What is Pre-Field Preparation and Why Do Students Need It?

Our policy has changed! We are now requiring specific forms of prefield preparation in order for students who will do research off-campus to be eligible for URP student grants. You will need to do course work to satisfy the new requirements. Please read on for more information and consult with URP staff soon.

As more Stanford undergraduates undertake research projects which take them into the field - whether in the US or overseas - more attention is being paid to the preparation students receive for such work. Students planning to travel off-campus to do research or public service need to assess their readiness to take on such a project. The level and quality of pre-field preparation is a factor which will count heavily in the assessment of student research proposals and in the allocation of funds to support them. Depending on your research plan, the URP, in consultation with your sponsor, will require you to take at least one and possibly several classes on fieldwork issues and/or methodologies. Students for whom available coursework will not be sufficient or who cannot fit the required course work into their schedules will be allowed to work intensively with their faculty sponsor in consultation with the URP. The nature and extent of this work will have to be closely documented in the research proposal and letter of recommendation. We will also require you to attend the annual prefield conference.

Undergraduate Research Programs will require students to demonstrate their preparedness in three areas:

• Awareness of cultural, safety, and ethical issues involved in off-campus (domestic or international) research;

• Methodological training;

• Off-campus and Stanford contacts as required by project design.

How students demonstrate preparedness for off-campus research depends on their research plan, academic background, previous research experience, and schedules:

• All students who intend to travel off-campus need to meet with faculty and others who have done research in specific geographic areas in order to develop support networks, field contacts, and local knowledge.

• All students who intend to travel off-campus must take a 1 or 2-unit class on general cultural, safety, and ethical issues. We recommend History 206B (or its equivalent*) which will be offered in both winter and spring quarters. We recommend that students attend History 206B this quarter to avoid the rush that may accompany the Major Grant competition.

• Students must have Stanford training in the methodology they will use during their research. URP has developed the attached list of course offerings to help direct students who need training.*

*If students absolutely cannot enroll in the necessary courses, they can also demonstrate their preparedness by working closely over a period of time with a faculty member. Guidelines to help faculty assess and respond to student preparation are being developed now.

Other courses may be substituted in consultation with the student’s likely research sponsor and/or their undergraduate honors director, and URP academic staff.

Students who absolutely cannot attend the pre-field conference will be required to review videotape of the sessions and contact Area Studies Centers and Programs to inquire about contacts in the region they will visit.

URP has developed a list of courses offered this quarter and in the Spring, as well as a worksheet to help you to assess your pre-field readiness. The list of courses is not exhaustive or exclusive but a resource to help students to identify courses that will fulfill URP office policies on off-campus research.

CLICK HERE for a pre-field assessment tool.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of our policies

New links and information will be added throughout the quarter. Please check back frequently. If you have questions, contact the URP staff at urp@vpue.stanford.edu or call (650) 724-7562.