Field Study
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General Field Study Guidelines
The MFA field study distinguishes Antioch from other MFA programs. The MFA program requires students to use their knowledge and abilities as writers to serve at least two of the three goals of the program learning outcomes of the MFA in Creative Writing program: the education of literary and dramatic artists, community engagement or service, and the pursuit of social justice. The field study is an experiential learning activity that allows students to serve this purpose in their local communities or some other place beyond the Antioch campus. The MFA field study also enhances student awareness of different possibilities in a writing life, such as publishing, teaching and assistant teaching, working in media, developing websites, making books, or participating in a variety of supervised internships in which writing is a component.
Students are encouraged to design and complete this non-course learning experience during their first two terms in the program. Students must attend the Orientation to the Field Study offered at each residency during their first residency, and prior to beginning their field study.
The project, including the planning stage, should take no less than four months and no longer than a year to complete, and it can extend from one term to another. Please note that different terms apply for in-house field studies like Lunch Ticket literary journal, LitCit literary podcast, and residency introductions; see the corresponding sections below for details.
While students notify their project period mentors of the nature of their field studies, the project period mentor neither supervises nor evaluates the field study. Instead, the field study is approved, coordinated, and mentored by MFA faculty advisor (faculty who are on campus year-round) and completed under the local supervision of an on-site field study supervisor, who also serves as evaluator. The MFA faculty field study advisor must review and approve the selection of the on-site field study supervisor, as well as the field study contract. The field study contract must include a paragraph describing how the project serves at least two of the three goals of the MFA program’s mission, as described above.
It is also the student’s responsibility to locate an on-site field study supervisor for their project, to negotiate the specifics of their field study with that person, and to provide the MFA Program Office and the faculty field study advisor with copies of the supervisor’s CV or résumé (the on-site field study supervisor is often not a writer but a teacher, artist, or administrator of some sort).
Please refer to MFA field study procedures below for step-by-step instructions on how to implement your field study.
EMAIL ADDRESSES
The email addresses for MFA core and teaching faculty and the program office are below.
Alistair McCartney amccartney@antioch.edu
Lisa Locascio Nighthawk llocascio@antioch.edu
Daisy Salas dsalas@antioch.edu
Natalie Truhan ntruhan@antioch.edu
Colleen Bradley cbradley6@antioch.edu
MFA Field Study (general email address) mfafieldstudy@antioch.edu
External Field Study
Policies and Procedures
The MFA program requires students to use their knowledge and abilities as writers to serve at least two of the three goals of the program learning outcomes of the MFA in Creative Writing program: the education of literary and dramatic artists, community engagement or service, and the pursuit of social justice. Students should keep these goals in mind when deciding on a site to complete their field study project.
Please refer to MFA field study procedures below for step-by-step instructions on how to implement your field study.
Steps to Follow:
Research field study options in your community and find someone who could potentially serve as your on-site field study supervisor and evaluator.
Complete your MFA Field Study Proposal on the AULA MFA Program site. Once your proposal is approved by your MFA faculty advisor, you can move to the next step.
Complete a field study contract in consultation with your on-site supervisor and MFA faculty advisor. Email the signed contract to MFAFieldStudy@antioch.edu. The contract will be added to your student file.
Email your on-site supervisor’s resume to MFAFieldStudy@antioch.edu. The resume will be added to your student file.
Perform the field study.
When the field study is complete, submit your Field Study Student Learning Analysis using the form (Field Study Student Learning Analysis) below. Please email to MFAFieldStudy@antioch.edu. It will be added to your student file. Also send a copy of your Field Study SLA to your on-site supervisor.
Make sure that your on-site supervisor completes a Field Study Supervisor Evaluation form and sign it either electronically, or scan the signed document and email it to the MFA team at MFAFieldStudy@antioch.edu. It is also acceptable for you to submit this document on their behalf. It will then be added to your student file.
External Field Study Forms
To submit a Field Study proposal: Fill out this form.
The documents below are required for students working on a field study.
Click on each document's link to open it in a new tab and download it (these documents are NOT interactive forms or shared google documents).
Field Study Contract (Word Doc) or Field Study Contract (PDF with e-signature)
Field Study Supervisor Evaluation (Word Doc) or Field Study Supervisor Evaluation (PDF with e-signature)
Field Study Evaluator Resume (please email the evaluator's resume as a PDF or Word Doc to MFAfieldstudy@antioch.edu)
Introductions Field Study
Policies and Procedures
To fulfill Introductions field study requirement, students must introduce THREE writers during different residencies before they graduate. Students will read works by each writer and write a 1-page single-spaced introduction to be delivered on the night of the writer's reading. Students interested in the Introductions field study project must email MFAFieldStudy@antioch.edu or notify MFA core or teaching faculty. Currently the faculty member to contact is Alistair McCartney at amccartney@antioch.edu. The MFA faculty field study advisor will evaluate the student’s field study once they have completed all introductions.
Please refer to MFA Introductions field study procedures below for step-by-step instructions on how to implement your field study.
Steps to Follow:
To be considered for the Introductions field study email MFAFieldStudy@antioch.edu, copy to amccartney@antioch.edu.
Once your Introduction field study is confirmed by your MFA faculty advisor, complete the Introductions Field Study Contract Google form on the MFA Google Site. The MFA faculty advisor will sign the contract and add it to your student folder.
When you have completed your final introduction, complete the Field Study Student Learning Analysis via the Google form on the MFA Google site.
Once you submit the Field Study SLA, your faculty advisor will submit an evaluation based on your SLA. Both completed forms will be added to your student file.
Introductions Field Study Forms
You need to be logged in with your Antioch account to access these forms.
Field Study Contract: Please respond to this form to generate the Introductions Field Study contract. https://forms.gle/VWJgaXrd8n2JjXAE9
Field Study SLA: Please respond to this form to generate the Introductions SLA. The Field Study Learning Analysis will be automatically forwarded to the Field Study Faculty Advisor for evaluation.
LitCit Field Study
Policies and Procedures
To fulfill field study requirements with LitCit, students must serve two consecutive terms as staff members. The entire staff of Antioch MFA’s LitCit podcast works as a team, with each member having multiple duties. All staff will be required to participate in online or conference call meetings, and to communicate regularly and often with other staff members by email.
The MFA faculty field study advisor will evaluate the student’s field study.
Please refer to MFA LitCit field study procedures below for step-by-step instructions on how to implement your field study.
Steps to Follow:
To apply for a position with the LitCit team, fill out and submit the LitCit interest form shared with the student body at the start of the Residency.
Attend the Info Session and Training at the Residency
Submit a sample of recorded work to antiochpodcast@antioch.edu. Previous podcast work is acceptable. If you do not have previously recorded work, you can create a sample by recording a short interview (5-10 minutes) with a fellow writer or other artist.
If your submission is approved, complete the LitCit Field Study Contract Google form on the MFA Google Site. Your faculty field study advisor will sign the contract and add it to your student folder.
When you have completed your work with LitCit, complete the Field Study Student Learning Analysis via the Google form on the MFA Google site.
Once you submit the Field Study SLA, your faculty advisor will submit an evaluation based on your SLA. Both completed forms will be added to your student file.
LitCit Field Study Forms
You need to be logged in with your Antioch account to access these forms.
Field Study Contract: Please respond to this form. It will generate a PDF contract that will be processed by the MFA Program Office and filed in your Google Folder. You will receive a copy to your Antioch email address:
https://forms.gle/6ekGpW456kvSAysT8
Field Study SLA: Please respond to this form to generate the Introductions SLA. The Field Study Learning Analysis will be automatically forwarded to the Field Study Faculty Advisor for evaluation.
Lunch Ticket Field Study
Policies and Procedures
To fulfill field study requirement with Lunch Ticket, students must serve as staff members at least on two, preferably consecutive, issues of the journal. Depending on the experience and qualifications of each semester’s pool of student volunteers, selection for a management position on Lunch Ticket usually requires one previous semester of work on the journal. The Editor-in-Chief is selected by the MFA Lunch Ticket Faculty and Staff Advisors, with input from the current Editor-in-Chief and other editorial staff. The entire editorial staff works as a team with each member having crossover duties. All staff are required to participate in online trainings and meetings and to communicate regularly with other staff members.
Please refer to MFA Lunch Ticket field study procedures below for step-by-step instructions on how to implement your field study.
Steps to Follow:
Attend the Lunch Ticket orientation during the residency.
Submit application as instructed at the orientation.
Once assigned to a position (or multiple positions) on the team, attend trainings and fulfill the duties of that position for the entire term (or until the new issue of the journal is published).
When prompted by the Lunch Ticket Staff Advisor, respond to the form to let the MFA Team know that you plan to serve on Lunch Ticket to fulfill the MFA Field Study requirement.
When prompted by the Editor-in-Chief, respond to the next term application for returning staff.
At your next residency, attend the Lunch Ticket editorial debriefing and any necessary training if your responsibilities on the journal are going to change.
Once you begin to work on your second issue, respond to a form on the MFA site to submit your Lunch Ticket field study contract.
Fulfill the duties assigned to you while you work on your second issue of the journal.
Complete Field Study Student Learning Analysis for the work you did on Lunch Ticket for two issues by responding to the corresponding form on the site.
Once you submit the Field Study SLA, your faculty field study advisor will submit an evaluation based on your SLA. The MFA Program Coordinators will file your field study documents.
Lunch Ticket Field Study Forms
You need to be logged in with your Antioch account to access these forms.
First Term on Lunch Ticket.
If this is your first term on Lunch Ticket and you want to make it your Field Study, please respond to this form to let the MFA Program Office know:
https://forms.gle/BHoDBasSQUjYfsNe8
Lunch Ticket Field Study Contract:
If this is your second term on Lunch Ticket (or your last term, you've been working on the team for more than two terms), please respond to this form. It will generate a PDF contract that will be processed by the MFA Program Office and filed in your Google Folder. You will receive a copy to your Antioch email address:
https://forms.gle/aD3bhTRkyyf2aZtAA
Lunch Ticket Field Study Learning Analysis:
At the end of your last term on Lunch Ticket, please respond to this form. It will generate a PDF Student Learning Analysis that will be processed by the MFA Program Office and filed in your Google Folder. It will be automatically forwarded to the Field Study Evaluator for evaluation.
List of Field Study Projects
Field Study Project List.pdf