ANT 1965 - EXPLORING GUATEMALA: HEART OF THE MAYA WORLD

credits: 3.0
Co-requisite with SPA 1965 or SPA 2965 with same course title. A Spring Term III travel course to Guatemala, students will move beyond the textbook and experience Guatemala first-hand through one-on-one Spanish classes, homestays with local families, and daily excursions and activities that reveal daily life for ordinary Guatemalans in the 21st century. Special attention on the contrasts between life and livelihoods in urban areas (Quetzaltenango) compared to the highland region (Santa Cruz del Quiché, Antigua, San Pedro), and the impacts-positive and negative-of global tourism on local indigenous communities. Will provide field-based ethnographic research experience and prepares students for traveling in Latin America. Themes include: distinctions between European-Spanish and indigenous American Maya culture; origins of corn, beans, squash, chiles, chocolate, avocado, and other Mesoamerican foods, as well as important imported foods like coffee and bananas; history of U.S. involvement in Guatemala and Latin America; impacts of tourism on Guatemalan communities. Objectives: A) Identify the various cultural groups of Guatemala and describe their historical relationships to one another; B) Describe the diverse environmental regions of Guatemala and the important economic activities in each area; C) Outline and critically examine the concepts of historical memory, bilingual education, and Maya authorship and publishing; D) Identify and investigate the impacts of these concepts through ethnographic observation of Guatemalans’ daily lives; E) Describe present-day tensions in Guatemalan society and identify the historical roots of conflict through literature and interviews with living people; F) Analyze literature regarding the central conflict of the course (the clash between indigenous and Western cultures); G) Produce first-hand accounts of daily life, popular culture, and folklore in Guatemala through ethnographic fieldnotes and literature reviews; H) Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type; I) Introduce oneself and others and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where one lives, people one knows, and things one has; J) Interact with other people in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. Method of Instruction: Lecture, discussion, travel within Guatemala, experience life through home stays and ethnographic exercises with local communities, feedback on written assignments and journal entries. Method of Evaluation: 25% fieldnote journal; 25% active participation in travel component of the course as able; 25% final project; 25% final exam based on student’s level of proficiency according to DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) classification. Meets *NWP Distribution Requirement. TRAVEL COURSE, FEES ASSOCIATED.

Prerequisite(s): SIGNATURE is REQUIRED.
Co-Requisite(s): SPA 1965 or SPA 2965