{"id":271,"date":"2014-07-25T11:40:15","date_gmt":"2014-07-25T15:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mansfieldu.wpengine.com\/?p=271"},"modified":"2014-07-25T12:18:43","modified_gmt":"2014-07-25T16:18:43","slug":"students-travel-to-belize-for-summer-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=271","title":{"rendered":"Students Travel to Belize for Summer Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

MANSFIELD, PA\u2014 Fourteen Mansfield University students led by two professors traveled to Belize, a small Central American country about the size of Massachusetts with a population of just over 300,000, earlier this summer.\"The<\/a><\/strong>Jeffrey Bosworth and Jonathan C. Rothermel of the History and Political Science Department had been planning the short-term, study abroad trip for over a year. The course, PSC 4455: Field Research in Belize, ran during the first summer session, but the highlight of the course was a two-week, in-country field research component.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBelize represents an excellent opportunity for students to see the problems that face a developing country, particularly with regard to globalization and environmental protection and it has the added benefit of being English-speaking and a multi-ethnic democracy,\u201d Bosworth said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each student selected a research question prior to arriving in Belize and focused their field research on gathering information about their topic and developing their theses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Students met with a wide range of people including the Speaker \"THe<\/a>of the House for the National Assembly, an American expatriate citrus farmer, local entrepreneurs, government officials from the Ministry of Tourism, a former Senator and appointed member of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, a managing director of a wildlife sanctuary, Mayan tour guides, Mennonite chicken and dairy farmers, professors from the University of Belize, and representatives from the US Embassy, just to name a few.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While in Belize, students visited historical Mayan sites, including Altun Ha and Xunantunich. They also ventured deep into the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, at times submersed into water up to their shoulders, to see Mayan pottery vessels and human remains believed to have been sacrificed, including the mostly intact skeletal remains of a woman (who many now believe to be a man) for whom the cave is named after. While most of the trip was spent in the interior of the country, mainly San Ignacio, students traveled to one of Belize\u2019s beautiful tropical cayes for the final leg of the trip.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMost people we met in Belize assumed we were archaeologists or biologists, and they seemed surprised \u2013 if not slightly amused \u2013 when we told them we were political scientists,\u201d Rothermel said. \u201cBelizeans were very forthright about sharing their political views and their concern for the future of their country was evident in conversations that we had with them.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

For most of the students, it was their first time out of the country. Many were struck by the obvious poverty in parts of Belize. \u201cI appreciate what I have here in the states so much more based on how happy the people of Belize are with so little, \u201cPoliitical Science major Ariel Faber said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Geology major Anthony Magistro appreciated the simplicity of the Belizean lifestyle, which emphasizes a \u201cgo slow\u201d attitude. \u201cBelize changed my perspective on what amenities I would be comfortable living without,\u201d he said. \u201cI was pleasantly surprised at how easily I found it to go about my day without something as seemingly basic as cell phone service.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The friendliness and hospitality of the Belizeans quickly won over the students. Kelsy Woodman, a history and political science major, loved the connections she made with the locals during the trip. \u201cBeing able to study in a developing country, eating local food, and talking to locals was one of the greatest experiences I\u2019ve had in my life,\u201d Woodman said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that studying abroad in Belize was a life-changing experience, helping me to discover a part of myself and learn so much more about the world I live in,\u201d Communication major Jalise Clark said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To see pictures and information on the group’s trip,\u00a0 go to their Facebook page at facebook.com\/MUBelize2014<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bosworth and Rothermel are already making plans to run the course again next summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANSFIELD, PA\u2014 Fourteen Mansfield University students led by two professors traveled to Belize, a small Central American country about the … Continue reading >Students Travel to Belize for Summer Study<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6V0yH-4n","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":824,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=824","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":0},"title":"MU Students and Faculty Return to Belize","author":"Terry Day","date":"July 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u2014Fourteen Mansfield University students, accompanied by Political Science Professors Jeff Bosworth and Jonathan C. Rothermel, traveled to Belize in June as part of a six-credit summer course, PSC 3385 Field Research Abroad.This is the second straight year for the two-week trip to the Central American country for MU students,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Students at Altun Ha, a Mayan ruin, just hours after landing in Belize.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Belize-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Belize-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Belize-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Belize-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Belize-4.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":855,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=855","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":1},"title":"MU Student Spends Summer in Belize Gaining Valuable Experience","author":"Terry Day","date":"August 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u2014 A year after traveling to Belize as part of the Mansfield University Political Science program\u2019s short-term study abroad course, Sarah Estes, a Biology major and Political Science minor from York, PA, returned to intern at the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (MBWS) during the summer of 2015. She first\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Sarah Estes 1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mansfieldu.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Sarah-Estes-1-300x254.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2005,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=2005","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":2},"title":"Mansfield Leads State System Honors Trip to Belize","author":"Terry Day","date":"June 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u2014 Every summer, one of the 14 universities from Pennsylvania\u2019s State System of Higher Education organizes a trip abroad exclusively for honors students.This year, Mansfield University volunteered to host the annual State System honors trip, which was approved by the respective honors directors. Twelve of the universities, including Mansfield,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Belize\"","block_context":{"text":"Belize","link":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?tag=belize"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/web-Belize-17-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/web-Belize-17-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C535&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/web-Belize-17-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C535&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/web-Belize-17-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C535&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/web-Belize-17-1-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C535&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1438,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=1438","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":3},"title":"Students and Faculty Study and Explore in Belize","author":"Terry Day","date":"July 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u2014For the third straight year, 14 Mansfield University students, accompanied by Political Science Professors Jeff Bosworth and Jonathan C. Rothermel, travelled to Belize in June as part of a six-credit summer course, PSC 3385 Field Research Abroad.\u00a0 Allison Conway (Camp Hill, PA), Cerridwen Cox (Drexel Hill, PA), Lacey Deihl\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Belize-16-3.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Belize-16-3.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Belize-16-3.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Belize-16-3.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4062,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=4062","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":4},"title":"Mansfield University Returns to Belize","author":"rmcnamara","date":"July 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Mansfield University students in Belize MANSFIELD, Pa. - 16 Mansfield University students and three\u00a0faculty returned to Belize after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19.\u00a0 From May 25 to June 8, students traveled throughout Belize to learn about this small English-speaking, democratic, Central American country as part of a general education\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MU-students-Belize.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MU-students-Belize.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MU-students-Belize.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MU-students-Belize.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/munews.mansfield.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MU-students-Belize.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3197,"url":"https:\/\/munews.mansfield.edu\/?p=3197","url_meta":{"origin":271,"position":5},"title":"Annual trip to Belize Exposes Mansfield University Students to Cultural Mosaic","author":"John Maslar","date":"June 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"MANSFIELD, PA\u00a0 \u2014 Fourteen Mansfield University students traveled to Belize from May 16-30 as part of a field research course that focuses on the culture, economy, and politics of Belize. 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