Announcing a new Summer Study Abroad course in Guatemala HIST 391: History and Ethnohistory in Guatemala: Five centuries of Hispano-indigenous interaction in Latin America Six Credits June 25 — August 1, 2014 Dr. Maury Hutcheson [email protected] Based in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city and the cultural center of the western highlands, this five and a half week long Study Abroad program explores the complex history of Guatemala and Central America from before the Spanish Conquest right up to the present, with a special focus on the way societies in different eras have recorded, written about, or conceptualized the past. Our topical interests will be broad yet focused, including an introduction to the ancient civilization of the pre-Columbian Maya, a historical look at Spanish-indigenous relations from the violence of the Spanish conquest through the Baroque florescence of the middle and late Colonial eras, and the new historical and political consciousness of Maya today. We will also explore political struggles of the 19th century, the Sixth Republic of Los Altos, the CIA backed coup of 1954, and the counter-insurgency violencia of the country’s 36 year civil war, which ended in 1996. The program is meant to provide students with an immersive cultural experience, replete with hands-on opportunities to talk with, learn from, and come to know the people of present day Guatemala. At a mile and a half above sea level, the city of Quetzaltenango is comfortably cool, the bustling home to local musicians, indigenous artisans, and cultural activists, as well as an international community of NGO volunteers and other Spanish language learners. Students will live with local Guatemalan families and interact closely with K’iche’ Mayan and Ladino (non-indigenous) scholars, townsfolk, and university students. Course instruction will be in English, but in order to facilitate students’ rapid immersion in Guatemalan culture, we will also receive two weeks of individualized one-on-one tutoring in Spanish at the Escuela Juan Sisay, an award winning school that will also arrange for our home stays, and for presentations by local scholars and Maya cultural leaders. Selected readings in history, art history, ethnohistory, and archaeology that are directly related to the communities we visit will be closely integrated with the theoretical analysis of historiography and historical interpretation, as well as the social curation of historical memory. Regular classroom discussions (held in the local cafes and chocolaterías of Quetzaltenango) will alternate with visits to sites of cultural and historical interest in the town and its surrounding villages. We will also make extended trips to other areas and ecosystems, including the colonial capital, Antigua, the Classic Maya ruins of Copan Honduras, the famous market town of Chichicastenango, and the Tzutujil and Kaqchikel villages surrounding Lake Atitlan. The program will be led by Dr. Maury Hutcheson, a cultural anthropologist whose research centers on the history of religious practices and expressive culture among the K’iche’ Maya and their creative response to nearly 500 years of Spanish missionization and cultural domination, the counter-revolutionary violence of the 1970s and ‘80s, and the impact of globalization in the present generation. Registration deadline: 21 March 2014 Program cost: $2,350 (includes airfare) + tuition for six credits (see program website for more information) The $2,350 program fee includes the following: Roundtrip airfare between Washington DC and Guatemala City (for out of state students, alternate departure cities may be arranged) All accommodations in Guatemala All meals while living with Guatemalan families Study visits and excursions to museums & archaeological sites All ground transportation in Guatemala Two weeks of one-on-one tutoring in Spanish All Directors expenses Best regards, Prof. Maury Hutcheson VCU Global Education - Study Abroad Program History and Ethnohistory in Guatemala Follow the link below for program information, and to apply!! Study Abroad–History and Ethnohistory in Guatemala
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 22:19:40 +0000
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