RICHARD STAHLER-SHOLK
Professor
Department of Political Science
Eastern Michigan University
601 Pray-Harrold
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 U.S.A.
Tel. (734) 487-3113
Fax (734) 487-3340
Email: rstahler@emich.edu
Curriculum Vitae:
pdf file
My current research is on Latin American social movements, focusing on the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico. See my blog from the sabbatical year
I spent there in 2005-06.
For information on how you can support Zapatista autonomous schools
in indigenous Maya communities, click here.)
RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS - alternatives to the corporate ratrace:
Alternatives to the Peace Corps, book with listings (Oakland, CA: Food First Books)
Peace & activism handbooks and directories
(San Francisco: Global Exchange)
Idealist.org, Online listings of jobs and internships in the nonprofit sector (U.S. and abroad)
Opportunity Knocks, non-profit job listings in the U.S.
InterAction (American Council for Voluntary International Action), Careers in International Development
Campus Compact, listing of social change jobs, internships, fellowships
DART, Direct Action & Research Training Network, field school for community organizers
Center for Third World Organizing, activist/organizer training in Oakland, CA for social justice work in communities of color
AFL-CIO Organizing Institute, training & placement in labor organizing
Everett Public Service Internships, 10-week stipend for summer internships at
public service organizations
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Junior Fellows Program,
one-year fellowships to work as research assistants to CEIP senior associates
Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship, 6-9 month stipend for college graduates to work
as project assistants with peace & disarmament non-governmental organizations in Washington, DC
Institute for Policy Studies, unpaid internships at "the nation's oldest and largest multi-issue
think tank promoting progressive thought" on foreign and domestic policy issues, in Washington, DC
Freeman Peace Internships, one-year paid internships with the
Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
Fund for Peace internship program, practical experience in international affairs
projects "to prevent war & alleviate the conditions that cause war," for students of political science/international relations
Washington Peace Center job listings and peace activism in D.C. area
Teach for America, 2-year commitment to teach in low-income communities
New York Teaching Fellows, training and subsidized Master's degree programs for teaching in
underprivileged areas
National scholarships, list compiled by University of Maryland
THINKING ABOUT GRADUATE SCHOOL? For general advice, click here.
Directories of graduate programs:
-Political science/social sciences:
American Political Science Association links of all political science Ph.D.-granting programs in the U.S.
Comprehensive online directory of graduate schools (by discipline)
Education for Action: Undergraduate and Graduate Programs that Focus on Social Change
(Oakland, CA: Food First Books)
Truman scholarships, support for graduate studies, for juniors committed to careers in public service (including nonprofits)
Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund, need-based grants for undergraduate or graduate students actively working for peace and justice
-Peace studies/human rights:
-Development studies:
-International affairs (general):
-Latin American Studies:
GET INVOLVED! Local activist organizations:
Amnesty International at EMU (student organization), contact info or
subscribe to email list about activities
Michigan Peaceworks - "grassroots organization dedicated to peace, democracy, civil rights, and civil liberties"
Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice (Ann Arbor, MI) - task forces working on disarmament, globalization, hunger, Latin America, Middle East, racial & economic justice
Michigan Peace Team (Lansing-based) - offers nonviolence training workshops and provides opportunities to join peace teams in the U.S. and abroad
INFORM YOURSELF! Alternatives to the mainstream media:
Independent Media Center - "Indymedia is a collective of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage"
One World - news with emphasis on the global South ("Third World" or developing countries)
Common Dreams, republishes articles from progressive media
Z Magazine - "independent monthly magazine dedicated to resisting injustice, defending against repression, and creating liberty"
STUDY ABROAD! Broaden your horizons:
EMU Academic Programs Abroad
Mexico Solidarity Network program on Mexican social movements
Center for Global Education, Augsburg College (programs in Mexico, Central America, southern Africa)
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships, for a year or two of undergraduate or graduate study in another country
INTERESTED IN LATIN AMERICAN ISSUES? Information resources:
LATIN AMERICA EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL/VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Witness for Peace - eye-opening social justice delegations
Global Exchange - "Reality Tours" to developing countries
Chiapas Peace House and Casa Chapulín/Oaxaca - places volunteers in progressive organizations & indigenous communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca
EntreMundos - helps volunteers find meaningful work in & around Xela (Quetzaltenango), Guatemala
STUDY SPANISH IN LATIN AMERICA:
1) Cemanahuac (Cuernavaca, Mexico)
(Cemanahuac Educational Community)
Located in a pleasant, quiet town about an hour from Mexico City, close enough that you can easily go check out the museums etc. but far enough that you're away from the smog and commotion of the big city. I know the owners (a U.S./Mexican couple). This is a well-established place, probably the most serious language instruction of all the ones listed here, but also with a social consciousness and opportunity to take side trips to explore aspects of Mexican culture and history.
2) Quetzaltenango (known locally as "Xela," pronounced "SHAY-La"), Guatemala
a) (Proyecto Lingüístico Quetzalteco de Español)
b) (Asociación Pop Wuj)
These are two separate language schools, both located in the small city of Quetzaltenango. Most of the language schools in Guatemala are located in Antigua, which is a picturesque town but now totally overrun with tourists and language schools. Xela on the other hand is a majority indigenous (Maya) town, with a Maya mayor and thriving indigenous culture and not so many gringos, a much less artificial environment. Both these schools offer opportunities to work on community development projects while you're studying. Probably a little cheaper than Cemanahuac, maybe a little less rigorous language instruction.
3) Chiapas, Mexico
a) (Zapatista Rebel Autonomous Spanish and Maya Languages Center, CELMRAZ)
Located in the Zapatista autonomous village of Oventik, in the highlands of Chiapas about 45 minutes from the old colonial capital of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Tuition is on a sliding scale, and proceeds benefit young students in the Zapatista autonomous rebel educational system. A very interesting experience in terms of being close to a Zapatista community. Living conditions are rustic (simple dorms), but you're not that far away from San Cristóbal.
According to the school's website, "the Language Center is a space for exchange and communication with diverse peoples and cultures of the world. Learning Tsotsil and Spanish is a concrete form of this exchange because the classes are offered in a context of the reality of the indigenous people in resistance. The activities offered are part of the educational and cultural exchange and are given in reciprocity for the economic support that brothers and sisters offer to the school. We do not make language yet another piece of merchandise. We do not sell it, but we do share it with all those who are open to this cultural experience and who identify with our struggle.
Who can participate? All those who share our ideal of Justice, Liberty and Democracy for all, in accordance with the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, without distinction on the basis of language, race, religion, age or gender. You will need a letter of recommendation from an organization or group (social, political, educational, religious, cultural) that will assume the responsibility of your coming to our Center in the Caracol II of Resistance and Rebellion, Oventic, located in the Highlands of Chiapas."
b) (Instituto Jovel)
Located in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas (former colonial state capital, quaint, a fair amount of backpacking traffic to the surrounding Mayan ruins and more recently seat of a lot of NGOs sympathetic to indigenous rights). Probably a medium level of seriousness of language instruction (less than Cemanahuac). Pleasant town, good base for exploring other parts of Chiapas or traveling to Guatemala, modest cost.
4) San Salvador, El Salvador
Mélida Anaya Montes Language School
Spanish with emphasis on social justice and community development, using popular education techniques with a participatory method. The school is named after FMLN Commander Ana María, educator and revolutionary. Themes of instruction include neoliberalism, U.S. intervention, women's human rights, social movements, environment.
MEXICO AND CHIAPAS/ACTIVISM:
Mexico Solidarity Network news, delegations; offices in Chicago and D.C.
Global Exchange, Mexico campaign
Chiapas resources and lists - news, Zapatista communiqués
Schools for Chiapas - solidarity projects; news, travel, study opportunities
Brewing Hope - fair trade coffee project (Ann Arbor, MI)
Cloudforest Initiatives - travel seminars to Chiapas (with language study and homestay) and fair trade project