The Isla Mujeres
Ethnographic Field SchoolÂ
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As the program description says, students each prepare, conduct, and present an independent research project. When I read that, I had no idea what to expect. I had never done ethnographic research, and independent is usually a relative term in undergraduate programs. It was intimidating, but every student in my group made it through. After presenting our projects, we all went to the beach and talked about how far we had come as ethnographers in such a short amount of time.
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The independence I had during IFS helped me grow individually as well. Before the program began, I had time to travel around Mexico alone. If you’ve never traveled alone before, you should try it, especially if you want to be an ethnographer. It teaches you how to talk to people honestly and the time actually spent alone, rather than meeting new people, you have to reflect on yourself and your surroundings. If I hadn’t done Dr. Pierce’s program, I would have never traveled around Mexico alone. When I first discovered the Field School, I thought it was too good to be true. Shortly after being accepted, I was super intimidated by everything ahead of me. For anyone who feels similarly, the program is real, and it’s awesome. For anyone who is haltingly intimidated, email Dr. Pierce with all your concerns. He’s there to help. Everything you gain during this program is worth the nerves, and you can totally do it.
- Paige
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Through the Isla Mujeres Ethnographic school, I have been given an amazing practical education and foundation in the principles of anthropology and ethnography. In its intensive and immersive structure, the school allows you the independence to truly develop one's sense of self as an anthropologist. This is of course paramount to the execution of the theoretical background this school has also afforded me.
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My time on the island of Isla Mujeres has not only enriched and excited me academically, but also as a person. My interactions with both faculty at the school, and the residents of Isla Mujeres has given me invaluable insight into a world outside of myself. It is so often that one's interactions can be insular and negatively self-affirming. This immersive exploration of both the multi-cultural and the multi-generational cannot be understated in its potential for personal growth, and was made available both formally and informally to me as a student throughout my entire time on the island.
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My time at the school has given me much more than all that is officially offered and promised. My classmates and myself have been blessed in our experiences at the school, especially in the safety and beauty of an island like Isla Mujeres. The time I've spent there will always be a gift to me, and I hope one day to return.
- Janelle
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Summer 2027
One Field School.
Different Ways to Participate.
The Isla Mujeres Ethnographic Field School combines individualized research development with a formal summer program and active field or remote research. Students may spend the full research period on Isla Mujeres, combine remote work with a shorter period in the field, or participate remotely when their research can be conducted effectively from a distance.
Whatever the format, students work within the same research process: developing questions, building an evidence base, collecting and interpreting data, and carrying their work forward into analysis, writing, presentation, and—where appropriate—publication.
Research Begins Before the Field
For many students, the Field School begins soon after acceptance. The earlier you apply, the more time you have for one-on-one mentorship as you develop your research question, review existing scholarship and secondary data, identify stakeholders, and refine your project.
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Once the project is developed, data collection can also begin remotely through digital research, public online materials, stakeholder outreach, and appropriate remote interviews. By the time students arrive on Isla Mujeres, many are already actively conducting research.
The Formal Summer Program
Online Pre-Field — June 9–25, 2027
The formal cohort phase begins online. Students participate in lectures, discussions, research preparation, methods training, ethics, project development, background research, and individual mentorship.
For students accepted earlier, this builds upon research already underway. For later applicants, it provides concentrated preparation before the active summer research period.
Field & Remote Research — June 26–August 8, 2027
The six-week research period brings projects into active data collection, interpretation, collaboration, analysis, and continuing development.
Research does not begin simply because a student arrives on Isla Mujeres, nor does it end when a student leaves. Fieldwork is one component of a larger research process.
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From Preparation to Communication
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IFS research develops through a continuous process: prepare the inquiry, conduct the research, analyze what the evidence reveals, and communicate what you have learned.
Preparation begins before the field. Analysis begins while research is still underway. Writing, presentation, and publication development can continue after the field period ends.
Then format From Preparation to Communication to match the other major section headings in that same text box. This avoids creating another element and should be much more stable.
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Participation Options for Summer 2027
Full Field
Students who can spend the full six-week research period on Isla Mujeres have the greatest opportunity for sustained participant observation, repeated interviewing, relationship building, follow-up, and adaptation as their understanding of the field develops.
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For projects that depend heavily on face-to-face interaction and immersion in everyday community life, the full six weeks is strongly encouraged.
Flexible Field
Not every researcher can remain on Isla Mujeres for six weeks.
Some students may spend approximately three weeks in the field; others may spend two, four, or another period appropriate to their research design and personal circumstances.
The important question is not whether every student spends the same amount of time on the island. It is what kind of field presence the research requires.
Research development, secondary research, remote interviewing, collaboration, analysis, and writing can continue before and after the student's period on Isla Mujeres.
Remote Research
Some projects can be conducted without traveling to Isla Mujeres.
Remote researchers may participate in project development, literature and documentary research, digital and archival research, stakeholder outreach, appropriate remote interviewing, data organization, coding, analysis, interpretation, research meetings, and writing.
A Principal Investigator may also lead a project entirely remotely. When a project requires particular forms of data collection on Isla Mujeres, researchers who are physically present may participate as Research Associates on that project while also conducting research of their own.
PI and RA are therefore roles within individual research projects, not fixed categories of students.
More Than a Summer Abroad
IFS is built around research rather than tourism.
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Students do not simply observe anthropology being taught. They learn ethnography by participating in actual research: asking questions, working with people, keeping systematic records, interpreting evidence, confronting practical and ethical problems, and revising their understanding as the research develops.
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Students may lead their own projects as Principal Investigators or contribute to other projects as Research Associates. Those roles can overlap across different research projects.
Experience You Can Carry Forward
The goal is not simply to complete a summer program. Students leave with research experience and scholarly work that can support what comes next.
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Depending on the student and project, IFS research may contribute to a senior thesis, graduate-school preparation, a conference presentation, a writing sample, continued independent research, a peer-reviewed publication, or professional work requiring qualitative research and analytical skills.
Important Dates
Online Pre-Field
June 9–25, 2027
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Field & Remote Research
June 26–August 8, 2027
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Principal Investigator Application Deadline
April 1, 2027
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Research Associate and Other Applicants
May 10, 2027