Field Projects and the Dilemma of Distance

Abstract

The challenges of online teaching are many and difficult. An important challenge for an applied anthropology graduate program is how to provide the students with a valid, team, field experience. In this article the authors discuss the many issues they are finding in constructing a virtual ethnographic field experience. Both authors teach a course in the online program which requires such a field experience, and both have taught their courses in the face-to-face environment. Henry teaches the Qualitative Methods course, which obviously benefits from a field project working for a specific client. Jordan teaches an Organizational Anthropology course which includes a field project wherein the students conduct an organizational evaluation for a client. Both authors are committed to the need for a field project in their courses. They feel strongly that professional training for applied anthropologists must include hands on experiences in projects with clients who are outside the academy. Not only are these vital training for the students, but these experiences give them some real field experience to discuss when they are looking for clients for their own practica. Also, both authors prefer that the project be team-based. Most projects these students undertake as applied anthropologists, once outside of the academy, are likely to be team based and thus they need that experience. In their Report on Survey of Alumni of Master's Level Applied Anthropology Training Programs conducted in 2000, Harman, Hess and Schafe (2004) state that they received "dozens of suggestions" from the graduates of applied masters programs who responded to the survey that "specific work management and workplace interaction skills" be added to the applied curricula. They state, "human interaction skills at work are, perhaps, the greatest single concern of applied anthropologists." Thus, even though the students in the online program are not in face-to-face interaction, the authors feel that they need as much experience in human interaction skills as the on-campus students. A team-based client project is optimal. Additionally, much workplace interaction is already virtual and more is likely to be so. Even the on-campus students could benefit from an experience in virtual teams.