Development | Culture | Social Change
Designed for advanced Spanish language students with an interest in Latin American Studies, this unique semester program explores the intersection of development, culture, and social change through the lens of the dynamic and evolving context of contemporary Mexico. Located in the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca – declared “Humanity’s Cultural Patrimony” by the United Nations – the program explores and affirms the rich diversity of contemporary Mexican society and culture. It engages the issues that challenge the country’s continued growth and establishes a foundation to understand the history of U.S./Mexico relations and the Mexican experience in the United States. Ultimately, the program strives to build knowledge and understanding of one of the United State’s closest yet least understood neighbors.
FALL 2017 | Program and Cohort
This year’s cohort is composed of thirteen students hailing from Alaska, California, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, New York, Oregon, and Washington, who find their institutional homes in Kalamazoo College, Pacific Lutheran University, and University of Puget Sound. See Student Profiles.
Our host institution in Oaxaca de Juárez (Oaxaca City) is the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca (ICO), the state’s most established language school. Under the direction of Lucero Topete and with the support of a wonderful team, the Institute provides an immersive environment for our students to develop their Spanish language skills and deepen their understanding of Mexican history and culture.
Courses this fall begin with a three-week Spanish immersion term and continue during a second term when students take two of the following courses: Mexican Anthropology, Mexican History, Mexican Literature, and Biology. During the third and final term, students choose between a Mexican Art History course, an internship working with Oaxacan non-profit organizations, or a Business Administration course with emphases on Marketing or Non-Profit Leadership. All of these courses, with the exception of business and literature, are taught by Oaxacan instructors. See Maestros | Faculty.
Study Tours complement sudents’ academic experience by exposing them to Mesoamerican culture (Monte Albán, Atzompa, Mitla, and Yagul) and contemporary Mexico’s social, cultural, political, and economic realities (migration, government and politics, sustainability and environmental policy, art, development, and more). In mid-October students travel to Mexico City and Amatlán de Quetzalcoatl for a week-long study tour focused on the socio-political dimensions of immigration and hospitality in Mexico.
This blog is a tapestry of their experiences studying and living in Oaxaca for the past ten weeks and remaining six weeks. It has the purpose of providing an integral and thoughtful consideration of specific aspects of their time in this program which have been, for different reasons, particularly meaningful to them. Students choose their own topics, draft and revise their entries before posting.
¡Bienvenidos! We hope you will join us. You can follow this blog and receive updates by clicking the “Follow” button on the bottom right-hand corner of your browser.
If you have any questions, please contact the program’s on-site coordinator, Adela Ramos (ramosam@plu.edu).