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Course Structure The country of Panamá is well-known for its tremendous ecological and environmental diversity. However, it is also a country of considerable cultural and ethnic complexity. In addition to its Hispanic and Afro-Caribbean populations, Panamá is home to a number of distinctive indigenous peoples including: the Ngóbe, Kuna, and the Emberá. Students enrolled in this intensive cultural anthropology course will explore the nature of human-environment relations in contemporary Panamá, paying particular attention to the ways in which indigenous peoples make a living in a rapidly changing world.
Students enrolling in this course should have completed introductory coursework in cultural anthropology. As a field course and a traveling field course at that, this learning experience will require a good deal of flexibility on the part of all participants. However, be assured that the challenges encountered will undoubtedly be overshadowed by the unique rewards obtained. |
The
course will have two interrelated components: a classroom-based section
and a field-based research section. Through a series of lectures at
the ITEC facility in Bocas del Toro, students will gain an understanding
of cultural anthropology and cultural ecology as modes of inquiry, an
appreciation for the histories and cultures of the indigenous peoples
of Panamá, and a working knowledge of key ethnographic field methods.
During this section of the course students will work with the instructor
to develop individual research projects on an aspect of indigenous cultural
ecology in contemporary Panamá. The course will then shift gear into
a mobile phase in which the class travels throughout the country in
order to study the ways in which indigenous peoples make their livings.
Throughout this phase the focus will be on understanding how local people
participate in ongoing processes of socio-economic change. Are there
similarities in their experiences? Differences? How are Ngóbe people
responding to market agriculture? How are the Kuna responding to eco-tourism?
Are there age and gender differences in these contexts During this section
of the courses students will carry-out research activities that will
allow them to complete individual projects on such topics. The class
will then return to the ITEC facility at Bocas del Toro where students
will write-up and present their research findings in a mini-conference
setting. Evaluations will be based on performance on quizzes, exams,
and individual research projects.