Usually students must turn in five sets of field notes over the course of the semester with each set being at least five pages in length. Instructors provide detailed critical comments on each paper. This writing and the feedback you receive will be demanding, but it will also be extremely valuable. Reflective writing is critical to thinking deeply and finding real meaning in field experiences. Students are encouraged to be creative in finding and selecting field research projects.
Some projects involve community studies.
These are studies of a neighborhood or a town where students collect many kinds of information, sometimes in partnership with a local organization or church. Other projects are internships where students work in a local organization, often under the supervision or with the help of a staff mentor from the organization. The Career Development Center maintains a database of sites where students in the past have done internships. Students have worked in over 100 organizations in the Central Susquehanna Valley representing all kinds of human service organizations. We expect students to take the primary initiative in setting up field placements.