Faculty and students travel to Guatemala

Guatemala is a land rich in history, culture and art.  For thousands of years, Mayan culture thrived in this part of the world.  These amazing people created a legacy of grand stone pyramids and temples, beautiful works of art and contributions to astronomy and the mathematical sciences.  It is believed that ancient Mayan civilization crumbled slowly due to natural disasters, soil depletion, environmental changes, disease and internal warfare.  This led to a weakening of its economic, social and political backbone, making large populations unsustainable.  Today, despite a modern troubled past, Guatemala has been reborn after a long history of social and political unrest.  It is a stable constitutional democratic republic with a bright future: however, sustainability challenges threaten to weaken the possibilities for positive growth in the country.  Many are optimistic, and as can be seen by a growing number of tourists and NGOs in the country, there is hope that Guatemala will emerge from its past a stronger, more prosperous society than ever.

Professor Rebekka Goodman is taking a group of eight students to Guatemala to engage first hand with local communities to address some of the sustainability issues facing Guatemala.  The students will be working with an established NGO in Guatemala (www.shareguatemala.org) that focuses on community engagement and sustainability initiatives.  These initiatives are diverse and range from organic farming to micro-loans and health clinics.  The students will have the rare experience of viewing on-the-ground work through an academic lens.

Follow Professor Goodman and her students as they journey through Guatemala:   http://www.theworldisabook13.blogspot.com/.