Virtual ethnographic field school in Ecuador this spring
The anthropology department is excited to announce the virtual ethnographic field school in Ecuador this upcoming spring semester-a field school with the cost and convenience of an online course!
"It's something that I will remember for the rest of my life. This was a beautiful experience. To be able to look into a completely different culture and share some laughs with people on the other side of the world is special." Student Yoel Gonzalez on the fall 2020 field school.
The class will use Zoom and WhatsApp to connect with villagers in the Ecuadorian Andes and carry out anthropological research. The research focus is on agricultural livelihoods and sustainability in the context of climate change and globalization. Students should have at least intermediate-level Spanish proficiency. The course is offered at undergraduate and graduate levels and is open to Wayne State students and others. It will be especially valuable for students in anthropology, Spanish, Latin American studies, environmental studies, and global studies.
San Vicente de Bolívar is a Spanish-speaking village in the Andes mountains, at 8,000 feet above sea level. Farmers in San Vicente grow corn on modest plots they own or sharecrop. They face multiple challenges including low prices for their corn, declining agricultural fertility, new crop diseases, dependence on expensive and harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and disruptions to normal weather patterns associated with climate change. The field school research aims to understand the social and cultural dimensions of these challenges and ultimately help to develop economically and environmentally sustainable responses.
ANT 3600 and 6680, a three-credit course, will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 to 5 p.m. EST, May 11 through Jun. 29. Students will have the opportunity to develop anthropological research skills, analyze economic and environmental challenges in rural Latin America, and improve their Spanish language skills. Students should apply for the course as soon as possible or contact Dr. Barry Lyons.