Flyer P. 1
C&J 393/593: Raramuri Encounter and Borderland Experience
Jan. 3-12, 2012 3-credit or 2-credit courses
UNM-Milburn Foundation Educational Field Experience of Raramuri Territory
And Culture for Mexican and UNM students/faculty
Dr. Richard Schaefer, in conjunction with the Milburn Foundation will lead a trip to Mexico’s magnificent Barranca del Cobre to introduce U.S. and Mexican students to the traditional culture of the indigenous Raramuri (Tarahumara). This 10-day field course will combine in-person and distance learning opportunities in the following subject areas:
• Traditional medical and health practices of the Raramuri and how the Raramuri may have integrated or resisted various aspects of modern Western medical practices, and vice-versa.
• Issues related to U.S.-Mexico-Central American immigration and the border and territorial issues. This could include historical perspectives on migration and indigenous-mainstream human rights issues in the region, as well as more contemporary issues confronting indigenous groups living near a border that has experienced criminal and cartel led incursions and militarization by the U.S. and Mexican governments.
• Issues of preservation and adaptation of indigenous culture in a modern age of tourism, commerce, industrialization and secularization. This could include issues of sustainability of the area’s ecology and indigenous cultural practices.
In person course (3 credits) -- Cost: $1,150 special fee, plus UNM tuition and fees. —This $1,150 cost for room, board and transportation is all inclusive, beginning at the Soberano Hotel in Chihuahua on January 3 and ending there on the evening of Jan. 12, 2012, including lodging the night of Jan. 12. Students taking this course will also participate in three 2-hour distance-learning presentations during the Jan. 3-12 period and three additional presentations to be made between Jan. 14 and March 18, 2012. The presentations will be made available in Spanish and English. Raramuri translators will also be available during the January 1-12 period.
The primary goal of this class will be to enhance understanding of Tarahumara culture and create the virtual presentations for UNM and other universities, inside and outside the United States. Although the trip will start and end in Chihuahua, most of time will be spent in Creel and in Copper Canyon.
Distance-Learning Course (2 credits), UNM tuition and fees -- Students or faculty taking this distance-learning course will participate in six 2-hour distance-learning sessions. Three of those interactive sessions will be given during the Jan. 3 through Jan. 12, 2012 time frame of the in-person field course, and three presentations will be scheduled between Jan. 14 and March 18, 2012.
The primary goal of this class will be to utilize the online-learning sessions to acquaint oneself with Raramuri health practices and cultural adaptation, as well as the borderland issues facing indigenous people. Students doing the field experience course will create materials, including videos of speakers and sites, slide and audio reports, and multimedia or print reports, that will support the six-distance learning presentations.
Students and faculty in the field experience should also have a valid U.S. passport and Mexican work visa ($100 USD) or proof of Mexican citizenship and will need to spend additional money, up to $100, on university-required health and evacuation insurance. They will also need to sign UNM international programs paperwork and special forms recognizing risks associated with a program is taking place in a area where there has been a U.S. travel advisory since April 2011.
For more information, contact Dr. Richard Schaefer, , 505-917-9909.