.
1991-2: University Graduate Fellowship, University of B.C. 1971 Charlesworth Memorial Award, B.C. Teacher’s Federation

Academic Teaching Experience

2002-ongoing

Instructor, Vancouver Island University
ANTH 112 Introductory Anthropology
ANTH 307 Cross-cultural Education
ANTH 367 Peoples and Cultures of the World – The Middle East
ANTH 370 Introduction to Anthropological Theory
ANTH 380 Introduction to Museum Anthropology
CRIM 350 Qualitative Research Methods
GLST 210 Food and Globalization

LEAD 200 Action Research in Communities

2005-2006

Instructor/Facilitator for Qualitative Inquiry sessions, Research and Scholarly Activity Office, Malaspina University-College.

2004-2005

Program Assistant, Teaching and Learning Centre, Malaspina University-College.

1999 - 2001

Instructor, University of B.C.
EDST 425 Anthropology of Education

1994 -1998

Malaspina University-College Community Education, Nanaimo Program Manager (1997-98), Project Worker (1994-97)

1991 - 1998

Contract course development and instruction
“Deconstructing Museum Work: Critical and Reflective Skills for the Workplace”, Cultural Resource Management Program, University of Victoria;
“Cultural Diversity: Initiatives for Museums”, BC Museums Association;
Docent Training for Langley District Museum and Nanaimo District Museum;
“Techniques of Adult Education”, International Institute of Conservation-Canadian Group

1980 - ongoing

Dance Educator, Middle Eastern and Folkloric Dance

Academic Research Experience

2007 "Practicing Tribal Bellydance". Independent research.
2001 "Cartography of Adult Education". Research assistant, University of B.C
1993 - 1995 “Collaboration: B.C. Museums work with communities.” Funded by Canadian Museums Association.
1992 - 1993 "Lives of change: An ethnographic evaluation of two learner centred literacy programs" Evaluation team member, National Literacy Secretariat & University of B.C.

Contract Research, Evaluation, Facilitation and Planning

1996 - 2008: Malaspina University-College: "Review of Undergraduate Research Survey" for Teaching and Learning Centre; “Faculty Evaluation Process Facilitation”, Human Resources; “Instructor Evaluation Tool for On-line Courses”, Human Resources; "Evaluation of pilot learning support technologies for First Nations communities" (Associate evaluation consultant), Centre for Continuing Studies “Action Research: Review of ABE intake processes”, Career and Academic Preparation " Online evaluation report: Challenges" & " Alternative Delivery/Learning Highways Project Evaluation.” (Evaluation team member)
2001: Community Works, Burnaby BC Qualitative analysis and report of interview data.
1990 - 1996: Various facilitation, programming, and policy development projects B.C. Cultural Services Branch; Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre; Surrey Art Gallery; UBC Museum of Anthropology.

Museum Experience

1985 - 1990: Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, N.W.T. Assistant Director, Museum and Community Services (1989-90)Acting Director (1986) Curator of Education/Extension and Professional Programs (1985-88)
1976 - 1984: Vancouver Museums and Planetarium Association, Vancouver Public Programmes Coordinator (1977-84) Education Project Coordinator (1977) Ethnology Research Assistant (1976)
1974, 1975: Summer student employee, B.C. Provincial Museum Archaeology Division (1975) Ethnology Division (1974)

Publications

2006: (with S. Butterwick) An ‘Inter-cultural’ view of community-academic partnerships: Tales from the field. Proceedings of the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults, University of Leeds, Leeds.
2002-5: Book Review Editor, Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation
2002: “Anyone for parfait? Contradictions and discontinuities in participatory evaluation”. Proceedings of the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, OISE, 141-146.
2001: “By My Own Eyes: A Story of Learning and Culture”. P.Sissel & V.Sheared (Eds.), Making Space: Reframing Practice in Adult Education. Westport, Ct: Greenwood.
1999: “Beyond the Beautiful Umbrella.” K.Roberts, A.Thakur, G.Tunnell (Eds.), Culture Shock: Experiencing the Other. Eletheria Press: Lantzville BC.
1997: (with Mira) “Beyond the Beautiful Umbrella”. H.Palmer (Ed.), “...but where are you really from?” (pp.113-123). Toronto: SisterVision Press.
1996: “Building Success: Collaborating With Our Communities”. Muse, 12(3), 22-29.
1995: “Newcomers to Canada”. Nobody’s Perfect Resource Manual for Facilitators. Vancouver: B.C. Council for the Family.1995 “Making Choices”. Museum Roundup, May/June, 11.“Making Choices - Part II”. Museum Roundup, July/August, 7.
1994: Seeing Things From Different Corners: A Story of Learning and Culture. Unpublished master’s thesis. University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C.
1994: “Defining Collaboration: How B.C. Museums Work With Communities”. Proceedings of the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, Simon Fraser University, 203-208.
1993: “From Temple to Battlefield: Conflicting Ideologies in the Museum”. Muse, 11(3), 20-21.
1993: “Partnerships Studied”. Museum Round-up, Autumn (108), 3.
1993: (with J.Dawson, P.Dyer, M.Niks) “Who Knows? Who Says So? Who Decides? Issues in Collaborative Research”. Proceedings of the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, University of Ottawa.
1992: “From Temple to Battlefield: Conflicting Ideologies in the Museum”. Proceedings of the Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, University of Saskatchewan, 157-162.
1992: “text, lies and videotape: The Use of Video in the Research Interview”. Proceedings of the Adult Education Research Conference, University of Saskatchewan, 281-282.
1988: (with S.Irving) “Not Another Fur Trade Exhibit? An Inside Look at Trapline Lifeline”. Muse, 6(3), 38-42.
1985: (with Robert R. Janes) "An enduring legacy". Canadian Collector, 20 (5), 16-21.
1984: “The Role of the Producer”. in R.D.Watt (ed.), Museum on Stage (pp. 1-13). Vancouver: Vancouver Museums and Planetarium Association.
1983: “Public Programmes”. In R.L.Barclay (ed.), Anatomy of an Exhibition: The Look of Music (pp.39-46). Ottawa: International Institute for Conservation.

Papers presented:

2007, Sept.: Ethnography in the borderlands: Culture and power in educational partnerships. Oxford Ethnography and Education Conference, Oxford UK
2007, April: Tribal bellydance: Fusion or paradox? International Bellydance Conference of Canada Toronto ON
2006, March: Boundary crossing in the classroom. Society for Applied Anthropology, Vancouver, B.C.
2006, February: A tangled tale of post-secondary partnerships. Educational Studies Seminar Series, University of B.C., Vancouver, BC
2004, May: Celebrate Middle Eastern dance. Adult Education Research Conference/Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education Women’s Preconference, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
2003, June: Power, politics and ethics - Rethinking formative evaluation. Canadian Evaluation Association, Vancouver, BC
2002, Nov.: What's on the menu? Online learning for museum professionals. B.C. Museums Association, Vancouver, BC.
2002, May: (with Jerry Hinbest) Anyone for parfait? Contradictions and discontinuitiesin participatory evaluation. Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, Toronto ON.
2002, May: (with Jill Rachel Baird). Power, voice and practice in collaborative museum education programs. Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Toronto, ON.
2002, May: (with Jill Rachel Baird) Power, voice and practice in collaborative museum programs. Canadian Museums Conference, Calgary Alberta.
2002, Feb.: (with Jill Rachel Baird) Power, voice and practice in the museum. Pacific Sociological Association Conference, Vancouver B.C.
2001, November
All in the family: Imagining kinship for participatory evaluation. American Evaluation Association Conference, St. Louis MI.
2001, May: (with Jerry Hinbest) Mixing oil and water: Contradiction, discontinuity and devolution in participatory evaluation. Canadian Evaluation Society Conference, Banff Alberta.
2000, June: Collaboration anxiety: What do we do about it? Adult Education Research Conference, Vancouver B.C.
1999, August: Beyond the beautiful umbrella: Culture shock and learning. Transformative Learning Conference, Dominican College, San Rafael CA.
1998, May: (with Doug Stetar) Listening for results: Effective evaluation for online education. Connections, Centre for Curriculum, Transfer and Technology, Vancouver B.C.
1997, May: A story of culture shock and learning. Beyond Culture Shock. Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo, B.C.
1996, June: Improvising a collaboration. Canadian Museums Association Annual Conference, Vancouver, B.C.
1995, March: (with Edward Taylor and Tom Whalley)Implications for Educational Interventions in Cultural Learning. SIETAR B.C. Symposium, Canadian International College, North Vancouver, B.C.
1994, Nov.: Intercultural research: You see things from different corners. SIETAR B.C. Chapter meeting, Vancouver, B.C.
1994, Oct.: Who communicates to the public? B.C. Museums Association Annual Conference, Victoria, B.C.
1994, May: Defining collaboration: How B.C. museums work with communities. Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, Vancouver, B.C.
1993, Sept.: Defining collaboration: How B.C. museums work with communities. B.C. Museums Association Conference, Prince Rupert, B.C.
1993, June: Conflicting ideologies. Canadian Museums Association Curators Special Interest Group Meeting, Regina, Saskatchewan.And Educators in no-man’s land. Canadian Museum Educators Group, Canadian Museums Association, Regina, Saskatchewan.
1993, June: (with J.Dawson, P.Dyer, M.Niks) Who knows? Who says so? Who decides? Issues in collaborative research. Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, Ottawa, Ontario.
1992, Nov.: P.O.V.: The use of video in the research interview.American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Anaheim, Calif.
1992 , May: From temple to battlefield: Conflicting ideologies in the museum. Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
1992, May: text, lies, and videotape: The use of video in the research interview. Adult Education Research Conference, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
1991, Oct.: The educational exhibitionist: Collaborations between museums and community educators. American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Montreal.
1988, April: Approaches to locality: The Northwest Territories. Western Canada Art Association, Banff, Alberta.
1987, May: Colliding expectations: Curators and educators look at exhibit planning (panel member). Canadian Museums Association, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Exhibitions:

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife:

1989: Coordinator, Trapline lifeline - Sur la piste des trappeurs (travelling exhibition)
1988: Curator and Coordinator, Discovery (permanent exhibition)
1987: Coordinator, Paulatuk: Mythology and Sculpture (temporary exhibition)
1986: Treaty 11 (travelling exhibition)
1985: Consultant, Northwest Territories Pavilion Expo 86, Vancouver

Vancouver Museum

1979-1984: Exhibit team member for Cabinets of Curiosities, The Look of Music, and other exhibitions.
1978: Curator, West Coast Baskets (temporary exhibition)