Safe Fieldwork

Aerial photo of four pairs of hands using different handheld smart devices

This course is for anyone thinking about fieldwork and wanting to make sure they've got safe foundations in place. It provides excellent preparation for researchers planning to undertake archival based (or similar) fieldwork overseas (or in an unfamiliar location/country).
The course focuses on practical, health and safety related aspects, to help you plan for and manage these aspects and ensure your fieldwork goes as smoothly as possible. 
The course is delivered by expert external trainers and covers travel planning and risk assessment; personal safety and security; crisis management; university procedures and resources. 
There will be practical scenarios placing you in a number of fieldwork settings and including a number of challenges for you to overcome. These encourage you to think through your own fieldwork and how you might cope when things don’t go quite as planned.  It provides a great opportunity to mix, make contacts and share experiences with your peers across SSD and Humanities.
This workshop is designed for researchers who are inexperienced travellers or are travelling to low-risk destinations. Examples of low-risk fieldwork might include, but are not limited to, travelling within the EU; fieldwork in archives or on organised projects such as established excavations; or conducting interviews within the UK.
If you're going to a medium- to high-risk destination or are carrying out research on sensitive topics, the Safe and Effective Empirical Fieldwork is for you. 
The course runs termly.
You will be issued with a certificate following completion of the course.
Objectives
• Know how to plan your fieldwork to minimise Health and Safety risks
• Know how to conduct your fieldwork in a way that reduces risks to your personal safety and security
• Be aware of the procedure for getting your fieldwork approved and the university resources that are available
• Have had the opportunity to share experiences and make connections with peers
 

Booking is essential.

Researcher Training

Contact email: 

training@humanities.ox.ac.uk

Audience: 

University of Oxford only