Please forward to any student interested.

Learn how to design, conduct, investigate and write up your own independent project while living in a small Maya community of Guatemala!

23^rd NCSU Ethnographic Field School, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

Summer, May 20 - July 11, 2016 (7.5 weeks)

 

Throughout the program, you will learn about the Maya while developing skills in project design and fieldwork as you carry out your own research project.

Whether you are an undergraduate, a graduate student, just finished college, learning how to collect data, talk to people and complete projects is beneficial not only for those in anthropology, but also for those in many other majors, including sociology, international studies, public health, history, education, textiles, natural resource management, business and management, sociolinguistics, political science, psychology, design and civil engineering.  Open to any majors especially students interested in topics such as health, development, environment, lake ecology, globalization, social justice, tourism, conservation, Fair Trade, textile design, entrepreneurship, language, poverty, international studies, economics and foreign languages. 

The internationally known NCSU Guatemala EFS is unique in that it offers students an opportunity to see what research is really like, to do your own project, to manage your own time and work according to the needs of your topic and also to challenge yourself by living in a Maya community with a local family. (All of them have been working with us for years and they know what we expect and enjoy having students in their homes.) In most cases students live in a small community by themselves, although other students are in nearby communities. We keep the seminars to a minimum so students can have enough time to work on their projects; we want students to learn by doing, with intensive and in-depth hands-on learning. Our 23 years of experience, confirmed by the testimonials of previous participants, has shown us that the learning-by-immersion process really works to develop successful researchers and program designers. Of course, the setting, around Lake Atitlán, is incomparable, never a dull moment, and the Maya people are gracious and welcoming. 

Not sure how your interests may fit into the topics listed?  Contact the program Directors, Dr. Tim Wallace ([log in to unmask]) and Ms. Adriana Szabo ([log in to unmask]), to discuss potential opportunities for your areas of interest. Each student may choose any topic for his or her independent research project.  Service learning opportunities are also possible. This program is open to students from any course of study and university. The $3650 fee includes all expenses (except airfare- about $550), including room and board, health insurance, in-country travel and tuition for 6 credit hours.   

Apply through the NCSU Study Abroad Office.  Visit Dr. Wallace’s Guatemala Program website for more information and photos from previous years. The final deadline for receipt of applications is February 15, 2016, but decisions are made on a rolling acceptance basis.