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Comitas Institute For Anthropological Study (CIFAS) | LinkedIn Comitas Institute For Anthropological Study (CIFAS) | 4 followers on LinkedIn. The Comitas Institute supports ethnographic research that addresses critical issues in contemporary society. | Named for its founder, Professor Lambros Comitas, The Comitas Institute for Anthropological Study (CIFAS) envi...

The CIFAS Field School on Ethnographic Research Methods offers rigorous, practice-focused training that balances theory with hands-on fieldwork. Faculty work closely with each participant to identify the methods best suited to their academic or professional needs—whether in social sciences, education, health, communication, the arts, or beyond. We offer an engaging in-person or online program designed for students and professionals who want rigorous, hands-on training in ethnographic research — whether for academic projects, applied research, or professional practice. For more information, visit cifas.us or scan the QR code.

Preparing for fieldwork this summer?
19th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods Online Cohort | April–May 2026

The Comitas Institute for Anthropological Study (CIFAS) is pleased to announce the April online cohort of the 19th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods.
This intensive, live online program is designed for students and professionals who want rigorous, hands-on training in ethnographic research — whether for academic projects, applied research, or professional practice.

Schedule: Classes meet live on: April 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 and May 5 and 7
8:30–11:30 a.m. EDT
Total workload: 30 hours

What You Will Gain: Participants receive structured training in both the foundations and practice of ethnographic research. Faculty work closely with each participant to help identify the field methods most appropriate to their specific academic or professional goals.
Topics include:
• Foundations of ethnographic research
• Ethics in fieldwork
• Feminist, multi-species, and decolonial approaches
• Research design and data generation techniques
• Field logistics and project planning
• Digital ethnography
• Ethnography in applied fields (health, public policy, environmental studies, business, social services, and more)
• Organizing and indexing field data
• Analyzing field materials
• Introduction to qualitative analysis software

Who Should Apply: Graduate and undergraduate students in the social sciences; students in fields using qualitative methods (education, communication, cultural studies, health, development, consumer research, etc.); applied researchers; professionals incorporating ethnographic approaches into their work.
Whether you are preparing for dissertation fieldwork, launching a qualitative research project, or expanding your methodological toolkit, this course provides practical and theoretically grounded training.

Tuition & Support
Tuition: US$1,700
Comitas Field School Fellowships: A limited number of fellowships are available for students from underrepresented minorities and low-income countries. See our website for more information.
Places are limited.

Additional Offerings: The Field School will also be offered in person in New York City (July 2026) and Online (August 2026)

Apply online:
https://www.cifas.us/field-school/field-school
Questions?
[email protected]

19th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods in New York City (also online)

The Comitas Institute for Anthropological Study (CIFAS) is pleased to announce the 19th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods. The course will be offered face-to-face in New York City in July and online on two different dates.

- On-site in New York City: classes will meet on Columbia University's campus from July 20 to 31 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT.
- Online, group 1 (April): classes will meet on April 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30, and May 5 and 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT time.
- Online, group 2 (August): classes will meet on August 18, 20, 25, 27, and September 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, and 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT time.

The Field School aims to offer training in the foundations and practice of ethnographic methods. The faculty works closely with participants to identify the required field methods needed to address their academic or professional needs. The Field School is suitable for graduate and undergraduate students in social sciences and other fields of study that use qualitative approaches (such as education, communication, cultural studies, health, social work, human ecology, development studies, and consumer behavior, among others), applied social scientists, professionals, and researchers who have an interest in learning more about ethnographic methods and their applications.

Program:
o Foundations of ethnographic research
o Ethics in fieldwork
o Theory and practice: social theories in the field
o Feminist, multi-species, and decolonial perspectives
o Action research, multimodal research, and co-production
o Research design
o Data generation techniques
o Planning the logistics of field research
o Risks in the field
o Digital ethnography
o Ethnography in interface with Social Network Analysis and other trends in the field of the digital humanities
o Ethnography in specific fields of activity (applied social sciences, health, social service, environmental studies, public policy design, business, and others)
o Principles of organization and indexation of field data
o Analyzing field data; qualitative analysis software packages: basic principles

The course's total workload is 30 hours. In this edition of the summer school, the option of earning credits is not available.

Places are limited. The tuition fee is US$1,700. Comitas Field School Fellowship: A limited number of fellowships are available to students from underrepresented minorities and low-income countries.

The application should be completed online at https://www.cifas.us/field-school/field-school. For more information, please email us at [email protected].

Online Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods

Getting ready to do fieldwork?

18th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Research Methods

There are still some vacancies available at the 18th CIFAS Field School in Ethnographic Methods. The course will be offered online on Tuesdays and Thursdays from August 12 to September 11. For more information, see our website: https://www.cifas.us/field-school/field-school.

The Field School aims to offer training in the foundations and practice of ethnographic methods. The faculty works closely with participants to identify the required field methods needed to address their academic or professional needs. The Field School is suitable for graduate and undergraduate students in social sciences and other fields of study that use qualitative approaches (such as education, communication, cultural studies, health, social work, human ecology, development studies, and consumer behavior, among others), applied social scientists, professionals, and researchers who have an interest in learning more about ethnographic methods and their applications.

The program includes topics such as the foundations of ethnographic research; ethics in fieldwork; feminist, multi-species, and decolonial perspectives; research design and data generation techniques; logistics; digital ethnography; ethnography in specific fields of activity (applied social sciences, health, social service, environmental studies, public policy design, business, and others); principles of organization and indexation of field data; analyzing field data; basic principles of qualitative analysis software packages.

The total workload of the course is 30 hours. In this edition of the summer school, the option of earning credits is not available.

Places are limited. The tuition fee is US$1,300.

The application should be completed online at https://www.cifas.us/field-school/field-school. For more information, please check our website or email us at [email protected].