NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
17TH ANNUAL
ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELD SCHOOL
GUATEMALA, CENTRAL AMERICA
MAY 28, 2010 - JULY 18, 2010
Powerpoint Informational Slide Presentation
The site of the 2010 NC State University Ethnographic Field School is Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. As you will see in some of the photographs in the website, Lake Atitlán is a beautiful, fascinating location. It has been a tourist destination for twenty years or more. Located in the Western Guatemala Highlands, the modern Maya have withstood centuries of outside pressure to change.
Learn how to design, conduct and write-up your own independent ethnographic research project while on the shores of a crystal lake framed by volcanoes! During the seven week program time, live and work with an indigenous Guatemalan family in the Lake Atitlán area of the Western Highlands. The goal of the NC State University Guatemala Ethnographic Field School is to help students interested in ethnographic methods achieve a level of methodological proficiency that will enable them to undertake future fieldwork independently and confidently. Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, training as an researcher can prove to be beneficial for a variety of majors, such as anthropology, sociology, international affairs, landscape architecture, tourism, wildlife management, textile design, environmental sciences, history, business and management, political science, psychology, and public health. The medium of training is an on-site research project in communities around Lake Atitlán. Contact one of the program Directors to discuss potential opportunities for your areas of interest.
Within the supportive framework of the NC State Guatemala Program students learn the fundamentals of ethnographic fieldwork, including project design, field methods and report writing as it applied to their areas of interest. Hands-on experiential learning techniques combined with extensive one-on-one instruction enables each student to acquire both key research skills and achieve personal goals. Students also quickly improve their Spanish language skills through intensive, daily interaction with their homestay families and other community members. Guatemalans are friendly and outgoing with an ancient and rich, Mayan cultural heritage. The program is designed for 13-14 participants. Service learning opportunities are also possible.
One student said recently said about the program, “Amazingly, the field school taught me so much about the world, and quite unexpectedly, about myself. Quite honestly, I don't think that my family and friends knew how to react to me the new, wiser, and more anthropologically confident me. Working in the field gave me greater appreciation for what classroom learning provided, and motivated me to continue my interests... The program made me more aware of other people and places. It gave me the capabilities to bridge different perspectives to foster greater understanding and positive change."