The inaugural ceremony of the 2nd Sri Lanka Bio-Cultural Anthropology Field School was held on 14th May 2018 at the Seminar Room 1, of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This Field School has been organized to be taken place until the 1st June 2018.
This is an international academic program collaboratively organized by the Department of Anthropology of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and the Mount Royal University of Canada as an extension of the MOU signed between these two universities in 2015.
The inauguration ceremony was graced by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura; Prof. Sampath Amaratunge. Prof. Tom Buchanan; Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the Mount Royal University, Canada, field School Coordinator and a former academic member of the Department of Anthropology at USJP; Prof. Samanthi Kulathilaka, currently a Professor in Anthropology at MRU Canada and the undergraduate students at MRU, Canada participated in the Inauguration ceremony.
Academic members of the Department of Anthropology of USJP, including Prof. Yasanjalee Jayathilake; Head of the Department of Anthropology, Prof. Charmalie Nahallage, Dr. Praneeth Abeysundara, Dr. Jayantha Jayasiri, Dr. Nelum Kanthilatha and the undergraduate students of the department participated in the ceremony.
This academic forum is a great opportunity for the undergraduates of both universities to improve and develop their practical and theoretical knowledge on various subjects related to Biological and Cultural Anthropology through participating in academic lecture series, field visits and observations that will be conducted covering most prestigious and culturally valued regions of Sri Lanka.
The academic lectures that were held at the inauguration ceremony included interesting topics such as “Socio-cultural aspects of indigenous people: Vedda Community in Sri Lanka”, “A Marriage Ritual of Sri Lanka: Poruwa Ceremony and the Colonial Era and Culture change in Sri Lanka” and “Primate Studies of Sri Lanka”.
Through the field visits and observations that will be commenced from 16th May 2018, Mount Royal Undergraduates will be able to gather bio cultural data that are important in making their final research project and is necessary for completing the Bio-cultural anthropology field school. At the end of this international academic programme, Mount Royal Undergraduates will be given a space to share their knowledge and experience on the bio-cultural anthropological field school and their results gathered through the field visits, with the undergraduates of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura on the last day of the field School; 1st June 2018.