Macquarie University

Field School in Anthropology - ANTH225

This unit introduces students to ethnography, field video making, and 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 field-trip to Fiji over the winter vacation as the largest 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.

Students gain 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, especially in ethnographic video, advocacy, and museum studies. During the course, students will develop skills in inter-cultural communication, field research, research design, and mixed methods research. The unit 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 an enormous, even a dominant influence.