JAN 400-01 - DIRT-y Work in the Brazilian Amazon

Level: 400-level: Travel

Course Fee: TBD
Learn about the Jan Term Travel Scholarship for additional funding.

This fee includes:
Airfare, Local Transportation, Lodging, Meals, Excursions (e.g., museums, tours, etc.), Gratuity, Travel Insurance ($35/student - international classes only)

Estimated cost outside of course fee:
meals in airports, souvenirs, possible required travel shots (that may or may not be covered by personal insurance)

Instructor(s): Shawny Anderson Jesse Wheeler,

Email: sanderso@stmarys-ca.edu jwheeler@stillman.edu

This course allows students to live and work full time in a rainforest community in the Amazon basin in Northern Brazil. Our home will be an ecotourism camp in a forest preserve; we sleep in hammocks every night in a screened enclosure; we eat local foods and assist in the kitchen as meals are prepared; we walk to our worksites and participate in projects of our hosts’ choosing; and we get to know the community members, their families, and their priorities. Having built strong relationships with the community of Anã in the state of Pará, we will revisit prior projects there, including water and sanitation work, reforestation, food sovereignty efforts, and development of a small ecotourism footprint to support their collective goals. We will also take a mid-trip excursion to visit other rainforest communities to learn about the similarities and differences between those and our Amazon home. We call this program DIRT (Dismantle, Immerse, Reflect, Transform). We take apart our preconceptions about ourselves and our hosts (Dismantle), we live as closely as we can in community onsite (Immerse), we process our experiences through dialogue/deliberation/documentation (Reflect), and we experience positive change in our host community and ourselves (Transform). In order to properly prepare for this adventure, we will need to read and learn about the history and culture of the region, understand the concepts of “conscientious collaboration” (appropriately joining a community that is not our own) and “responsible representation” (how to document our own experiences as well as those of our hosts), and we will establish shared agreements about our own group and how we intend to function as a unit. To do so, we will hold three overnight retreats in the fall of 2025 (most likely on the weekends of October 10-12, November 7-9, and the day finals end in December). In addition to those retreats, we will gather in the two days before our departure to share book reports completed over Christmas break.

ITINERARY:

Jan. 3-4: On-campus book reports and final packing push

Week 1

Monday, Jan. 5: Depart from SFO, Arrive at MAO (Manaus)
Tuesday, Jan. 6: Depart from MAO, Arrive at STM (Santarém)
Wednesday, Jan. 7: Santarém
Gather materials for on-site projects in Santarém
Thursday, Jan. 8: Depart from Santarém, Arrive in Anã (by boat)
Jan. 8-10: Anã
Work in Anã.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Anã
Soccer game (SMC v. Brazil)

Week 2

Jan. 11-14: Anã
Work in Anã.
Jan. 15-16: Excursion to other communities by boat
Saturday, Jan. 17: Anã
Soccer game (SMC v. Brazil)
Finalize community projects in Anã

Week 3

Jan. 18-19: Anã
Finalize community projects in Anã
Monday, Jan. 19: Depart Anã, Arrive in Santarém
Tuesday, Jan. 20: Santarém
Souvenir shopping and zoo visit
Wednesday, Jan. 21: Depart from Santarém, Arrive at SFO
Jan. 22-23: Campus
Computer lab work at SMC to complete final projects

Prerequisites & Notes
Attend at least 1 information session & receive instructor permission

General Travel Requirements

Attend at least 1 Health & Safety Orientation (October)
Submit a valid passport (November)
- Apply or renew no later than September for on-time delivery
Submit completed & signed health forms + proof of vaccination(s) (November)

Note: Failure to complete one or more of the above requirements will result in an immediate drop from the course. Once registered, all course fees are non-refundable.

Please check the Jan Term Travel website for information session, registration, and deposit information.

FAQs

Credits: 3 + 1 CU EL