CAPSTONE SYLLABUS

Women and Development: a community based learning project in Chiapas, Mexico.

Summer 2009

Patricia Rumer

UNST 421-CRN82921/6 credits total

August 1-15, 2009 – on site in Chiapas

Pre and Post Meetings to be schedule in July and upon return

Course description

The students will spend two weeks in an immersion learning experience with women’s community-based economic development projects in the San Cristobalde las Casas region. They will learn how indigenous women are developing their own economic alternatives and how these collaborative efforts relate to the national and global economy. They will have the opportunity to interact with Non-Government organizations, Mexican government representatives,local researchers, as well as leaders in the community.

Instructor:

Patricia Rumer

  • E-mail:
  • Office: 307 B Urban CenterBuilding
  • Phone: (503)233-4428

Required Readings:

All readings will be available electronically on Blackboard, electronic reserve through the PSU library or as handouts.

Overview:

Community issue/ problem to be addressed

“The development community already recognizes the key role that women play in helping to reduce poverty and improve the overall well-being of families and communities. If the international community is to make progress towards development goals, then women must be supported through significant investments in infrastructure and women must be involved in the planning.” Source: InternationalCenter for Research on Women, 2008.

Chiapas is the poorest and least educated state in the Mexican republic but also one of the richest in natural resources. About one third of the population is of full or predominant Mayadescent, and in rural areas many do not speak Spanish. The state suffers from the highest rate of malnutrition in Mexico, estimated to affect more than 40% of the population.

Despite its rich supply of natural resources, Chiapas is an economically underdeveloped state, suffering chronic unemployment, below average literacy, and a high infant mortality rate. Only 11 percent of adults earn what the government calls moderate incomesof at least $3,450 per year (versus 24 percent nationally); less than 50 percent of households have running water (versus 67% nationally); and, 33% of women six years of age or older have no primary education. Migration north from Chiapas has increased the past ten years and researchers now estimate that one out of ten persons lives either in the USA or on the northern Mexican border – the state has only 4% of Mexico’s total population.

In 1994 there was an uprising organized by the grassroots Zapatista movement that involved the state in armed warfare for several years leading to a further deterioration in the state’s economy. Many Non-governmental organizations work in Chiapas due to the Zapatista conflict, the influx of Guatemalan refugees in the mid-1980’s to Chiapas and interesting cultural heritage of the Mayan people. There are six indigenous Mayan languages spoken in Chiapas.

There are over several thousand NGO’s working in Chiapas. Much of the government and NGO focus has been on men but increasingly, more work is being done with women’s organizations as development study and practices demonstrate the considerable return on that investment in terms of improved health care, education and income creation. The growing economic role of women in community development needs documentation and greater visibility.

This Capstone will focus on how Mayan women in Chiapas are strengthening their capacity to organize, lead and develop economic solutions to combat poverty in their communities. They will interview women community leaders to identify the various factors that have contributed to improved living conditions of their families and community as well as to identify the obstacles and challenges that they continue to face. This community research will document the progress made in achieving Millennium Development Goal 3, Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality.

Learning objectives

  • To analyze different approaches to develop sustainable community-based economies
  • To understand the role of women in community development
  • To acquire knowledge and experience in organizing for social change
  • To understand how local community development relates to the national and global economy

Course literature- Readings to be assigned pre-trip:

  • Angrosino, Michael V. Projects in Ethnographic Research, Waveland Press, 2005. Pp.39-41.
  • Benjamin, Thomas. A Time of Reconquest: History, the Maya Revival, and theZapatista Rebellion. The American Historical Review, Vol. 105, no. 2 (April 2000): pp. 417-450.
  • Eber, Christine and Kovic, Christine, Women of Chiapas: Making History in Times of Struggle and Hope. Routledge Publishers, 2003. Selected readings and Chapter 17.
  • Eidson, Melissa, “The Women of Chiapas,” a DVD 60-minute documentary on microfinance and indigenous Mayan women featuring Al Sol, a Chiapas based NGO. 2007.
  • Fraser, Arvonne S. and Tinker, Irene, Developing Power: How Women Transformed International Development, CityUniversity of New York, 2004. Selected chapters.
  • Gibler, John, Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt, City Lights Books, 2008, Ch. 6. Electronic Reserve-library.
  • Gupta, Geeta Rao and Mehra, Rekha, “Gender Mainstreaming: Making It Happen,” in “Equality for Women: Where Do We Stand on Millennium Development Goal 3?”, World Bank publication, Washington, DC, 2008.
  • Janesick, Valerie J., “Stretching” Exercises for Qualitative Researchers, Sage Publications, 2004. Second Edition, Selected Readings. Electronic Reserve.
  • O’Donnell, Kathryn, “Mayan Women’s Struggle for a Life with Justice and Dignity in Chiapas, Mexico. American Sociological Review, August 16, 2004. (20 pages) Available online.
  • Rosenberg, Tina, “A Payoff Out of Poverty,” New York Times Magazine, December 21, 2008, pp.46-51. Handout.
  • Tavanti, Marco, Chiapas Civil Society Organizations, ISTS, August 2005.

Final product –Community Partner

The students will produce a DVD/videothat illustrates the various economic development strategies women in Chiapas, Mexico are using to make progress in achieving MDG 3. This DVD will be used by Mercy Corps, the community partner in its Education/Action Center in Portland to educate its constituency about women and development. Mercy Corps will open an interactive action center at its new headquarters in Portland, Oregon in the fall of 2009. They have a companion web site: which is operational now. Julie Mancini, the Education/Action Center director will define the focus of the DVD. She will work with the Capstone class to develop content areas and suggest questions to guide the onsite interviews in Mexico and assist with the final production of the DVD. If requested, the Capstone class will also make a final presentation to their community partner.

Class Structure:

The class will begin with four weeks of preparatory meetings prior to departure to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico on Saturday, August 1. The focus of the “prep” meetings will be:

  • Formation of work teams and assignments on site in Chiapas; Also, overall orientation to Study Abroad programs, Tips on Travel and group sharing of travel experiences.
  • Discussion of readings with group presentations
  • Meeting with Julie Mancini, MercyCorpsEducationActionCenter director to discuss purpose of DVD, focus and suggested questions. Preview website prior to meeting.
  • Role Play in Spanish – Interview techniques in Spanish followed by training on Camcorders and microphones
  • Meal with Chiapas residents in Portland, OR – time and location to be determined and also, trip to Adelante Mujeres in Forest Grove, OR – Microfinance project.

On-site in Chiapas we will follow the approximate itinerary during the two week stay – a revised itinerary will be available prior to departure plus contact information in Chiapas for family members and friends. Handouts: Draft Itinerary, organizational descriptions, and Chiapas, Mexico basic statistics.

Team Assignments/Work: Students will utilize a variety of methods in Chiapas. Some students will be participant observers during meetings and on-site visits with women's community development projects. Students with faculty will develop a list of criteria to measure the progress each project is making towards the MDG 3. Other students will prepare questions for all meetings with community projects, researchers, government representatives while the participant observers will assess how each of these players contribute to the success of women's empowerment and gender equality.

Each evening or late afternoon students will participate in a daily debrief session in which critical questions will be raised with a discussion led by the participant

observers of that day's session. These daily sessions will also include regular reflection on students' own assumptions and biases and those they perceive in the community. From these daily sessions, questions and the criteria check list will be modified to incorporate new insights and learning's from the onsite visits.

The final day students will assess the diverse development perspectives religious/spiritual, indigenous, political, economic, socio-economic approaches or factors that influence women’s empowerment and then, present their findings to a panel of community organizations in Chiapas as to which they believe are most effective and why.. Are there some key elements that are essential for development and empowerment? Or is a combination of approaches? What is the relationship between local, national and global factors that affect development? Students and local community organizations will reflect together on these findings and opinions concerning key development factors.

Upon our return to Portland, OR on August 15, 2009 the class will have one month to edit and revise the DVD for presentation to Mercy Corps. The term will end in time for the instructor to submit grades to PSU on September 15, 2009.

Each person regardless of language ability will have a role in the work teams. These specific roles will be developed and discussed during July and/or via use of Blackboard.

Course Requirements:

Readings: Students are expected to have read all preparatory materials prior to a) scheduled class discussion and b) arrival in Chiapas. The readings and discussion will serve as a basis for the interviews as well as the script and background on each organization.

Class Participation: Active participation in both scheduled discussions and on-site visits in Chiapas is an essential component of this class. Students are expected to engage guest speakers or presenters in Chiapas in dialogue and discussion. For non-Spanish speakers questions will be translated to and from Spanish to facilitate understanding.

Final Presentation: The class will work together to create a final presentation and DVD that incorporates background reading, immersion experience in Chiapas and most importantly, the interviews of women leaders in development in Chiapas. The class will work in separate teams but when we return to Portland, there will be time to pull the four or five separate interview tapes into a coherent rough draft DVD for Mercy Corps.

Evaluation:

Grades will be based on:

  • Pre-Trip participation –readings, discussion, and training (10 points)
  • On-site/Chiapas Class participation – Discussion and Dialogue (25 points)
  • Team work – In preparation for interviews, the interviews and then, translation/scripting and analysis of interviews (35 points)
  • Final product (30 points)

Instructor background

Patricia Rumer:
Patricia Rumer has a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from PortlandStateUniversity (1981). She has taught Political Science and Urban Studies courses and currently is an adjunct Professor teaching a senior Capstone on International debt relief and Millennium Development Goals. Her appointment is with the School of Urban Studies and Planning. Patricia has over thirty years experience working in international community development.

Patricia worked in Guatemala in rural community development with indigenous Mayan women for three years. She is fluent in Spanish and sensitive to cultural and linguistic differences. She worked for seven years for a liberal Protestant denomination as Latin America/Caribbean director where she was responsible for funding ecumenical development projects. She traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

She served on the national advisory board of Witness for Peace, a human rights and peace organization. In that capacity in 1993 she accompanied the return of Guatemalan refugees from Chiapas, Mexico to Guatemala. This return was led by Nobel Peace Laureate, Rigoberta Menchu and was organized by the indigenous refugee community after ten years of exile in Mexico. In 1995 and 2003 she did immersion visits to resettlement communities in Guatemala to observe how their reintegration into the community was proceeding.

In the late 1980’s she established an ecumenical partnership relationship with Bishop Samuel Ruiz, Bishop of Chiapas, who negotiated between the Zapatistas and Mexican government in the mid-1990’s. The Chiapas community partner, SYJAC, was initiated by Bishop Ruiz to build bridges between displaced Evangelicals and liberal Catholics.

During her five years as Executive Director of an ecumenical women’s organization she visited many community development projects for and by women. In addition, her organization funded many development projects initiated by women.

From 1982 to 1995 in these two positions Patricia led a series of delegations to Central America to enhance North American understanding of Latin American political, economic, cultural and religious realities.

Trip Coordinator – Chiapas, Mexico – Anita Smart

Anita Smart was born in Brazil, where she lived her first five years. She grew up in Rye, New York and Princeton, New Jersey and graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in International Studies and Economy. Anita lived, worked and studied in ten cities in the United States and Europe between 1976 and 1987. Since 1987, she has lived in Palenque, Chiapas, where she has participated in many social, ecological and educational activities. Anita and her partner Manuel own and manage the 25-acre Oca Arc Educational Reserve in Palenque; organic agriculture and practical applications of perma-culture and alternative technologies to serve as a prototype for the tropical region of the state of Chiapas.

In 2005, Anita co-founded The Pathways Project ( – a 501-©3 based in the US to help facilitate her work with NGO’s in Chiapas. In 2006, she affiliated with SYJAC (Skol’ta ya’el Jlumaltic, A.C. -- “Service to Our Community in Tseltal Maya in San Cristobal. Her roles in this organization have been many; since March of 2007 she has been facilitating the process of organizational analysis and restructuring, to better serve the needs of the people.

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