Fieldwork in the Pacific

The course trains higher degree research (HDR) students to appropriately prepare for fieldwork in the Pacific region. The course assists students in developing both the practical skills and the professional knowledge required for field research in Pacific island societies. Specifically, practical skills relate to safeguarding personal health and safety during fieldwork, including through development of a comprehensive risk management matrix. The course also encourages students to consider other practical skills necessary for their distinctive research fieldwork, such as language skills. Professional knowledge addresses the complexities of ethical conduct of human research in societies characterised by close knit and overlapping familial and social relationships. Also important is understanding of scholarly debates on indigenous research methodologies. The course aims to develop skills in managing research in a part of the world where projects of all kinds must of necessity be agile and responsive to the local social, cultural and political environment. Thus, the course intends to develop skills to creatively respond to fieldwork challenges in iterative ways. On completion of the course, students will have the skills and the knowledge to safely and successfully conduct ethical field research in the Pacific.