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2008 Ethnographic Field
School in Chan Kom, Mexico
2 Weeks, Summer I
The Program
This ethnographic field school is a 2 week program designed for students in anthropology and related fields of the humanities, social sciences, and Latin American studies programs. This program combines a great variety of topics in cultural anthropology and ethnography. Students are asked to design a research agenda and conduct this research in Chan Kom, a contemporary Maya peasant community.
Specific Goals
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Train students in ethnographic methods. |
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Familiarize students with the peasant-rural background of Yucatan, Mexico. |
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Exercise the anthropological principles of "cultural relativism" and "holism." |
Structure
The field school comprises two major programs: academic and anthropological research.
1. Academic Program
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Seminars focused on the basic theoretical and methodological principles of Anthropology. |
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Ethnographic Workshops: Students select a particular research focus and present their findings, methods, theories, and other issues related to their ethnographic research. |
2. Anthropological Research
Students are asked to identify a research focus in order to build their agendas and undertake their ethnographies in Chan Kom. Students may choose from a great variety of topics. Following is a list of possible ethnographic topics:
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Environment and urban development |
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Labor and migration |
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Ecotourism |
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Education |
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Peasant economy |
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Effects of out-migration |
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Gender dynamic in peasant society |
3. Student Program to Teach English at Community Schools
Students, with the field school's director, will organize a program to teach English in the community.
This Summer Ethnographic Field School requires home-stays with families in the community, in order to facilitate students’ immersion in the culture, which greatly assists them with the basic cultural understanding that their research agendas requires.
Credits
Students will receive 3 credits for the field school. They will need to register for:
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ANTH 4610.090 Ethnographic Field School (3 credits) |
Program Schedule
First Week
Getting to Know the Community
Students are introduced to community leaders and political officers and
attend schools to get familiar with the education system in the community.
Seminars: Introduction to Contemporary Maya Culture I
Basic Principles in Anthropology
Field Trip: Chichen Itza
Second Week
Identification of Research Agendas
Students organize and deliver the English Language program and identify the focus of their ethnographic research.
Seminars: Introduction to Contemporary Maya Culture II
Basic Anthropological Methods
Field trip: Valladolid and Dzinup
Required Readings:
Re Cruz, Alicia (1996) The Two Milpas of Chan Kom. SUNY Press.
Crane, J.L. and Michael Angrosino (1992) Field Projects in Anthropology. Waveland Press.
Questions?
Please feel free to contact Alicia Re Cruz at 940 565 2663 or arecruz@pacs.unt.edu.
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