Participant voices

After reviewing and distilling the survey to the categories presented in the preceding chapter, we devised a series of questions chosen to allow program directors to explain in their own words the important aspects of their work. The following edited interviews investigate programmatic responses to these areas in some depth. Rather than synthesize all the interview responses, we choose to include large portions of original discussions with the directors and students in the hope that their voices begin to tell a story of the work of field programming in some nuance, complexity, and depth. These voices illuminate both the shared moments and unique divergences in field programming that make it so rich, dynamic, and responsive. Our decision to employ such a significant shift in voice was made to provide the reader with a sense of the program leaders as distinct individuals and to demonstrate that there are many possible models for successful field programs.

What follows is a discussion of some of what we see as the most important shared philosophies, practices, and challenges drawn from the program participants’ experiences in the field. As this section unfolds, it becomes clear that each component of a field curriculum builds on another; the concept of an interdisciplinary conversation overlaps with community engagement, which reinforces the egalitarian aspect of the program, which, in turn, helps support students’ search for a professional identity, and so on.