REU Site on Culture and Globalization in Highland Guatemala: Joining Anthropology Courses with Summer Ethnographic Fieldwork

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ABSTRACT NSF # 0648278 PI name: Ana M. JuarezTitle of Project: REU Site on Culture and Globalization in Highland Guatemala: Joining Anthropology Courses with Summer Ethnographic Fieldwork The REU Site on Culture and Globalization in Highland Guatemala prepares ten students from four institutions to carry out all aspects of the anthropological research process, including conceptualization of a problem, implementation of appropriate research methods, and scholarly publication and dissemination of research results. Students from the Host and Affiliate Institutions, (Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Texas Pan American, and Brigham Young University) begin preparing for summer fieldwork in Guatemala by completing courses in Anthropological Research Methods and Latin American Area Studies. Students and faculty from all four institutions will meet regularly via ITV/VC (Interactive Television Videoconference) to plan and prepare for the summer program and develop a viable research project. During the ten weeks in Guatemala, students will live with a local Maya family and engage in various forms of data collection, including participant observation, interviewing, surveys, and focus groups. In addition, students will complete readings and other activities with the program faculty, and will receive nine hours of upperdivision credit in Anthropology for the summer. After the summer program, students will continue to work with faculty to produce publications and presentations. The program trains ethnographic researchers and provides handson experience with fieldwork and research methods in a supervised environment. Social scientists in many disciplines are increasingly relying on ethnographic research methods, but few students have received the opportunity to implement the methods or experience the rigors of fieldwork in a foreign environment. Students also have the opportunity to produce publications and conference presentations documenting Maya life and social change within Guatemala. A central goal of the program is to generate undergraduate researchers who can produce quality research and publications, and prepare students, especially first generation and underrepresented minorities, for graduate school and social science research careers. It also helps students understand the social, cultural, and political dynamics in multiethnic nationstates that are fraught with poverty and social conflict.