Will Allen
From EcuadorWiki
I am a participant in STC 005: Cross-Cultural Learning in Ecuador.
Contents |
Informacion Acerca de yo Mismo
Grade: Junior (2009) Major: Program of Emphasis in Social Policy Minor: Music
Academic Interests
- disability rights
- education policy
- agriculture
- environmental sustainability
Post-Alma and Career Goals
- Academic
- Joint JD/Ph.D (there's a great program at UC-Berkeley!)
- AmeriCorps
- Teach for America
- Career
- City manager
- Researcher for governmental agency like the Michigan Department of Labor
Otra Informacion
I am the Vice President of Student Congress, a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and a bass in the Alma College Choir.
I play the piano, read extensively, and enjoy hassling my two advisors Ed Lorenz and Murray Borrello every day. (They secretly enjoy it.)
Por que voy a Ecuador?
I chose this course because it offered me a chance to travel in a Spanish-speaking nation. As someone with experience teaching ESL (English as a Second Language), I think that language-acquisition by immersion is a valuable opportunity: I've only studied Latin in high school, and am excited to begin learning Spanish.
Though I am not an Education major, I joined the Education group because it allowed me to experience another nation's education system. Since I am interested in education policy--particularly when combined with poverty issues like those found in Ecuador--this service-learning component was very applicable.
Expectaciones
Spanish-language Learning
- to learn simple questions and answers well enough to be functional
- to build on my Latin skills as I learn Spanish
Education Placement
- to compare the classroom teaching of the United States and Ecuador
- to understand any effects that poverty, urbanization, or rurality have on education in Ecuador
- to witness the effects of any national or regional policies dealing with these related issues in Ecuador
Informacion del Proyecto
Policymaking is often studied at the macro-level--along with impersonal bureaucracies, governmental agencies, and that ever-present Max Weber character. But it is often forgotten that policies do affect real people.
- New York City's practice of housing previously homeless families in buildings not meeting city codes has legal implications, and also impacts the cohesiveness of the families who may be evicted.
- the recent Congressional hearing that involved the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) safety policies highlights the very real and damaging effects of diacetyl (an artifical flavoring) to popcorn workers--as well as the continuing medical costs incurred to them.
With this in mind, my project aims to understand both the impact that constructed perceptions, policies, and practices have on local Ecuadorians--and share that with an audience back in the States. Specifically, I will draw upon pictures, recordings, conversations, and interviews conducted throughout the three weeks.
The areas I will research include:
- perceptions of national government and the United States (see Emily Neil's project)
- development and success of local education policy within the context of poverty
- local economic results of environmental policies such as the protection of the Galapagos Islands
- changes in culture, norms, values, and welfare development through generations
After compiling this information, I will present it as an online resource, either as a site or a Wikipage. Because of the length of time that this project could take, a paper-copy alternative could be provided at the end of the summer.
The two questions I ultimately hope to answer are "Why do we do what we do--and what can be done to improve our situation?" By comparing the relationships between national policy and local reality in both developed and developing nations, I hope to accomplish this.
For more information about the legal and historical background of Ecuador, see Political and Cultural History.
Informacion Especifica Acerca de este Semestre de la Primavera
Excellent Roommate and Fellow World Traveller: Brent Riley
My Travelogue Day: Thursday, May 17
