The Department of Anthropology of the University of the Philippines is undertaking the University of the Philippines Anthropology Field School (UPAFS) at least once a year. The Field School aims to train graduating BA Anthropology students about field research methods in Anthropology. The core subjects taught during the field school are Anthro 195 (Field Methods in Archaeology) and Anthro 196 (Field Methods in Social Anthropology) although there are certain years where Anthro 161 (Introduction to Folklore), Anthro 172 (Traditional and Peasant Communities), and Anthro 197 (Laboratory and Field Methods in Physical Anthropology) were also taught in the field.
During the Field School, the students stay in a host community for at least for one school term, usually during the Summer Term. The students undertake participant observation in the community to be able to come up with an ethnographic report. On the other hand, an archaeological site report is produced for the archaeological component of the Field School.
Beginnings
The first UPAFS was undertaken in 1964 in Bolinao, Pangasinan under the directorship of the Indologist Dr. Juan Francisco. Since then, the Field School became a regular requirement for students of the Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. For almost 50 years, the UPAFS had been conducted in several Philippine communities. Among the previous field sites of the UPAFS were:
- Albay – Tiwi;
- Batangas – Balayan and Calatagan;
- Batanes – Sabtang and Uyugan;
- Bohol;
- Benguet – Bakun, Mankayan, and La Trinidad;
- Cagayan – Peñablanca;
- Camarines Sur – Naga City;
- Cavite – Carmona;
- Davao;
- Ifugao – Mayoyao;
- Iloilo – Oton;
- Kalinga – Lubuagan, Pasil, and Tinglayan;
- Marinduque;
- Masbate – Batungan Caves;
- Metro Manila – Kalookan City and Quezon City;
- Northern Samar – Capul Island;
- Nueva Ecija – Muñoz;
- Palawan – Brooke’s Point, Quezon;
- Pangasinan – Bolinao and Sual;
- Rizal – Antipolo, Jalajala, and Tanay;
- Sabah – Kota Belud and Kota Kinabalu;
- Sorsogon – Magallanes; and
- Zambales – Botolan;
Written by: Nestor Castro
