March 8, 2025 Dr. Grace Bascopé: “Service Learning and Calling the Rain to a Maya Village.”
There were certainly challenges but also many rewards that resulted from holding a month-long service learning field school in a Yukatek Maya-speaking community. The guiding principle was to involve village young people and leaders as equal partners in the teaching and learning process. The mix of ages and language skills (varying levels of Yukatek, Spanish, and English) challenged participants to find ways to support each other’s learning experience. As a final product each student negotiated a project meaningful and useful to at least one village member. Dr. Bascopé discussed the importance of some of these products.
Dr. Grace Bascopé directs the Maya Research Program’s projects in the Maya village of Yaxunah, Yucatán, México and is a Resident Research Associate at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth. She holds an M.S.S.W. in Social Work and Public Administration from the University of Texas, and she received her Ph.D. in Medical and Environmental Anthropology from Southern Methodist University. She has taught at both Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas.