International Program with Traditional Healers

This program will include two components:   (1) international field experiences for students, and (2) faculty partnership with healers.

Essentially, the international field experiences for students will allow interested students to travel abroad and have a structured contact with healers for a short period (2 months). Their projects could focus on formal research, research-action, or other types of projects that could translate into benefits for healers and their traditional practices.  This component could be part of Pitzer College's External Studies Program.

The second component, named Faculty Partnerships with Healers will promote and encourage faculty members to visit healers abroad and establish working relationships.  The specific nature of these relationships remains to be determined in the field.  This approach certainly will promote innovative work of immense use in teaching and research.  For example, the gathered information and data on healers from around the world could be an invaluable material for the content of courses.  Faculty members could deliver guest lectures for courses across the campuses and other universities.  In addition, they could become key resource people in the field of cross-cultural health and healing, enhancing the external visibility and expertise of the Claremont Colleges.

Local Program with Communities, Traditional Healers and Alternative Medicine Practitioners

Building working relationships with local (California) alternative medicine practitioners and community organizations needs to be bi-directional.  The Program could make efforts to provide an academic support to the community. Faculty members and students could receive assignments for thinking about community partners' problems.  They would produce proposals for solving them.  The problems presented could be health issues of a particular population group or problems encountered by practitioners of alternative medicine.

On the other hand, the Program could receive invaluable help from local practitioners and community organizations.  They could become resources for establishing educational opportunities for students such as internships, practicum, and research-action projects.

School Of Community and Global Health