Click to see larger poster In Bolivia, students are exposed to a range of methods to assess changes in quality of life and the environment that occur as highly autarkic indigenous peoples gain a stronger foothold in the market economy and the modern world. Training during the summer of 2008 will center on methods to collect information on the following topics: household economics, local ethno-ecological knowledge, nutrition, health, and subjective well-being. Working in groups of 2-3, students frame hypotheses, select methods to collect the information to answer their hypotheses, apply the methods in a village, enter the data in the field, clean it, and do preliminary data analysis in the field. Besides having to apply the methods learned, students are responsible for all aspects of daily life — sweeping camp/house, cooking, collecting firewood and water, and the like.
The goals of the training program are to: (a) help students clarify their thinking about how to formulate and develop compelling competing hypotheses for their dissertations, (b) expose them to a range of methods for collecting information so they can test the hypotheses using a multivariate approach, (c) help students develop professionally by discussing topics not normally covered in the classroom (e.g., strategies for publications), (d) expose students to a collaborative multidisciplinary research project so they can see how multidisciplinary research takes place in practice, and (e) expose students to life in the field in a structured, relaxed, enjoyable, supportive, and safe setting.
