The field school is conducted in partnership between ANU and UKDW (Duta Wacana Christian University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia). Dr. Paulus Bawole of UKDW makes all the initial contacts with the District who will host us, including visiting all the host villages. There will be about 40 Indonesian students and 20 ANU students working in partnership throughout the field school.

Proposed dates: 22 June - 21 July. The final assessment for this course will be due on August 3.

Location: Alor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

Preparatory class meetings: several times during May. These sessions will include some Bahasa Indonesia tuition, and discussion of development issues, Sumba society and research approaches and methods.   

Costs

The following are costs to be borne by participating students:

• Air fares and travel to Indonesia – booked and purchased by student
• Possible overnight accommodation and food in transit to and from field school
• Vaccinations as required
• Visa if necessary from Embassy – for Australian citizens no visa is required, unless you plan to stay more than thirty days.
• $600 fee per student and staff charged by UKDW to cover local transport, workshop expenses, recreational trips, host family expenses
• $100 administration fee charged by UKDW to cover administration and travel expenses in setting up the field school with the District Government
• $200 to cover ANU staffing and administration expenses. There will be two ANU staff accompanying the field school.

A deposit of $300 is required within two weeks of the information session for the field school (not refundable). The remaining $600 will be required by May 1 (not refundable).

Enrolment

This Autumn Session course is a 6 unit course, coded as ANTH3014 for undergraduate students and ANTH6065 for postgraduate students.

Enrolment is by agreement with the convenor. Before or at the information session a short questionnaire will be sent to you that will help the convenor assess whether there are any risks or difficulties you may encounter in joining the field school.  

Any undergraduate or postgraduate student at ANU who has done at least 12 units of social science courses is welcome to apply, regardless of your College affiliation. However it may be necessary in some cases to seek approval of your College or Program convenor before enrolment can take place.

Objectives

The objectives of field school are:

1. To provide a cross cultural in-depth experience, including use of Indonesian language, eating of local food, living with a local family, living within local village conditions, meeting leaders and officials.
2. To provide experience of working with Indonesian student peers in a cooperative venture.
3. To provide training in ethnographic methods, including collecting and assessing data, conducting interviews, surveys and focus groups, consulting with community leaders and people of both genders and all ages.
4. To provide skills in social analysis of field data.
5. To provide training in identifying one or more local issues of significance in which our input as researchers and practitioners may, in concert with the community, possibly make a difference.
6. To provide training in composing an application for consideration by local or Provincial government, NGOs or Australian government.

Preparation

Preparatory training either for 1-2 hours a week or over two half-days in May to include:

• Indonesian language
• Indonesian and local society and culture and politics
• Ethnographic methods
• Development theory and practice
• Etiquette and protocols

Relevant dates

Information session - Thursday 27 February 1-2pm

Deadline for payment of $400 deposit - March 16

Deadline for payment of all fees - May 1

Census date - 24 May

Contact and Convenor

Dr Patrick Guinness, lecturer in Anthropology and convenor of Development Studies in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology will convene the field school together with Dr. Paulus Bawole of the Faculty of Design and Architecture, UKDW. Together with other staff from both universities they have conducted the field school every year since 2009, first in the urban and rural neighbourhoods of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, and then for the last six years in the Provinces of North Maluku and East and West Nusa Tenggara.

For further information and to enroll in the course contact patrick.guinness@anu.edu.au

Service learning

The following gives an idea of how the field school will proceed, subject to all the varying conditions we may experience in villages.

Team activities will include a combination of research and practical assistance. Regular workshops in the field conducted in groups of three or four teams. Tentative program of formal group activities will include

• Day 1-2 all teams – workshop team dynamics (including interpreting and recording), share knowledge of field site society, economy and culture, and plan initial days in field.
• Day 5-6 report initial survey of community.
• Day 9-10 identify key focus of team activity and discuss requirements for data, approach, etc.
• Day 13-14 – identify key data problems and key political and logistic challenges and discuss solutions.
• Day 17-18 present progress and discuss needs to effect final resolution of activity.
• Day 22-23 Presentation of oral reports to community and  Kecamatan (Subdistrict) and Kabupaten (District) office-holders.
• Day 24-26 submission of written report/ proposal.

Final written team report at end of field school to take form of a proposal co-written by each team with their community that presents the nature of a particular difficulty or issue, documents steps already taken to address this difficulty and proposals to advance this difficulty towards its resolution

Assessment

• ANU final written essays due 3 August. Fieldschool extension work due 1 September.
• Suggested ANU assessment in the basic 6 unit course (ANTH3014/ ANTH6065) to comprise pre-fieldschool research paper (10%), field notes (10%), contribution to team (10%), team cooperation with community (10%), team written proposal (20%), final essay (40%).
• Suggested ANU assessment for extension 6 unit course (ANTH3016/6066): Reflection on field school methods (30%), reflections on cross cultural relations in village (30%), analytical research paper (40%).

ANU student responsibilities

• Ensure enrolment through application process and manual enrolment via permission code.
• Book and pay for flight to Indonesia
• Apply to Embassy for visa if staying longer than 30 days, or for certain international students (otherwise visa available on arrival).
• Consult with GP on medical needs. More general advice on medical conditions will be made available in training, but malaria mediation is essential.
• Pay deposit and final payments.
• Attend preparatory training (recommended)

Extension Course (ANTH3016/6066)

You may enrol for a further 6 unit course, ANTH3016 for undergraduates and ANTH6066 for graduate students. This course is formally registered as a Winter Session course and the final assessment will be due on September 1. You will be required to enrol in this course by July 1 and work for this course will commence while you are on the field school. While ANTH3014/6065 include team assessment, ANTH3016/6066 are individually assessed. There will be workshops held during August to facilitate your work but this is largely a research project that takes a research interest identified in the field site and extends it through reference to relevant literature in consultation with the convenor. As a winter session course it will count as part of your second semester enrolment.