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The Isla Mujeres

Ethnographic Field School 

Professional Development

The Isla Mujeres Ethnographic Field School is dedicated to the professional growth of its students through rigorous training in ethnographic methods. Our program provides a supportive environment for developing advanced research skills, preparing participants for further academic pursuits and professional engagement within the field of anthropology.

Conference Presentations

Students are encouraged to share their ethnographic findings at professional association meetings. The school provides guidance on the process of preparing abstracts and posters for presentation to the wider anthropological community, facilitating dialogue with established scholars in the discipline.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Writing for scholarly journals is a key component of professional development. The field school supports students in transforming their fieldwork reports into manuscripts suitable for peer review, helping them navigate the requirements of academic publishing and data presentation.

Mentorship Beyond the Field

The skills acquired during the field school serve as a foundation for advanced study in anthropology and related disciplines. We assist students in identifying how their field experiences translate to graduate school applications and diverse career paths requiring qualitative research expertise.

Graduate and Professional Pathways

Guidance can continue after the formal program concludes. Depending on a student's goals, mentorship may include developing an academic CV, refining conference abstracts and presentation materials, preparing research for journal submission, considering graduate programs, and identifying ways to translate ethnographic research experience into future academic and professional opportunities.

Dr. Pierce also remains available, where appropriate, for professional guidance, letters of support, and introductions to wider networks of practicing and academic anthropologists.

Professional Affiliation

Every Field School student receives a one-year membership in the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists (WAPA). WAPA connects students with practicing anthropologists working across government, nonprofit, consulting, health, education, and research settings. Through its events, mentoring opportunities, and professional community, students can build relationships beyond the Field School, learn how anthropological skills translate into careers, and enter a network that can support internships, graduate study, collaboration, and employment.

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Guest Scholars & Professional Voices

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IFS students also learn from guest scholars and professional anthropologists whose work demonstrates the range of ways ethnographic knowledge can be developed and applied. Guest participation varies from year to year, giving students opportunities to encounter different research traditions, professional pathways, and perspectives on applied and academic anthropology.

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Recent IFS guest speakers have included Bronislaw Malinowski Award recipients Elizabeth Briody, Jean Schensul, Leo Chavez, and Patricia Clay.

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Dr. Todd Pierce with an IFS student, presenting at the Society for Applied Anthropology annual conference in Portland, OR, March 2025.

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​Dr. Todd Pierce with an IFS student, presenting at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, November 2024.

Professional Organizations & Networks

Professional anthropology extends beyond the classroom. Professional associations connect students and researchers with conferences, publications, mentoring, career resources, and communities of anthropologists working across academic, government, nonprofit, consulting, health, education, technology, and private-sector settings. IFS encourages students to become familiar with these organizations early in their development as part of entering the wider professional community of anthropology.

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Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists (WAPA)

Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA)

National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA)

American Anthropological Association (AAA)

Founded in 1976, WAPA is one of the oldest regional organizations of professional anthropologists and provides a professional, social, and career-development network for anthropologists applying their skills to practical problems. Every IFS student receives a one-year WAPA membership, connecting students with practicing anthropologists, professional events, mentoring, and career resources.

Founded in 1941, SfAA brings together anthropologists and other social scientists committed to applying research and social-science knowledge to real-world problems. Its annual meeting, publications, mentoring, networking, and professional development activities connect students with practitioners working in health, government, business, education, public service, and many other settings.

NAPA is the professional-practice section of the American Anthropological Association. It connects anthropologists working across government, nonprofits, business, consulting, academia, and other sectors while offering mentoring, networking, career development, workshops, and professional resources. NAPA is particularly useful for students learning how anthropological training becomes professional practice.

Founded in 1902, the AAA is the world’s largest scholarly and professional organization of anthropologists. It supports research, teaching, professional practice, publication, ethics, conferences, and career development across anthropology’s many fields and professional settings.

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Anthropology Career Readiness Network (ACRN)

ACRN helps students and early-career anthropologists recognize, develop, and communicate the professional value of anthropological training. Its career-readiness resources connect ethnographic research, qualitative analysis, systems thinking, contextual inquiry, and cross-cultural communication with careers in business, technology, consulting, UX, policy, research, and other professional fields.

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Global Anthropology Project (GAP)

The Global Anthropology Project brings professional and applied anthropology communities into conversation across organizations and national boundaries. Its programs highlight career pathways, applied research, professional practice, and emerging areas of anthropological work while creating opportunities for anthropologists at different career stages to learn from one another and build wider professional connections.

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European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA)

EASA is a pan-European learned society for social anthropologists, connecting scholars and practitioners working in Europe and internationally. Through conferences, research networks, publications, mentorship, and professional activities, EASA promotes anthropological research, intellectual exchange, collaboration, and the professional interests of social anthropologists.

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World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA)

WCAA is a worldwide network of national, regional, and international anthropological associations. It promotes communication, cooperation, research exchange, and dialogue among anthropologists working across different intellectual and national traditions, helping strengthen anthropology as a genuinely global discipline.

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