 Study the life and culture of the Highland Maya
Guatemala
6 undergraduate credits in Anthropology
Richmond: May 21, 23, and 27, 2008 and Guatemala: May 28–June 26
Dr. Maury Hutcheson
$1,990 (includes roundtrip airfare) + VCU tuition
Registration deadline: March 15, 2008
Program description and application [PDF]
The Office of International Education and the School of World Studies are pleased to offer a unique opportunity for students to study the Highland Maya Culture. The program is based in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and will allow students to observe the cultural complexity of the Guatemalan highlands. The location provides an ideal setting in which to explore different topics such as cultural pluralism, religious conservation and change, local responses to globalization, and cultural revitalization movements. This program is well suited for students in anthropology, international studies and religious studies.
Course and credit options: Students are required to register for a total of six credits, including 3 credits in the core offering, ANTH 391: Highland Maya Culture Past and Present. Anthropology majors in particular are encouraged to register for ANTH 315: Anthropological Field Methods and Research Design (3 credits). With permission of the instructor, students from other disciplines may register for three credits of independent study under INTL 492 or RELS 492, or for SPAN 494 (internship in Spanish translation), as an alternative to ANTH 315. Students pursuing independent studies are expected to participate fully in all group activities while in Guatemala, though their final research paper may be different.
 Course description: Based in Quetzaltenango, this program will provide students with a comprehensive overview of Mayan indigenous life in Guatemala, past and present, including opportunities for individual and group research through participant observation, attendance at cultural events, lectures on selected topics, and excursions to museums and major archaeological sites, including Tikal. Course instruction will be in English but in order to facilitate our rapid immersion in the local culture, students will also receive a week or more ofindividualized, one-on-one tutoring in Spanish at the Escuela de Español Juan Sisay. Readings in history, ethnography and archaeology directly related to the communities we visit will be closely integrated with discussions of anthropological theory and effective research design. Students will gain practical experience in a variety of ethnographic research techniques as well as the ethical dimension of anthropological fieldwork while exploring historical continuities and transformations in Mayan culture and religious practice. Lectures and classroom discussions will alternate with presentations by local Maya shamans and other cultural leaders, together with visits to sites of cultural interest in the town and its surrounding villages.
2008 estimated program budget
Program cost: $1,990 + applicable VCU tuition
The program fee is $1,990 and includes the following:
- Roundtrip airfare
- Accommodations
- All meals while living with Guatemalan families
- Study visits and excursions
- Ground transportation
- On-site program director support
- Application fee and deposit
- Pre-departure orientation
- VCU administrative fees
- International student identification card
 The following are not included in the program fee. Students are responsible for:
- VCU tuition and fees
- All meals when we are based in hotels
- Passport application fee
- Personal expenses during the program (estimated at $350)
- Anything not specifically mentioned above
Please budget for these additional expenses.
Airfare: Airfare is included. The professor will make travel arrangements between the U.S. and Guatemala, departing on the morning of Wednesday, May 28.
Eligibility: Students must have a 2.0 GPA in order to participate in the VCU summer study abroad program. All applicants must have completed ANTH 103 Introduction to Anthropology. All applicants must agree to an interview with the instructor, together with a representative of the Education Abroad office, prior to acceptance into the course. A student’s GPA may be taken into account but will not be the sole determining factor.
This program is primarily intended to benefit majors in the anthropology program by providing a practicum in ethnographic research methods and research design, along with a survey of Highland Maya culture. As such, anthropology majors will enjoy preference over non-anthropology majors. Within that cohort, advanced anthropology majors will have preference over less advanced students, as measured in the number of anthropology credits already completed. Non-anthropology majors from the School of World Studies who wish to fulfill their requirements for international experience will be next in line, and preference again will be extended to senior students over less advanced students. Spanish proficiency is not formally required, but in the event that many students fitting the criteria above wanted to participate, preference would be shown to those with greater levels of Spanish fluency.
Registration deadline: March 1, 2008. Applications will be accepted until the deadline or until participant space is full.
 Activities and excursions: Principal points of interest will likely include the communities of Antigua, Zunil, Lake Atitlán, Chichicastenango, Tecpán and Momostenango and the archaeological sites of Tikal, Utatlán, Iximché, and Abaj Takalik, though the list may be subject to change.
Accommodations and meals: For approximately two thirds of our time students will be living in home-stays with Mayan and Ladino families in Quetzaltenango, which will include private rooms, shared baths, three meals a day, purified drinking water and direct engagement with the domestic life of the host families. Quetzaltenango is a large yet comfortably scaled city with a majority indigenous population, a regional hub permitting access to many small indigenous communities and sites of interest.
The program will also include several half-week and overnight excursions to other locations of particular interest. During these excursions we would be staying in hotels and students should expect to purchase meals in restaurants or from vendors in the open air markets.
Program director: The program will be led by Dr. Maury Hutcheson of the VCU School of World Studies. His ethnographic research centers on the religious practices and expressive culture of the K’iche’ Maya, and their creative response to nearly 500 years of Spanish missionization and cultural domination, as well as the impact of globalization and tourism in the present generation. Hutcheson has extensive experience in Guatemala, having made more than seven research visits totaling almost two years there.
Every effort is made to provide updated and accurate information at the time of publication. The sponsors reserve the right to make necessary changes to the programs and costs.
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