SCI Digital Narratives in Ecuador

Around the world, more than 6,500 languages are spoken, but almost half of them are in danger of disappearing. Moreover, out of an estimated 15,000 cultures remaining on earth, most are represented by a single population of several hundred persons or less, dependent on pockets of land that are increasingly under threat from other uses or environmental destruction. Much of the data collected to record and preserve these cultures and languages are stored in archives and are only accessed by small communities of academics. Younger generations of learners do not have easy access to the archives; even if they did, data organization, storage, and formats make it difficult to explore cultural, historical, and linguistic contexts for anyone who is not an expert. This is particularly true of indigenous languages, indigenous cultures, semiotics, and anthropology knowledge skills. Moreover, indigenous communities that originally generated archived data do not have easy access to these archives so they can actively contribute to the expansion and modification of the knowledge stored in them.

This program is for students interested in learning how to use computational technologies for cultural preservation.

This program will be a part of the Capstone project for undergraduate Digital Narrative and Interactive Design (DNID) and undergraduate Information Science (BSIS) students.

Students will have to be enrolled in a 3-credit capstone course in the spring semester (either ENGLIT 1913 or INFSCI 1740) and will receive addiitonal 1 credit for participating in a 10-day field study in Ecuador over the course of the spring break.

What You'll Accomplish:

Learning Outcomes - Academic.

Develop knowledge of the partner/host community’s country and culture
Apply the theory, knowledge (including research, interviewing, and production skills and techniques learned in the classroom) in a community setting
Be able to articulate and practice ethical and technical requirements of fieldwork
Be able to design and develop projects practicing the methods of codesign (e.g. prioritizing the values, participation, and needs of community co-designers and the specifics of place)
Be able to plan and document a field research project
Demonstrate clear understanding and applications of sustainability, access, and generalizability
Be able to leverage immersive media technology tools to document and circulate cultural phenomena
Be able to leverage technology platforms for cultural preservation, language preservation, and visual storytelling

Learning Outcomes - Professional.

Be able to successfully work in a cross-disciplinary team
Understand project management methodologies, roles, and workflows
Develop an ability to professionally communicate in different types of diverse environments and communities
Develop technical writing skills
Develop technical skills, including planning, design, and implementation of information systems and media production
Develop skills in interactive systems design, human-computer interactions, and user experience engineering

Learning Outcomes - Personal.

Develop an understanding of and respect for multiple lived perspectives through inclusive co-design practices and sustained, appropriate communication with host communities
Further develop an understanding of other cultures and environments
Be able to articulate personal biases and cultural values
Expand understanding of position and possibilities as computational and digital designers (e.g. future ways to activate their academic skill sets, consider work outside the United States)
Experience the process of a long term research and production project, develop skills for overcoming hurdles, adaptability to stakeholder needs, and communication methods across communities.
Contribute to a professional project and learn how to frame their involvement in professional materials (resumes, portfolios, interviews)
Be able to apply academic and professional skills and practices in a setting beyond the classroom

Ecuador

The Andes and Amazon Field School (AAFS) is located at the Iyarina lodge in the Napo region of Ecuador. Students will fly into Quito, Ecuador where they will meet as a group and explore the city before heading east to Iyarina. The Field School is located on the South bank of the Napo River, 100 miles east of Quito, and 10 miles from the town of Tena, Ecuador (population: 28,800), the provincial capital. You will travel by bus from Quito to the Field School. It is approximately a 4-hour ride with many turns and changes in elevation. There are several cultural stops along the way to break up the trip. The Field School is approximately 1965 feet above sea level; the area is characterized by small Quichua communities clustered along the river bank. The forest surrounding these communities is among the most bio-diverse in the world with a high number of endemic species of flora and fauna. Iyarina is located directly on the waterfront surrounded by a 1380-acre rainforest reserve.

Students will live and take classes on-site at the AAFS. The cabins are screened in and bug nets are also available for additional protection. The bedrooms in the cabin are spacious with modern-day amenities with an incredible view that overlooks the river and forest.

Both SCI and the Center for Latin-American Studies have established relationships with the AAFS through prior graduate studies experiences and a joint NSF proposal to use game-based technologies for language and cultural preservation.

Where You'll Live:

Students will live and take classes on site at the Andes and Amazon Field School. The program has a summer camp feel with open-air dorm room style cabins. The cabins are screened in and bug nets are also available for additional protection. The bedrooms in the cabin are spacious with modern-day amenities with an incredible view that overlooks the river and forest.. You can expect the following at the Andes and Amazon Field School:

Two to three students per room
En-suite bathrooms with hot running water
High-quality mattresses
Three meals per day are included.
- Single menu du jour is served family style
- Meals consist of traditional Ecuadorian food and American dishes
- Vegetarian options are available upon request
- Good idea to bring/buy snack food to sustain you through meals
Open air classrooms overlooking the Rio Napo with projection and outlets
Fire pit for relaxing at night and small discussion space

What You'll Study:

Students can apply this experience to either SCI or English capstone requirements through ENGLIT 1913 or INFSCI 1740.

Students will also be enrolled in a 1 credit INFSI 1730 course for the spring break experience.

The University of Pittsburgh partners with the Andes and Amazon Field School for this program. In 1999 Tod Swanson founded the Andes and Amazon Field School in his wife's home community on the Napo River. Swanson's administrative experience includes having directed Arizona State University's Center for Latin American Studies as a Title VI National Resource Center from 1997-2007. He has also held elected office as a councilman for environmental affairs for the Santu Urku Amazonian Kichwa Community. Contact Tod Swanson.

The mission of the Andes and Amazon Field School is to provide quality in-country education on the Ecuadorian Amazon in a safe and comfortable setting. Each summer we bring together a top group of academic and indigenous experts for 8 weeks of learning and research. Together with students we seek to interpret and preserve the culture and environment of the region and to find practical solutions for a sustainable future.

The name of the station that hosts the Field School in Ecuador is in Ecuador is "Iyarina," (ee-yah-ree-nah), a Quichua word that means to think about the future by remembering the past. According to Quichua tradition memory is recorded in the land. Iyarina, therefore, means to remember by contemplating the land. This act of remembering lies at the heart of our efforts to record and preserve Amazonian tradition.

Your Pitt Study Abroad Contacts:

Dr. Shawn Alfonso Wells

Greetings! I manage the Arts and Sciences and Exchange and am the Pitt in Spain Program Manger. I have a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh and am an Adjunct professor of Anthropology who has taught in the Anthropology, History, Sociology, and Africana Studies departments at Pitt and CMU. I did my fieldwork on Color Classification in Cuba and have led many ground breaking experiential student trips to Cuba. I love learning about different cultures and want to help facilitate students being able to travel abroad to learn about the world. I look forward to assisting you to achieve your goals of a global experience.

Schedule a Zoom appointment with me below or get in touch with me through email to discuss exchange options and your future global experience.

E-mail:

smwst20@pitt.edu

Schedule an appointment

Schedule an appointment with me using Pathways!

Appointment Link: https://pathways.campus.eab.com/pal/mT8JxcvuBG

Don't see a time that works for you? Just send me an email!

Your In-Country Contacts:

Tod Swanson

Tod Swanson, Associate Professor, Arizona State University, PhD University of Chicago, is the on-site director for the Pitt in Ecuador program. He is a specialist in Amazonian culture and environment. His areas of research includes indigenous relations to plant and animal species and Kichwa linguistics. Swanson manages the 1300 acre Iyarina Forest Preserve as an ongoing experiment in sustaining of fragmented Amazonian forest.
In 1999 Swanson founded the Andes and Amazon Field School in his wife's home community on the Napo River. Swanson's administrative experience includes having directed Arizona State University's Center for Latin American Studies as a Title VI National Resource Center from 1997-2007. He has also held elected office as a councilman for environmental affairs for the Santu Urku Amazonian Kichwa Community. Contact Tod Swanson.

Items Billed by Pitt
	In-State	Out-of-State
Program Fee	$1,799	$1,999

Estimated Additional Out-of-Pocket Costs
Airfare		$1,000 - $1,400
Meals and Personal Expenses		$300

Remember that your lifestyle and spending choices can greatly affect the amount of money you'll need while abroad. Visit our Budgeting page for more information. The above estimates are estimates.

What's Included:

As a part of your program fee, the following are included in the program:

Tuition for 1 credit
Airport transfers upon arrival and departure (group transfer only)
Transportation from Quito to the Andes and Amazon Field School
Three family style meals a day while at AAFS
International travel health insurance
Cultural activities

What Else You Need to Know:

You will fly into Quito, Ecuador and fly home from Quito, Ecuador at the end of the program. You are required to book your flights within the arrival/departure window set by your program manager.
The field school is tucked in the rainforest along the Napo River and located about 3 kilometers from the town of Tena. It is about a three hour bus ride from Quito to the Field School. If you get motion sickness, you may want to bring motion sickness medication.
You will have many opportunities to go into Tena via bus or local taxi
Classrooms are held in open air rooms.
Some classes will involve hiking in the forest for a few hours. Rubber boots are provided, but it's probably a good idea to bring a pair of hiking shoes.
While are you staying and living in a tropical rainforest, temperatures can still become cool at night or at elevation. Make sure to pack a light jacket, sweatshirt and pants.
Three meals a day are included. Accommodations for dietary restrictions and preferences can be made, but there may be limited alternative options based on the kitchen size and staffing. Important to purchase snacks as sometimes excursions in the field may delay a meal.
Flexibility is extremely important. Schedules may change.
Remember that this is an academic program and that you should expect to invest the same amount of time and effort on your courses abroad as you would on a course at Pitt.
You will need to bring a laptop or tablet with you
There is internet and wifi, but it may be slower than you're used to in the U.S. There may be restrictions on using it at certain times throughout the day. You will still be able to communicate with your families, stay in touch with friends and use it for academic coursework.
There will be bugs.
The juice at breakfast is phenomenal