34th Annual Conference

Conference Activities and Sessions

Our 34th Annual Conference, Culture, Sustainability, and Environment in Latin America, was held March 8-11, 2023, in Palenque, Mexico. AAPLAC is grateful to our conference co-hosts—Natik Esperanza and the Municipal Tourism Office of Palenque—and our co-organizers—the Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas and the Universidad Politécnico de Chiapas.

*All times are shown in US Central Standard Time (CST).

This schedule is subject to change and will be updated as needed.

Wednesday, March 8
9:00 AM-1:00 PM	Popular Education Forum SADEC Headquarters, Avenida Campeche s/n esquina Quintana Roo, Colonia La Mielera Interactive forum with Chiapas NGOs working with local change-agents with ample practical experience, but minimal formal education. The fee for this optional activity is $35.
5:30-7:00 PM	Welcome and Introduction of Keynote Speaker Maya Tulipanes, Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Keynote Address by Dr. Rubén Monroy Hernández Director of the Autonomous University of Chiapas, Mayan Faculty of Agricultural Studies
7:00 PM	Welcome Reception Maya Tulipanes
Thursday, March 9
9:00-9:30 AM	Conference Opening and Welcome Maya Tulipanes, Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO
9:30-10:20 AM	Session 1: Preparing Diverse Student Populations for Study Abroad Success Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Steve Gardner, Illinois College Preparing Students for Greater Growth in Intercultural Competence in Short-Term Study Abroad Programs Jane E. Hardy, Wabash College Using FLIP to Connect Students across Borders Elizabeth Rodas, CEDEI Ecuador
10:20-10:45 AM	Coffee Break-Light Refreshments Sponsored by Albright College ELCDC
10:45 AM-12:00 PM	Session 2: Indigenous Rights and Language Preservation Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Hannah Palmer, Tulane University Zapatismo, Environmentalism, and the Mayan Train Will Baynard, University of Wisconsin-Madison Student-Led Indigenous Language Collaboration: The Successes and Challenges of a Maya K'iche' Conversation Group Emily Taylor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Polly Lauer, Yale University Miskitu Language and Culture Laura Herily, University of Kansas
12:00-2:00 PM	Lunch on your own
2:00-3:00 PM	Session 3: Transdisciplinarity in Study Abroad Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Kim Justeson, Albright College The Framing of Study Abroad in Academic Journals (Virtual) Margaret Rakus, Gwenydd Mercy University Conservation and the Importance of Knowing the Culture: Interdisciplinary Collaborations between the Global Studies and Biology Departments at Illinois College Steven Gardner, Illinois College
3:00-3:15 PM	Discussion/Coffee Break Sponsored by Albright College Environmental Studies Program
3:15-4:45 PM	Session 4: Holistic Understanding through Experiential Learning Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Abel Rubén Hernández Ulloa, Universidad de Guadalajara Using an Ecopedagogy Approach to Achieve Praxis through Experiential Education: Learning Experiences in Amatlan de Quetzalcoatl, an Indigenous Community in Morelos, México Fátima Mendoza, Augsburg University, Center for Global Education and Experience (CGEE)-Mexico Cuidadores de la Tierra: Cuatro llaves para ayudar a los jóvenes a vivir en armonía con la Tierra Bruce Johnson, University of Arizona Todd Fletcher, University of Arizona Andrea Bennett Gutiérrez, University of Arizona Reciprocal Scholarship in the Ecuadorian Tropical Rainforest: Reflections on a Research-focused Conservation Model Liat Perlin, Tulane University Liv Davison, Tulane University
4:45-5:00 PM	Coffee Break Sponsored by Tulane University Stone Center for Latin American Studies
5:00-6:00 PM	Session 5: Roundtable: Sustainable Study Abroad Practices in the Wake of the Pandemic Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Annie Gibson, Tulane University Participants: Annie Gibson, Tulane University Hannah Palmer, Tulane University Malcolm Botto, Brigham Young University Deborah Colvin, Natik
Friday, March 10
10:00-11:30 AM	Business Meeting Salón AMBAR Discussion of the future of AAPLAC. All conference attendees have voting rights.
11:00-11:15 AM	Coffee Break-Light Refreshments Sponsored by Tulane University Center for Global Education
11:30 AM-12:30 PM	Session 6: Community Engaged Projects Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Todd Fletcher, University of Arizona-Reslandor International Valley Craft: un proyecto de educación no formal e informal de lo Global y lo Local Dania Abigail Acosta Ramírez, Colectivo Yomajso Valley Colaboración internacional para la educación intercultural y el desarrollo comunitario Abel Rubén Hernández Ulloa, Universidad de Guanajuato
12:30-1:30 PM	Session 7: Identity Construction and Study Abroad Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Jane Hardy, Wabash College Salient Identities Abroad; How Students' Identities Shape their Study Abroad Experience Brian Jennings, Albright College Kim Justeson, Albright College Estefania Cenci, Albright College Ryan Elmore, Albright College Tasia Cowert, Albright College Constructing Spaces of Identity, Agency, and Scholarship in a Critically Integrated Classroom Kevan A. Kiser-Chuc, University of Arizona
1:30-3:15 PM	Lunch on your own
3:15-4:15 PM	Session 8: International Education in Theory and Practice Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Annie Gibson, Tulane University The Future of Education Abroad: Global Learning Reimagined Katherine Heird, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Ungrading Education Away Morgan Halstead, Malcolm X College Kathleen McInerney, Saint Xavier University
4:15-4:30 PM	Coffee Break
4:30-5:45 PM	Session 9: Liberation, Empowerment, and the Arts Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Moderator: Katherine Heird, University of Maryland, Baltimore County The North American No Borders Movement: How We Can Follow the Example of the Monarch Butterflies and Indigenous Peoples Jan Hanvik, Crossing Bridges LLC/Puentes y Redes A.C. La Casa de Papel: Percibiendo el alcance cultural y los sentidos humanos de las experiencias migratorias Elizabeth Astorga Gaxiola, University of Arizona "Who Casts the First Stone": a documentary short about an experimental social reintegration project in Mexico City Nahui Twomey, Independent Scholar and Artist Michael Twomey, ConArte
5:45-6:00 PM	Introducing Cali, Colombia Salón Múltiple ZAFIRO Location of the 35th Annual AAPLAC Conference February 21-24, 2024
Saturday, March 11
9:00 AM-1:00 PM	Tour of Palenque Ruins Palenque is one of the most studied and documented Mayan archeological ruins. Our visit to the archeological site will be accompanied by a professional guide and culminate with a visit to the site museum, where the artifacts that were uncovered during many decades of excavation and reproductions are well documented. The fee for this optional activity is $35.
7:00 PM	Conference Dinner Restaurante Maya Cañada, across the street from conference venue Included in conference registration fee.