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College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Anthropology

Field School

Projected Field School Schedule

Archaeology
2026: Whitmer Farm, Fayette, NY and SE Utah (Dr. Jim Allison)
2027: TBD (Dr. Mike Searcy)

Cultural Anthropology
2026:
• Morocco (Spring-Summer - Dr. Becky Schulthies)
Apply now on the Kennedy Center webpage: Deadline to apply is November 15th
• Thailand (Spring-Summer - Dr. Jacob Hickman)
• Ecuador (Spring-Summer - Dr. Janis Nuckolls)
Apply now on the Kennedy Center Webpage: Deadline to apply is December 1st
• Local (Spring-Summer - Dr. Elizabeth Thomas)
2027:
• South Korea (Spring-Summer - Dr. Greg Thompson)
• Local (Spring-Summer - Dr. Emily Brunson)
• Morocco (Fall- Dr. Becky Schulthies)
2028:
• Morocco (Spring-Summer - Dr. Becky Schulthies)
• Local (Spring-Summer - Dr. Elizabeth Thomas)

BYU Field School in Morocco

All majors in the Department of Anthropology are required to attend a faculty-supervised field school as part of their major (both archaeology and sociocultural anthropology). These field schools offer hands-on field research experience and training in our disciplines. This experience will also provide excellent training for graduate school or help you develop professional skills that will set you apart when you enter the work force. Students conduct first hand data collection and analysis, and the degree culminates in the writing of a senior thesis. Typically, the thesis is written based on your research, under close mentorship with faculty in our department. These programs are also open to students from other majors and universities. Please consult the director of each program to discuss these possibilities and how these field schools can enhance training toward your professional goals.

The Field Schools fulfill the fieldwork requirement for the senior thesis sequence in both majors in the department (ANTHR 495R for Sociocultural Anthropology and ANTHR 455 for Archaeology). It is important to plan for these programs in advance, since each requires a pre-fieldwork preparation course as a prerequisite. The senior thesis sequence for each major is as follows, and each course must be taken in sequence, one per semester:

  • Cultural Anthropology: 442 (Winter); 495R (Spring and Summer); [optional: 543 Data Analysis - Fall]; 499 (Winter)
  • Archaeology: 454 (Winter); 455 (Spring or Summer); 456 (Fall); 499 (Winter)

Local Cultural Field School Information
Independent research projects provide students with the maximum amount of flexibility and the opportunity to engage in research that can benefit local communities and even lead to employment. Past research topics have included: studying selling techniques at the Provo Farmers Market, an examination of interfaith activities in Utah County, and an assessment of ethics training for a local city government.

Hour expectations for the local field school are the same as international field schools—approximately 150-180 hours of work. A small amount of this time will be spent meeting with your instructor (at a minimum bi-weekly, hour-long meetings) and with the entire class (~4 hour-long meetings over the summer). Most of your time will be spent working independently on your research project.

Ideally, independent research should be completed over the summer months (note: the class associated with local field school is offered in Spring semester, but it is expected that students will continue research through summer semester as well). Because of the time commitment involved, we recommend students limit other commitments (such as outside work).

To offset this, and to enable students to compensate research participants and/or support other aspects of their project, we strongly recommend students apply for ELF funding. Applications for ELF funding are due in January.

In the following sections, we outline suggestions for research topics as well as guidelines local field school students will be expected to follow. Our philosophy on local research is that this is an opportunity for you to gain experience, to practice your research skills, and to learn what to do/not to do. Learning is the key point!

If you have any questions or would like to discuss local field school options in more detail, please reach out to Drs. Emily Brunson or Elizabeth Thomas. We are excited about the potential to work with you next summer!

Suggestions for research topics:
1. Pick a topic that is interesting to you personally.
2. Chose a topic that is easily researchable using anthropological methods. In other words, topics where you will be able to interview, participate, observe, survey, etc. and ideally more than one of these.
3. Chose a population that is easily accessible. This entails both contacting and meeting with the population. Avoid topics that require special permissions to access a population (like school classes that require permission from teachers, principals, and school districts), that have very limited opportunities to engage with a population (for example groups that only meet once every month at 5 am on a Saturday), or that are difficult for you to travel to (like a population that lives in Payson when you don’t have a car).
4. Avoid topics that you have very strong opinions about.
5. Topics that are unsafe, study vulnerable populations (like children), or that involve illegal behavior (like drug use) will not be allowed.
6. Consider partnering with another student to study the same population (although with different research questions). This will give you the opportunity to carpool, share research tasks, and support each other through the research process.
7. Discuss potential topics with Drs. Brunson and Thomas in fall or winter to get their feedback.

General guidelines:
1. Projects must be done in the United States. Conducting research in Utah County is preferable.
2. IRB approval is required for all projects. IRB applications require the following components:
a. CITI training certificate
b. IRB application – among other things this requires: A clear research question, a concise (~3 paragraph) description of the literature on your topic, a description of your study population, a research plan, including the methods you’ll use, and a data management plan
c. Copies of all data collection instruments (interview guides, surveys, etc.)
d. Copies of recruitment documents (verbal recruitment scripts, fliers, etc.)
e. Consent forms

Ideally IRB applications should be submitted and approved during Winter semester. If you delay your IRB approval, your research will also be delayed. For help with IRB applications, please contact Drs. Brunson and Thomas.

Guidelines for studying Latter-day Saint populations:
NOTE: These guidelines only apply if your sample consists exclusively of Latter-day Saints. Research focusing on the Church or a subset of its members requires an extra approval step that must be completed prior to submitting your IRB application.
1. If your research focuses on a specific ward, you will need bishop approval beforehand. If you are focused on a subset of Latter-day Saints not bounded by a ward, proceed to the next step.
2. Prior to beginning your IRB, a one-page summary of your research questions, methods, and proposed population (which wards or subgroup of Latter-day Saints such as Lakeview YSA ward, Hispanic Latter-day Saints, women Latter-day Saints, etc.) must be sent to Drs. Brunson or Thomas.
3. They will send your proposal to the appropriate BYU offices which will then send it to the appropriate area leadership and Church Research Department (CRD) for approval.
4. Once you have approval from the CRD, you can complete your IRB application.
5. Church-focused projects must be approved during Winter semester. Because of church leadership schedules, summer approvals can be much slower and set back your research timeline considerably.