Ethnographic Field Schools

Ethnographic field schools can be found on several U.S. college campuses.

If a degree in anthropology is your aim, a specified area of the subject, ethnography, is offered in hands-on settings in various schools around the United States. Whether looking to work in developing countries or study urban populations, you will find that ethnographic field schools are a prevalent part of several college systems.

Northwestern University

Partnering with the local Field Museum in Chicago, Northwestern University's anthropology department offers an ethnographic field school to interested students. The institution features an eight-week program, in which students are placed in community settings within the city of Chicago to conduct research that will benefit the host community. The program is open to undergraduate students, graduate students and recent graduates in any field. Research opportunity options include working with various at-risk age groups, individuals who are HIV-positive, immigrants and refugees, as well as health- and environment-based research.

The Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology

Headquartered in the southwestern Indiana city of Bloomington, the Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology (OSEA) offers an ethnography field school annually. The OSEA program lasts seven weeks, and students enrolled as undergraduates or graduates in any social science or humanities field are welcome to apply. The school holds courses on Mayan languages, classroom seminars for planning research goals, and enables the application of acquired research in the area of Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Tuition for the program is $3,700, which includes room and board but not airfare or incidental expenses.

Wake Forest University

The North Carolinian college of Wake Forest University offers students an ethnographic field school that is located in Honduras, operated through the Overseas Research Center. The purpose of this school is to research daily life on the Bay Islands of Roatán. The program is open to students of the university, as well as any staff, faculty or interested researchers from the campus or elsewhere. The focus of study is the human impact on the delicate natural environment of Honduras, and learners will assist teachers in achieving related research goals.

Utah State University

Headquartered in Logan, Utah State University offers a study-abroad program for ethnographic studies through its anthropology department. With a focus of research in Peru's Huanchaco region, the university encourages undergraduate and graduate anthropology students to apply. Begun in 2002, the school requires researchers to do field work every other year. In a program that is typically a month long, students will develop and administer a research project to benefit the local community as well as track ethnographic effects on the area's environment.

References

• Northwestern University: Ethnographic Field School
• The Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology: Ethnography Field School
• Wake Forest University: Overseas Research Center
• USU Ethnographic Field School

Resources

• Northwestern University, Ethnographic Field School, 303 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611
• The Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology, 2244 Martha St., Bloomington, IN 47408
• Wake Forest University, 1834 Wake Forest Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
• Utah State University, 1400 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322