Lauren Roach traveled to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for spring break, but she was not there to relax on the beach.
Instead, University of Miami students spent the week at the Ecological Research Center learning about ethnographic field research methods while participating in composting, beekeeping, and other ecological activities.
“It was a very incredible opportunity,” Roach said. “It was educational on more levels than I originally thought.”
Over the course of eight days, students in the “Anthropology Field Studies” course were more likely to take care of the Hawks, reconstruct coral reefs and reconstruct coral reefs, among other activities, while learning to take detailed ethnographic notes, an important skill in the field of cultural anthropology.
“The idea for this study was to do what is called participant observation among workers and visitors at the Center for Ecology Research,” explained Claire Oueslati Porter, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Anthropology and a senior lecturer in the Gender and Sexual Research Program at the University of Miami University of the Arts.
Students learned ethnographic methods from a feminist anthropological perspective. “Since they are often the center of ecological and environmental movements, students were dedicated to focusing on how the ecological projects taking place at this foundation were happening.
For Roach, a dual major in mathematics and economics, the most influential experience came when he was helping out with one of the research centre’s compost piles. On one level, she was learning the science behind composting and how to drive a tractor. However, Roach and her classmates also focused on documenting observations related to the dynamics of power among the workers they interacted with.
Roach recalls a particularly meaningful conversation she had with two Haitian migrant workers despite having the same educational background as many workers in other Latin American countries who were employed as tour guides at the research center.
“It was very special to me to bond with these two people who are otherwise ignored all day,” Roach said. “They’re kind of invisible in the work that’s going on there.”
When research fields such as labor, gender and tourism got the idea for this field school in 2023, she took students to a comprehensive resort in Punta Cana to conduct ethnographic field studies focusing on the intersection of tourism and gender.
“So many students were realising and asking questions about the environmental impact of truly intensive resort tourism, so I started looking around and seeing what environmental movements are taking place in the beautiful Punta Cana,” she explained. That’s how she learned about the Fundación Grupo Puntacana Sustainability Center and Marine Laboratory. The Ecological Research Center is an ecological research center visited during spring break, created by the resort’s owner group.
Thanks to the generosity of the alumni and other donors, the College of Arts and Sciences was able to cover the costs of almost every field school, allowing students to take part in the trip with minimal costs. This year’s field school focused on ethnography, but the School of Anthropology also offers lively faculties and archaeology field schools.
Now that students have returned to campus, they are beginning their work analyzing observations. They will write articles on social sciences and create a presentation on their findings.
After taking part in an independent research project with Oueslati-Porter following an introduction to gender and sexuality research, Roach learned about the class, the experience helped solidify his interest in completing his PhD. In economics focused on anthropological applications.
“To be honest, I didn’t really feel that there was a possibility for me until my graduates had experience with Dr. Ousarati and her mentorship,” she said. “It really opened my eyes and helped me build my confidence in writing.”
