No quería dejar pasar la oportunidad de postear sobre una grata sorpresa que me trajo mi viaje de investigación durante el verano. Aunque la generosa beca Tinker solamente pudo cubrir mi viaje a Lima y Bogotá, quiso la casualidad que el tercer país que anhelaba visitar viniera a mí. Gracias a coordinaciones con dos amigos teatreros peruanos, Lucero Medina y Michael Joan Gómez, y al Grupo Panparamayo Teatro, tuve la oportunidad de formar parte del taller de teatro “Memoria y olvido en la acción dramática”, ofrecido por el grupo Malayerba, de Quito, Ecuador. Dos de los miembros fundadores de este emblemático grupo, Arístides Vargas y Charo Francés, fueron hasta Lima a compartir su conocimiento y su pasión por la creación colectiva. Continue reading
Tag Archives: workshop
Bonus Track: Malayerba y la dramaturgia colectiva
Posted in Field Research
Tagged Colombia, Cultural Identity, Ecuador, Peru, workshop
Newcomers in New York: Musings on Methods
The anthropology of yore is gone— whereby researchers would go to the island to observe “the natives” and upon returning to the “real world,” share all that was learned of the other while in “the field.” With the advents of technology and the increasingly globalized world, there are no more islands left untouched — and so the necessity for and the rules of — ethnography have changed. And I think it’s a good thing.
While most modern anthropologists agree that their predecessors’ approaches and methodologies were not without their faults, they must acknowledge their contributions along with the controversies. The contemporary anthropologist, however, is not without adversity or critique. Along with the introduction of advanced technologies and new forms of communication comes the potential for infinite possibilities for shaping research and everyday lives. This is the discourse with which I dance.
The blog is an interactive form of communication/ social media in publicly accessible format. It is what I am incorporating into my methodology. The fact that the “informants/participants” are able to consciously and intentionally contribute to the blog opens an entire new set of questions; questions I still do not have the answers to, because like my predecessors, Malinowski and Geertz, I am figuring out the perimeters. Continue reading
Posted in Field Research
Tagged anthropology, immigration, NYC, social media, workshop
WiPLASH Features Groundbreaking Research on Latin America
CLACS is committed to supporting – and disseminating – cutting-edge research on Latin America and the Caribbean across disciplines. In addition to ongoing events like the CLACS Research Colloquium, CLACS also co-hosts WiPLASH.
Works in Progress in Latin American Society and History (WiPLASH) provides an interdisciplinary space for NYC Consortium students and faculty to present and discuss their ongoing research on different topics concerning Latin America. Papers are pre-circulated, and then presented to a small group of students and scholars. After a brief presentation related to the pre-circulated paper, those in attendance partake in an in-depth (and supportive!) discussion. Because the focus of the event is on works in progress, presenters have a chance to test out ideas, and attendees have access to groundbreaking scholarship in a rather informal, workshop setting.
The most recent WiPLASH event featured Alexandra Delano’s research on “Mexico and Its Diaspora in the United States: Past and Present.” Delano is Assistant Professor of Global Studies at The New School for Social Research. Her discussant was Alyshia Galvez, Assistant Professor of Latin American and Puerto Rican Studies, Lehman College/City University of New York.
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Posted in CLACS News, Events and Happenings
Tagged immigration, Mexico, students, Venezuela, workshop
Summer Institute Curricular Materials Available Online
This summer, the Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies (CLAIS) at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale, the Yale Programs in International Education Resources (PIER) and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at NYU partnered on a summer institute for educators. Titled Colonial Latin America, the institute was available to educators and any member of the general public interested in learning about the latest research on colonialism and modern-day impacts of it in Latin America.
This summer institute, the first-ever collaboration between CLACS Outreach Initiatives, Yale CLAIS, and Yale PIER, consisted of a week-long workshop and an optional week-long trip to the Dominican Republic. Participants then created curricular materials based on what they learned. These curricular materials are now freely available for use via the CLACS website, included in a wide collection of resources for educators around the world who want to enrich their instruction content with more Latin American topics.
Curricular materials developed through this institute include:
– Settlements and Colonial Cities in the Andean Region
– Revisiting the Past: Understanding Identity and Practicing the Past Tenses through Historical Investigation
– Colonial Power and Indigenous Resistance in Art
Posted in K-12 Outreach and Education
Tagged Dominican Republic, education, Mexico, workshop
K-12 Educator Series Explores US/Mexico Relations
Early this past December, CLACS and what moves you? hosted a series of two K-12 Educator Workshops which focused on two films from the Indocumentales / Undocumentaries US-Mexico Film Series. The December 5th event included a screening of Farmingville; and the December 14th workshop focused on the film Which Way Home.
The events featured an introduction to CLACS resources for educators about Mexico- U.S. issues, followed by a film screening. Educators then had the opportunity to discuss the issues addressed in the film with colleagues and what moves you? facilitators. These workshops opened a space for educators to discuss current events, and how film can be used to teach Mexico-U.S. relations in the classroom.
Farmingville, a 2004 film by Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini, documents the attempted murders of two Mexican day-laborers in Long Island. The movie features first-hand accounts from residents, day-laborers and activists, and underscores the continuing relevance of undocumented immigrant issues. Which Way Home, a 2009 film by Rebecca Cammisa, focuses on immigrant children from Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico, who must overcome tremendous odds in their journey to the U.S.
These are two of many K-12 events that are part of the CLACS K-12 Outreach Program. Learn more about CLACS K-12 Outreach on the CLACS website. You can also sign-up to our K-12 Outreach email list, which will send you notices only about K-12 educator-related events and programs.
Posted in K-12 Outreach and Education
Tagged CLACS, human rights, immigration, intercultural bilingual education, Mexico, NYC, students, workshop
CLACS K-12 Summer Institute on Colonial Latin America
Barbara D’Ambruoso at Parque Colón in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Last summer, in the first ever collaboration between NYU CLACS, Yale PIER, and the Yale Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies, CLACS helped organized the Colonial Latin America Summer Institute for educators. The Institute is a series of intensive professional development sessions that serves as a continuing educational training tool for in-service and pre-service educators. The objective of the Summer Institute is to present the best and the latest scholarship on international education to help educators introduce current perspectives on international topics and improve teaching materials for their students. The sessions are led by faculty, graduate students and other expert educators who provide an in-depth understanding of the latest research on teaching international content subjects in schools.
A new element of the 2011 Summer Institute was the production of “classroom-ready” teaching materials, which would be tested in one classroom and then disseminated widely online. By making the materials available on the CLACS website, they can be shared widely, and free of charge, with educators interested in bringing these topics into the classroom.
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Posted in K-12 Outreach and Education
Tagged CLACS, Dominican Republic, education, Mexico, workshop
Follow-Up Workshop on Gender Equality
Erin Murphy-Graham is an Assistant Professor in the Steinhardt School of NYU and affiliated faculty member of CLACS
Participants returned to UNICEF to continue discussions about ways in which the topic of gender equality could be incorporated into classroom activities for English Language Learners (ELLs). Teachers reviewed the TeachUNICEF website where readily accessible lesson plans, photo essays and videos can be downloaded for use in the classroom.
The workshop included a keynote speech by Professor Erin Murphy Graham, Assistant Professor of International Education at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Her lecture began with an overview of her ongoing work with a mixed-methods impact evaluation of the alternative secondary education program Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (Tutorial Learning System) in Honduras. She then opened a discussion that explored gender norms, discrepancies between men and women in positions of political power around the world, and portrayals of women in mainstream media. The day ended with a strong commitment by teacher participants to introduce themes of gender equality into lessons to address these issues with kids at an early age.
If you are interested in participating in K-12 Educator events such as this one, please sign up to receive email alerts for K-12 events via the CLACS website.
Teaching Gender Equality in a Global Classroom
Left to right: Jen Lewis (CLACS), David Donaldson (U.S. Fund for UNICEF), Gail Slater (Spanish BETAC), Nicole Rosefort (Haitian BETAC), and Tara Broughel (U.S. Fund for UNICEF).
On March 8th, International Women’s Day, CLACS coordinated with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Education Department, the New York State Spanish Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Center (BETAC) at NYU, and and the New York State Haitian BETAC to present the workshop “Teach UNICEF: Exploring Gender Equality through Global Education.” The participants, mainly English Language Learning (ELL) teachers of social studies and ESL teachers, discussed the unique contributions of ELL students to classroom discussions of global history and also how best to incorporate global themes and events into the classroom and curriculum. The discussion then focused on teaching about gender through an examination of several topics such as maternal health, education and marriage. Unicef hosts a number of gender-related curricular materials on its website, free for download and usage in the classroom.
The workshop concluded with a discussion of how teachers would use the TeachUnicef resources in their specific classrooms. Teachers planned to discuss their progress during the next workshop, which is scheduled for March 30, 2011.
If you are interested in participating in K-12 Educator events such as this one, please sign up to receive email alerts for K-12 events via the CLACS website. Learn more about the K-12 Educator Workshop by reading an article on Unicef’s Field Notes website.
Teaching the Cold War and Latin America in a High School Classroom
On Monday January 31st, the CLACS Teacher Residency Program hosted the conference “Teaching the Cold War and Latin America in a High School Classroom.” The conference, held during a New York City Board of Education Professional Development day, was attended by public school teachers from over 25 schools across the metropolitan area.
The day’s events were opened by Greg Grandin, a well-known Latin American historian and professor in the Department of History at NYU. Grandin is also the author of the recent prize-winning book Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City. Professor Grandin gave the keynote presentation of the conference, providing a sweeping overview of the importance of Latin America in the Cold War and setting the foundation for the days more specific presentations.
The conference was the culminating event of the CLACS K-12 Residency Program, an effort to connect recent scholarship on Latin America with materials development applicable for K-12 classrooms. The three Residents, who had been researching topics related to the Cold War for a period of 3 months, each presented the curricular materials they had produced while in the program.
Rachel McCormick , a Spanish teacher at the Bronx Leadership Academy High School, presented a workshop titled “Media Representations of the Civil War in El Salvador.” McCormick’s presentation outlined several classroom activities, including one in which students walk around and silently write reactions next to a series of black and white photos of El Salvador during the conflict.
Teaching Through the Arts
Students are inspired by Native American Storyteller Dolls
Over the last 4 years, CLACS has developed a strong partnership with the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Together we have organized comprehensive K-12 professional development programming which brings together pedagogy training for educators and Latin America and Caribbean-related content for use in New York City classrooms. Specifically, CLACS partners closely with the New York State Spanish Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Center (SBETAC) to support educators working with English language learners (ELLs), Spanish speaking students, ESL students, and students attending bilingual schools.
CLACS and SBETAC have also connected with organizations across New York City such as The New York Times, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF TeachUnicef Program, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) K-12 program to offer professional development workshops for K-12 educators.
