For more than five years, Sociology Associate Professor Dr. Morgan Poteet has collaborated on a research partnership with Dr. Amanda Grzyb from Western University on the surviving memory in post-war El Salvador (1980-1992). He felt the experience working in the communities and learning from the residents would be a valuable opportunity for students across disciplines — and the El Salvador Field School at Mount Allison was born.

"My connection to El Salvador through my research goes back many years and this field school is an extension of that,” says Poteet. “I wanted students to be able to experience the country, learn from the communities, speak to residents and community groups, and see things for themselves."

Modelled after a field school led by Grzyb, Poteet says while the field school is a for-credit sociology course, it’s quite interdisciplinary with focuses also on environmental and economic vulnerability.

The course involved background readings and team-building orientation, followed by an 8-day trip to learn from Salvadoran community leaders at the forefront of the struggle for environmental and social justice. Students kept a daily journal and were tasked with developing a creative presentation upon their return based on their area of interest.

Poteet says the six students and alumna who attended the field school really seized the opportunity in such a short time.

"It was amazing how much they engaged with the communities and then reflected on their own,” says Poteet. “I think the experience was very valuable and very individual to each student.”

Fourth-year honours international relations student Isabella Andrea was interested in the intersections between historical memory, environmental crisis, contemporary social movements, and displacement and migration.

"This international experience has definitely shaped my learning journey going forward and provided new perspectives to my future goals as I intend to pursue a Master’s in Global Affairs and then law school,” says Andrea. “It also provided me with a unique opportunity to apply my Spanish language training."

International relations and sociology alumna Selina Khan (’24) attended the field school to help support Poteet and the students. With her time at Mount Allison impacted by the pandemic, she didn’t have the opportunity to attend a similar field school but felt her Spanish language skills and extensive travel experience would be a value-add to the group.

"I saw this field school impact the students in different ways," says Khan. "In ways that change who they are and how they see and interact with the world, ongoing."

Khan is currently the Membership Coordination Intern with the NATO Association of Canada and will start her Master's in Global Governance at Waterloo Balsillie Institute in the fall.

Fourth-year honours psychology student Allaina Boudreau had never travelled outside of Canada and wanted to get out of her comfort zone and experience a different culture. She plans to pursue clinical psychology after Mount Allison.

"For my final project I wrote a research paper about the selflessness I saw in El Salvador, how they use that as a form of resilience in response to the injustices they face,” says Boudreau. 

Poteet’s research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). All students had the opportunity to apply to the University for travel funding support for the trip. Poteet plans to offer the El Salvador Field School again in future years and hopes to see attendance grow.