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Students at CFS Orientation - the first day of the quarter.
This experience really challenged me to look beyond the surface level of the organization I was working for. I not only learned about my field, but about how to become a better employee and thrive in the workplace by being more perceptive to the work culture I was in. Whitney Siehl, FSMW Student |
Chicago Field Studies Programs
CFS offers academic internship programs every quarter, including summer. Details on our current programs can be found below. All programs include the following components:
CFS seminars are taught by faculty and graduate students from the Departments of Anthropology and Sociology and other related disciplines. Seminars are small and most are co-taught so that the student-instructor ratio is no larger than 12-1 and is often as small as 6-1. This allows maximum time for students to share their experiences and ideas in class and ensures close working relationships between students and instructors. CFS programs are open to students in all schools and majors. Students from other colleges and universities are also welcome to apply.
Field Studies in the Modern Workplace (FSMW) - All QuartersOffered: Every quarter, including summer Academic Focus: organizational behavior (workplace culture) Internships: any professional field (including business and law), 24-32 hours/week Credits: 2 classes worth 4 credits (full-time program) Open to: Students who have completed their sophomore year by the beginning of the program Students participate in two small seminars, which complement each other: Organizational Behavior: Modern Workplace and Qualitative Research Methods. Organizational Behavior explores various theoretical approaches to the study of the modern workplace. Qualitative Research Methods teaches students a number of methods—such as participant-observation, interviews, and surveys—that they then use to research their internship organizations. Through class discussions and assignments, students examine the unwritten rules that govern social interaction and behavior at their workplace.
Business Field Studies (BFS) - Offered 1- 2 Quarters Per YearNext Offered: Summer 2008; Fall 2008; Spring 2009; Summer 2009 Academic Focus: organizational behavior and contemporary issues in business Internships: business organizations (primarily finance and marketing), 24-32 hours/week Credits: 2 classes worth 4 credits (full-time program) Open to: Students who have completed their sophomore year by the beginning of the program Students participate in two separate classes: Organizational Behavior: Business and Contemporary Issues in Business. Organizational Behavior explores various theoretical approaches to the study of the modern workplace, focusing primarily on business firms. Contemporary Issues examines major issues facing business organizations as reported in the current media (e.g., international trade, financial reporting, etc.). Discussions and assignments in both classes examine course readings in light of students’ original research at their internship sites. For both classes, students conduct original research on and about their internship organizations, and discussions and assignments examine course readings in light of this research. Legal Field Studies (LFS) - Offered 1- 2 Quarters Per YearNext Offered: Summer 2008; Winter 2009; Spring 2009; Summer 2009 Academic Focus: organizational behavior and contemporary issues in law Internships: legal firms and organizations, 24-32 hours/week Credits: 2 classes worth 4 credits (full-time program) Open to: Students who have completed their sophomore year by the beginning of the program Students participate in two separate classes: Organizational Behavior: Law and Contemporary Issues in Law. Organizational Behavior explores various theoretical approaches to the study of the modern workplace, focusing primarily on legal organizations. Contemporary Issues examines popular discourse on law and debates in the legal profession (e.g., the jury process, sexual harassment, hate speech, etc.). For both classes, students conduct original research on and about their internship organizations, and discussions and assignments examine course readings in light of this research.
Field Studies in Social Justice *New Program*Next Offered: Winter 2009; Spring 2009 Academic Focus: Focus changes by quarter. SPRING 2008: IMMIGRATION Internships: social justice/public interest organizations, 10-15 hours/week (community-based organizations, nonprofits, legal, educational, governmental, and political organizations, research and policy institutes, etc.) Credits: 1 class worth 2 credits Open to: Students in any year
Field Studies in Social Justice is a Chicago Field Studies course that promotes learning through internships, original research, and partnerships between the university and surrounding communities. The Spring 2008 course will focus on immigration to cities such as Chicago. It includes four overarching themes: 1) Political- economic background to migration; 2) U.S. Poverty; 3) Community life; 4) Organization and Movement. Such large themes will provide an intellectual tool kit for the students, who will simultaneously be interning at organizations in the Chicago area that work with immigrant populations or on social, cultural, political, or economic issues related to immigration. Possible internship organizations include: Heartland Alliance, El Centro Romero, Coalition of African, Asian, Arab, European, Latino Immigrants of Illinois, Organization of the NorthEast, Indo-American Center, etc. Students will use what they learn through their internships to help them understand academic readings and debates, and they will apply what they learn through the classroom to help them better understand their community work. They will also gain insight from community practitioners. The community partners will become active participants in the education of the students. They will be invited to take part in lectures and discussions and participate in the final presentations of research projects. While the internships will allow students to experience what it is like to work in the social justice field, for academic purposes, they will be treated as sites for original research. The course will give students a basic introduction to some key qualitative research methods--participant-observation (fieldnotes) and interviews--which they will then use at their organizations to conduct research on the issues being studied. Field Studies in Community Research *New Program*Next Offered: Summer 2009 Academic Focus: Community Research Internships: social justice/public interest organizations, 20 hours/week (community-based organizations, nonprofits, legal, educational) Credits: 1 class worth 2-3 credits Open to: Students in any year Community Research is a joint program of Chicago Field Studies Program, the Department of Anthropology at Northwestern and the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change at the Field Museum. Through Community Research, students learn ethnographic field methods and conduct a research study in one of the many ethnic communities in the greater Chicago area in collaboration with a community-based organization. Placements are individually negotiated to meet each student's interests. Community Research is an eight-week full-time program and students may enroll for two or three course credits. Students meet once a week for class work in field methods, project design, data collection strategies, and data analysis techniques. For further information, contact Niki Fabricant, Instructor at n-fabricant@northwestern.edu. Consent of Chicago Field Studies Director, James Farr and Instructor, Niki Fabricant are required prior to enrollment. APPLICATION FOR FIELD STUDIES IN COMMUNITY RESEARCH
What is the difference between Field Studies in the Modern Workplace and Business or Legal Field Studies?There are two main differences between the Field Studies in the Modern Workplace program and the Business and Legal Field Studies programs, as follows:
If you have further questions about the CFS programs, please contact our office. For more information on the internship component of the program, see the section on Internships. |
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