Contemporary Mayas: a Culture of Nature
Examines Maya philosophy, history, and contemporary issues through the lens of their relationship with the environment, including resistance and cultural survival.
Summary
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.88 GPA, 87.5% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.78 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.89 GPA, 94.7% A/AB (n=19 letter grades).
What you’ll be able to do
Examine the intricate relationship between the indigenous Maya people and their natural environment. Compare and contrast the Mayan view of nature with Western conceptualizations.
Critically evaluate theories surrounding the collapse or intentional transformation of the Maya civilization.
Explore the history of Mayan resistance from colonial to contemporary times and analyze how their connection to nature has influenced this resistance.
Evaluate the impact of 20th and 21st-century politics and economic systems on Maya culture.
Develop a critical understanding of the multifaceted socio-environmental conflicts in Maya territories.
Acquire knowledge about current Mayan activism and efforts to safeguard their land and traditional knowledge.
Engage in reflection on decolonial and transdisciplinary approaches to thinking, researching, and traversing Maya lands.
Articulate the connections between Maya spirituality, health, ethics, and nature.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course map(CHICLA/SPANISH 222 or SPANISH 223) and SPANISH 224
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Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
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Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.88 GPA, 87.5% A/AB (n=8 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.78 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.89 GPA, 94.7% A/AB (n=19 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
No workload feedback recorded.
Topics
- Maya philosophy and history
- History of Mayan resistance
- Impact of modern politics and economics on Maya culture
- Interconnectedness of spirituality, health, ethics, and nature
Skills
- Critical evaluation of historical theories regarding Maya civilization
- Comparative analysis of environmental worldviews
- Application of decolonial and transdisciplinary research frameworks
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
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Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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