Field Schools, usually held during the summer months, offer great opportunities to acquire practical experience with anthropological research methods through hands-on fieldwork. Schools usually focus on one of the main subdisciplines: Cultural, Archaeology, Physical/Biological. There are many, many field schools programs, located all around the globe. The following list is a small sample of what is out there. If a field school experience interests you, explore this list and consult your advisor for suggestions. Depending on the program, credit transfers may be possible. Field schools can be expensive but some offer scholarships and other sources of financial aid. In the summer of 2012, the Elfrieda Frank Scholarship program at Colby provided financial support for students wishing to enroll in archaeological field schools in the Americas. Check with the Department regarding information on the program for summer 2013.

Cultural Anthropology (some examples)

• American Anthropological Association. Contains links to various field school opportunities as well as other helpful information.
• Arizona State University Field Schools. Offers many field school opportunities across several different branches of anthropology.
• The Open School of Anthropology and Ethnography. Several field schools with heavy emphasis on language acquisition. Learn Spanish and Maya.
• Haitian Creole Language and Summer Institute. Heavy emphasis on language acquisition. Opportunity to work with NGO’s on reconstruction efforts in Haiti.
• Anthropological Summer School Project in Malta. Allows large amount of autonomy. Guest lectures from notable European anthropologists.
• Ethnographic Field School in Thailand. Students will learn about Thai culture and society and about significant regional Southeast Asian social issues while they simultaneously learn to conduct anthropological (ethnographic) research in a true field setting.
• The Institute for Sustainable International Studies in Belize (ISIS Belize) offers a variety of field courses in the winter intersession and the summer.  The courses offer students a chance to explore cultural, social and medical anthropology as well as archaeology in English-speaking Belize, Central America.

Archaeology

• Archaeological Institute of America. Contains links to many fieldwork opportunities.
• University of North Dakota Archaeological Field School. Learn the fundamentals of Archaeology without leaving the country. Opportunity to gain temporary paid employment in archaeology following successful completion of the course.
• Balkan Heritage Field School. Varied fieldwork opportunities concentrated in eastern Europe.
• Ecomuseu Cap De Cavalleria. Learn about archaeology in Menorca (the Mediterranean).

Physical/Biological Anthropology

• Arizona State University Field Schools. Offers many field school opportunities across several different branches of anthropology.
• Forensic Anthropology Field School. Utica College’s summer field school in Southeastern Europe.
• NSF Undergraduate Fellowships in Biocultural Anthropology. A summer program in biocultural anthropology (This field school offers substantial fellowship support).
• Turkana Basin Institute. Combine physical anthropology with archaeology and geology while studying in Kenya.