ANT4608 Community Economic Empowerment
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits
This course combines Babson students’ business know-how (e.g. in financial research, database design, and working with vendors) with qualitative research and research communication. Students will participate in an engaged anthropology project with a partner nonprofit organization that advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and supports their self-determination. Our starting point as engaged anthropologists is that knowledge is co-produced between qualitative researchers and their interlocutors. In this course you will learn how to manage relationships with your research partners, not just as client management, but also as a core part of how you determine what questions to ask and the most effective ways to answer them.
Indigenous Peoples face exclusion from and unequal integration into national economies and polities. Students will learn about how Indigenous Peoples work to sustain their lifeways, economies, and political rights and to achieve self-determination in these domains.
You will learn directly from Indigenous Peoples by producing qualitative research to meet their economic, political, and communication needs. You will consider the ways in which your life is entangled with those of Indigenous Peoples and grapple with your responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples.
Prerequisites: two Intermediate Liberal arts courses in any combination (LTA, CSP, HSS)