MRU Students Travel to Sri Lanka for an Incredible Field School Experience
The inaugural offering of the Sri Lanka Bio-Cultural Anthropology Field School was conducted last spring. Thirteen MRU students traveled to Sri Lanka and participated in this incredible experiential learning opportunity. Dr. Samanti Kulatilake, Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology led this group of students enrolled in the credit course ANTH 2121 - Field Studies in Anthropology.
The field experience entailed having "lecture halls" outdoors - on the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean, rock escarpments, banks of lakes, on water, among ancient ruins, sometimes and way up high among the clouds. The group visited several UNESCO World Heritage sites, museums and explored prehistoric caves and observed diverse life ways, cultural practices, and non-human primates in their natural habitats. Students learned tons from experts and got to taste first-hand what field studies and field work in anthropology is like. Students made connections with peers in Sri Lanka and experienced the sights, sounds, aromas and tastes the island had to offer.
Each student was able to make a strong experiential connection to their chosen research project and area of interest in anthropology at multiple points, and they were excellent ambassadors for MRU and for Canada. Looking back on their amazing adventures and learning experiences they say that the Sri Lanka field school enriched them in many ways. They plan to share their projects and stories at a showcase scheduled for mid-October at MRU.
