Starting in July, 2015, Greg will be convening a new unit: Anth 225, ‘Field School in Anthropology.’ The course will begin on campus in Sydney at Macquarie University, but students will spend July in Fiji, working on projects with our partners at the University of the South Pacific. Here’s the course description (more details will become available as the time gets closer):
This PACE unit introduces students to community-based research through preparation, participation in, and reflection on research projects conducted with NGO and academic partners in Fiji. The unit is a hybrid of on-campus and external components, with a required fieldtrip to Fiji over the winter vacation as part of the curriculum. Pre- and post-field components will be conducted on campus and with reflection components both during the sojourn in Fiji and upon return to Australia.
The unit provides students with an introduction to the ethical and practical challenges of community-based research, foundational familiarity with Fijian culture and context, and a specific discussion of how we use anthropology and other field-based research techniques for addressing social problems. During the course, students will develop skills in inter-cultural communication, field research, research design, and mixed methods research.
In addition, pre- and post-departure activities, as well as an orientation session while in Fiji, will encourage students to develop a broader view of Australia’s role in the Pacific region, including economic, social and cultural implications of being a kind of ‘Pacific superpower.’ Although Australians tend to think of themselves as a global ‘middle power,’ amongst our Pacific neighbours, our country clearly exercises enormous, even a dominant influence.
Greg Downey 