Establishing a Faculty-Led Field School

What is a Field School

A field school is typically either a faculty-led course taught abroad (normally during the summer term) or a summer school offered by a Concordia partner university abroad.  For both, experiential learning plays an important role by providing both teaching and a learning-experience abroad related to course contents.  While several models and examples of field schools at Concordia exist, they typically match one of the following examples:

•  A Concordia course taught by a Concordia faculty member abroad.
•  Courses taken for transfer credit at a partner university’s summer school.
•  Courses taught at a host institution with a Concordia professor’s supervision.
•  Non-credited workshops/activities abroad led by a Concordia professor.

Types of Field Schools

A field school can be:

• An excursion to a site of interest, event, conference or festival.
• A Concordia course (or courses) taught in an international setting.
• Courses taken for transfer credit at a host institution or organization.
• Concordia courses taught at a host institution by the institution’s professors.  A Concordia faculty member supports students on-site and oversees academics and grading.
• Non-credited courses or activities organized by a Concordia faculty member.

Getting started

• Several of Concordia’s partner institutions offer bespoke summer programs in which they offer to host a group of visiting Concordia students and a Concordia faculty member. The Concordia faculty member determines the program course or activity; the host institution grants access to facilities, classrooms and accommodations. (Please contact Concordia International for recommendations.)
• A festival, event or conference can form the basis for an international short-term program.
• A Concordia faculty member can develop an affiliation with a professor from another institution into a collaborative effort to host/exchange students on a short-term basis.
• Faculty members can use an existing connection with a research centre or an organization to explore the possibility of student involvement.

Things to note

When investigating a prospective field school, it is important to consider the following:

• Suitability of host destination.
• How host institution/region supports the program's learning objectives.
  
• Ease of travel.
• Accommodations and meals for participants.
• Security and political stability of host region.
• Student interest.
• Costs.

Submitting a proposal

1. Read through Field School Guide 
2. Submit the Field School Proposal Form by October 7 2022 deadline to Maral Abajian
3. Obtain approval from department chair and associate dean of academics.
4. Concordia International and a representative from your department and/or faculty will meet with you to devise a plan for the program’s implementation.

If you have a field school you would like to propose but are not certain of how to proceed, please contact Maral Abajian, Coordinator of short-term programs at Concordia International, for a preliminary consultation.