VCU Education Abroad Faculty-led Summer Program in Guatemala

  Guatemala

Quetzaltenango

Term: Summer 
Dates: May 26 - July 8

Description: The Office of International Education and the School of World Studies are pleased to offer a unique opportunity for students to study the Highland Maya Culture. The program is based in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and will allow students to observe the cultural complexity of the Guatemalan highlands. The location provides an ideal setting in which to explore different topics such as cultural pluralism, religious conservation and change, local responses to globalization, and cultural revitalization movements. This program is well suited for students in anthropology, international studies, and religious studies.

Course and Credit Options: Students are required to register for a total of six credits, including 3 credits in the core offering, ANTH 391: Highland Maya and Ladino Culture Past and Present. Anthropology majors in particular are encouraged to register for ANTH 315: Anthropological Field Methods and Research Design (3 credits). With permission of the instructor, students may register for three credits of independent study under ANTH 492, INTL 492, or RELS 492, as an alternative to ANTH 315. Students pursuing independent studies are expected to participate fully in all group activities while in Guatemala, though their final research paper may be different.

Course description: Based in Quetzaltenango, this six week program will proved students with a comprehensive overview of Mayan indigenous life in Guatemala, past and present, including opportunities for individual and group research through participant observation, attendance at cultural events, lectures on selected topics, and excursions to museums and major archaeological sites, including Copan, Honduras. Interethnic relations between the Maya and their non-indigenous Ladino neighbors will be a special focus of this year's program. Course instruction will be in English, but in order to facilitate our rapid immersion in the local culture students will also receive two weeks of individualized, one-on-one tutoring in Spanish at the Escuela de Español Juan Sisay. Readings in history, ethnography, and archaeology directly related to the communities we visit will be closely integrated with discussions of anthropological theory and effective research practices. Regularly scheduled classroom meetings will alternate with weekend field trips to local indigenous communities throughout the region, including Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango, as well as presentations by local Maya cultural leaders and visits to sites of cultural interest in the town and its surrounding villages. Students will gain practical experience in a variety of ethnographic research techniques as well as the ethical dimension of anthropological fieldwork while exploring historical continuities and transformations in Mayan culture and religious practice, especially in response to international tourism and economic globalization.

Highlights: Principal points of interest will likely include the communities of Antigua, Zunil, Lake Atitlán, Chichicastenango, Tecpán, and Momostenango and the archaeological sites of Copan, Utatlán, Iximché, and Abaj Takalik, though the list may be subject to change. Students will also have an opportunity to climb the active volcano Pacaya.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: 2,500

*Roundtrip airfare
*Accommodations
*All meals while living with Guatemalan families
*Study visits and excursions
*Ground transportation
*On-site Program Director support
*Application fee and deposit
*Pre-departure orientation
*VCU administrative fees
*International Student Identification Card

The following are NOT included in the program fee. Students are responsible for:
*VCU tuition and fees
*All meals when we are based in hotels
*Passport application fee
*Personal expenses during the program (estimated at $500)
*Anything not specifically mentioned above

Please budget for these additional expenses.

Experience Required: yes

Students must have a 2.0 GPA in order to participate in the VCU summer study abroad program. All applicants must have completed ANTH 103 Introduction to Anthropology. All applicants must agree to an interview with the instructor, together with a representative of the Education Abroad office, prior to acceptance into the course. A student's GPA may be taken into account but will not be the sole determining factor. This program is primarily intended to benefit majors in the anthropology program by providing a practicum in ethnographic research methods and research design, along with a survey of Highland Maya culture. As such, anthropology majors will enjoy preference over non-anthropology majors. Within that cohort, advanced anthropology majors will have preference over less advanced students, as measured in the number of anthropology credits already completed. Non-anthropology majors from the School of World Studies who wish to fulfill their requirements for international experience will be next in line, and preference again will be extended to senior students over less advanced students. Spanish proficiency is not formally required, but in the event that many students fitting the criteria above wanted to participate, preference would be shown to those with greater levels of Spanish fluency.

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• In-Person Interview Required
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home