New Co-Authored Article: “Joint Field School: Towards Cultivating Parity in Research Partnerships”

We are pleased to share a new co-authored research article by Dr. Ming Ling Yong (SUSS, Singapore), Dr. Micah R. Fisher (UH Mānoa), Olivia Meyer (UH Mānoa) and Dr. Krisnawati Suryanata (UH Mānoa). The article titled “Joint Field School: Towards Cultivating Parity in Research Partnerships” is published in Journal of Geography in Higher Education.

Abstract

Experiential learning is fundamental to geography education. Yet, international field schools, particularly those involving collaborations between institutions in the Global North and South, are subject to ongoing critique concerning asymmetrical power dynamics. While current pedagogical literature focuses heavily on student development and cross-cultural competence, it has not fully examined the academic partnership model itself. This paper addresses this gap by reflecting on the design, implementation, and outcomes of a jointly managed field school co-run by a U.S. university and partner institutions in Southeast Asia. The analysis draws on diverse data sources, including student and faculty reflections from the field, outcomes from an international post-school workshop, and professional roundtable discussions on reciprocity in research. Our findings reveal that students participating in joint international field schools benefit from cross-cultural peer-to-peer learning that mitigates many of the pitfalls of short-term programs. They not only add value to the affective appreciation of the place they are studying but also of the various local institutions, which would be instrumental for building future collaborations across regions. The joint field school functions as a deliberate strategy for cultivating parity and mutual capacity-building. This approach lays a foundation for sustained, equitable institutional collaboration and collective knowledge production.

View and download the article here