Cuenca-Ecuador - Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Religion & Power in the Andes

University of Lethbridge
and
The Centers for Interamerican Studies

12 May - 17 June 2007

The Religion and Power in the Andes program introduces students to the realities of Ecuador through anthropological analysis, ethnographic writing, and Spanish language training while studying abroad for five weeks in Ecuador. The program is centered on the themes of religion and power in this northern Andean region. Through the program the students will learn about how these concepts have shaped the social, political, and economic landscape of the Andes from pre-colonial times to the present.

Academic Program

Students will enroll in ANTH3100 Religion and Power in the Andes as well as a Spanish course (beginning, intermediate, or advanced), for a total of six (6) credits. The anthropology course will be taught by a University of Lethbridge professor and the Spanish courses will be taught by Ecuadorian professors with years of experience teaching the language.

Field trips

The first three weeks of the program are based in Cuenca with weekend field trips to small communities in the region, such as the indigenous community of Saraguro and the Inca ruins of Inga Pirca. The last two weeks of the program are spent traveling through the Oriente region (the Amazon rainforest) and Northern Ecuador. During this trip we spend time in the Shuar and Kichwa territories of the rainforest as well as in the highland market town of Otavalo.

Accommodations

While in Cuenca, students will live with an Ecuadorian host family, an opportunity that provides a rich intercultural and personal experience. Additionally host families provide three meals a day and laundry service. While in the rainforest accommodations will be tourist caba–as run by local Kichwa and Shuar families; during the other field trips and travel the groups will stay in hostals or hotels.

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