2017-18 Academic Catalog

This course explores contemporary strategies for survival in Maya lands in the face of the global economy by examining how community groups, entrepreneurs, peasant organizations, niche markets, social movements, government and non-governmental organizations play important roles in promoting economic betterment, social justice, locally based decision making, and more equitable, environmentally sound, sustainable development. Through readings, lectures, interviews, and community engagement with human rights activists, conservation experts, development practitioners, and farmers and foragers in the Maya tropical forest, students will learn about the complex interplay between cultural ecology, resource management, and community revitalization. Prerequisite: Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111