The Center for Ethnographic Research and Community Studies of the Elon Department of Sociology & Anthropology is pleased to invite faculty and students to attend a talk and workshop on Ethnography and Ecotourism on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 1, at 4 p.m. in 226 McMichael.
For the last decade Professor Tim Wallace of NC State University Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology has directed a summer undergraduate ethnographic field school in Central America. Ethnography involves participant-observation as a means of learning about social life, and the theme of the NCSU students’ research has been studies of ecotourism — initially in Costa Rica and more recently in the area around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Students lived with local families during their field research, and the subjects of many of their observations were local people interacting with folks like us – socially and ecologically-conscious tourists, mostly North Americans and Europeans.
In Part I: from 4 p.m.-5 p.m., Professor Wallace will present a slide show with findings from student ethnographies of ecotourism in Central America, followed by question and answer. This session should be especially interesting to students. Refreshments will be served during the Q and A session.
In Part II, from 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Professor Wallace will offer a workshop for faculty on how to set up an ethnographic field school, and lessons learned from his 10 years of experience.
Feel free to choose to attend either or both sessions — Parts I and II will be at the same location in 226 McMichael.
Dr. Wallace has been very active in the National Association for Practicing Anthropologists, and has given many workshops on teaching ethnography so we’re very pleased to have him here at Elon as we develop our own center to support student ethnographic research.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars – and pass the word to students — it’s only the 2nd day after we return from spring break!