As a graduate student, it can be ideal to collaborate with a local organization to do field research. These organizations offer many unique opportunities, including existing connections and contextual knowledge. There is also... [ view full abstract ]
As a graduate student, it can be ideal to collaborate with a local organization to do field research. These organizations offer many unique opportunities, including existing connections and contextual knowledge. There is also potential for direct application of your research findings into the organization’s programs and/or advocacy. However, being an embedded researcher, or researcher-in-residence, can come with its own complexities as we navigate these gatekeeper relationships. In this panel, three ABD PhD students reflect on recent field research experiences working closely with local organizations in Central Appalachia, Mid-Atlantic, and Northern Ghana.
In this panel, we will discuss themes around developing the relationship with the organization, the overt and subtle influences of the organization on our research agenda, our process of (re)defining embedded research and its boundaries, as well as the benefits and challenges that we faced while in the field and after exiting. This panel will appeal to both students and their faculty advisors in related stages of research.
Panel to include:
Elyzabeth (Elly) W. Engle, PhD Candidate, Rural Sociology and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources & the Environment (dual-title), The Pennsylvania State University.
Elisabeth Garner, PhD Candidate, Rural Sociology and Women’s Studies (dual-title), The Pennsylvania State University.
Sarah Rocker, PhD candidate, Rural Sociology, the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education, The Pennsylvania State University.
