Eight students and professor Michel Bouchard have recently returned from a unique anthropological field school in Russia's Komi Republic.

The program was designed to train students to conduct research in other countries, effectively incorporating information about local people and their cultures. Typically, universities present this information from a theoretical basis only; the UNBC field school provided a rare opportunity to learn about concepts and immediately practice them in the field. As a result, the program attracted students from schools across Canada and the US. One student also joined the field school from Cambridge University in England. One of the students was from Prince George and another was from Dawson Creek.

"It was an incredible experience," says Matthew Varga, a UNBC student from Alaska. "We didn't just get to see Russia from a tourist's perspective in a place like Moscow or St Petersburg. We got to see village life, how villagers lived, and very traditional ways of life among reindeer herders in the tundra. It was a life-changing experience for me."

"There was culture-shock at first, but I got so much out of it," says Kyla Mattson of Dawson Creek. "The hospitality of people was overwhelming: the people appeared to have nothing but would give you anything. I'm used to everyday life in the West, driving in my car and accessing the internet anywhere. There were people on the tundra who had nothing but a tent, their family, and a reindeer herd. It really brought classes and textbooks to life."

Participants in the program covered about 2,000 km during their three months in the Komi Republic. The coursework was the equivalent of a full semester of study - a unique feature of the UNBC field school. The duration of the field school provided the opportunity for students to really learn how to live in another culture. Students took courses on Russian language and research methods. In addition, each student undertook a community-based research project that focused on particular aspects of the local culture and was prepared as the major assignment for the field school.

"I saw the students grow and mature as students and young researchers over the course of the summer," says Michel Bouchard, UNBC Anthropology professor and field school director. "It makes a difference when you can teach students about issues and theories and step outside and apply them." Dr Bouchard is fluent in Russian and organized the field school itinerary and served as translator for students who weren't comfortable speaking the language.