Course Structure

During the summer, between the spring and fall semesters, a two-week field course (or field laboratory) is conducted in Chiapas. A term paper or project is required based on the field experience and the student's subject-matter interests. A preparatory course (IARD 4010) is required in the spring semester prior to the field course. This course provides students with background information and allows the faculty to screen prospective students for IARD 6010.

In IARD 6010 participating professors and others address various subject matter areas through field trip observations and applications in other settings in developing countries. Students share their reports, review pertinent information in their fields of interest, and assume leadership in developing and presenting various aspects of the field experience. Student presentations focus not only on rural and urban development issues in the tropics but also on what those in temperate zones can learn from the study of the rich living cultures of Latin America. (See Tradition and Transition)