UNBC Class Returns From Field School In Russia
September 3, 2003 For Immediate
Release
Eight
students and professor Michel Bouchard have recently returned from a unique
anthropological field school in Russia's Komi Republic.
The program was designed to train students to conduct research in other
countries, effectively incorporating information about local people and
their cultures. Typically, universities present this information from
a theoretical basis only; the UNBC field school provided a rare opportunity
to learn about concepts and immediately practice them in the field. As
a result, the program attracted students from schools across Canada and
the US. One student also joined the field school from Cambridge University
in England. One of the students was from Prince George and another was
from Dawson Creek.
"It was an incredible experience," says Matthew Varga, a UNBC
student from Alaska. "We didn't just get to see Russia from a tourist's
perspective in a place like Moscow or St Petersburg. We got to see village
life, how villagers lived, and very traditional ways of life among reindeer
herders in the tundra. It was a life-changing experience for me."
"There
was culture-shock at first, but I got so much out of it," says Kyla
Mattson of Dawson Creek. "The hospitality of people was overwhelming:
the people appeared to have nothing but would give you anything. I'm used
to everyday life in the West, driving in my car and accessing the internet
anywhere. There were people on the tundra who had nothing but a tent,
their family, and a reindeer herd. It really brought classes and textbooks
to life."
Participants in the program covered about 2,000 km during their three
months in the Komi Republic. The coursework was the equivalent of a full
semester of study - a unique feature of the UNBC field school. The duration
of the field school provided the opportunity for students to really learn
how to live in another culture. Students took courses on Russian language
and research methods. In addition, each student undertook a community-based
research project that focused on particular aspects of the local culture
and was prepared as the major assignment for the field school.
"I saw the students grow and mature as students and young researchers
over the course of the summer," says Michel Bouchard, UNBC Anthropology
professor and field school director. "It makes a difference when
you can teach students about issues and theories and step outside and
apply them." Dr Bouchard is fluent in Russian and organized the field
school itinerary and served as translator for students who weren't comfortable
speaking the language.