America, South and Central
Argentina: Buenos Aires (IES)
Early March to mid-July or late-July to mid-December, also full year option: March to mid-December
Campus Program Advisor: Jeane Delaney (Holland Hall 531, x3738)
Eligibility: All students who have had at least two years of college-level Spanish (completion of Spanish 232 at St. Olaf.)
This program is located in the capital city of Argentina . It is designed to increase Spanish language proficiency, examine area studies in a wide range of disciplines, and immerse students in the culture of Argentina . Area studies courses are offered in Spanish and English in a wide range of disciplines, including Anthropology, Business, Film Studies, History, International Relations, Latin American Studies, Literature, Political Science, Public Health, Sociology, and Theater. Coures are taught by local university faculty at the IES Center . Students are also encouraged to enroll in partner university courses at Universidad de Buenos Aires (Philosophy, Literature, Architecture and Design), the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino, the Instituto Universitario Nacional de Arte, or the Universidad Torcuato di Tella. In addition, all IES students can enroll in a discipline-specific Internship seminar with an accompanying placement. Internships are offered in the Arts, Business, Education, Government, Human Rights, and Public Health.
IES Buenos Aires students enroll in one of four language programs – Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, or Advanced Honors.
Chile : Valparaiso (CIEE)
Mid-February to early-July or mid-July to mid-December, also full year option: mid February to mid-December Campus Program Advisor: Jeane Delaney ( Holland 531, X3738)
Eligibility: all students with at least three years of college-level Spanish (completion of Spanish 250 plus one more Spanish course at St. Olaf.)
This program is located in Valparaiso , a tranquil but still exciting city of around 270,000. It is designed for relatively independent students who seek to matriculate in regular university courses at the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and who have a keen interest in contemporary Chilean coastal city life and society. This program is most appropriate for students who want to take courses in literature, history, environmental studies, oceanography and psychology, although other majors are also offered. There also exists the possibility, in certain situations, for students to take courses in instrumental music at the conservatory. This program is not appropriate for students who have the intention of studying political science, anthropology, or sociology because they are not offered at the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. All course work is in Spanish.
Costa Rica: Studies in Latin American Culture and Society (ACM)
Link to ACM Latin American Culture and Society
Late August to December
Campus Program Adviser: Semester I: Kathleen Shea ( Science Center 256, x3396); Semester II: Leon Narváez (Old Main 22A, x3557)
Enrollment: up to 27 students
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors and seniors with at least two years of college-level Spanish or equivalent
Studies in Latin American Culture and Society is an interdisciplinary program for students seeking a comprehensive understanding of life in Latin America and wishing to develop fluency in Spanish. This program is designed to take full advantage of its Costa Rican setting as students move from primarily group activities to more and more individualized learning experiences. Language study is stressed as the key to understanding the culture; highly trained Costa Rican language instructors work with groups of four to six students in class and during visits to the central market and other sites.
Coursework, on topics important to the humanities and the social sciences as applied to Costa Rica , enables students to develop insights which are reinforced by field trips and two weeks of field work in rural areas. For the core course students investigate a topic related to the course theme that is of interest to them.
In San José and its environs, students live with families both to improve their language ability and to enjoy personal involvement in the daily life of a
Latin American community. The family stays – one in the metropolitan area and one in the countryside – are highly valued by students.
Through an agreement between the ACM and the University of Costa Rica , ACM students have access to facilities at the nation's major university.
With regard to the ACM professional staff, staff members have many years of experience teaching and advising ACM students. There is a staff member for about every six students, one of the best professional staff/student ratios in the Spanish-speaking world.
Costa Rica: Tropical Field Research
Link to ACM Tropical Field Research
Late January to May
Campus Program Adviser: Kathleen Shea ( Science Center 256, x3396)
Enrollment: 25-27 students
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors with prior course work in the discipline in which they propose to do research, plus at least one year of college Spanish (two years strongly recommended). Sophomores sometimes accepted.
The Tropical Field Research Program (spring only) is designed for advanced work in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. During the first four weeks students plan their research projects with a faculty adviser, visit field sites and study Spanish language and culture. Students collect data in the field for two months and then finish the semester by writing a reserach paper and presenting the results in a research symposium. Field studies develop a new aspect of an ongoing project or begin a new research proejct under the supervision of a faculty adviser. Costa Rica supports an extraordinary variety of plant and animal life and provides rich research opportunities for students of tropical biology and ecology, as well as opportunities to study various aspects of the health care system. An equally broad range of research topics is available for students of anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, geology, history, political science, literature, fine arts, and sociology.
Students live with families, both in San Jose and while doing their field work, as a way to improve their language ability and become personally involved in Costa Rican daily life and culture.
Central America: Sustainable Development and Social Change in Central America
Late August to mid-December;
mid-January to early May
Campus Program Adviser: Christopher Chiappari ( Holland 401F, x3815)
Prerequisites: One college level Spanish course or the equivalent is required; coursework in microeconomics is recommended.
This is an intensive semester of study and travel designed to introduce students to the key issues facing Central Americans. Students will explore the life and culture of the peoples of Guatemala , El Salvador and Nicaragua , and study approaches towards political and economic development being taken in these countries. The program is based in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (five weeks); San Salvador, El Salvador (four weeks); Managua, Nicaragua (six weeks). There is a four-week family stay in Guatemala . The program includes field trips within each country.
Course offerings include Intensive Spanish, the Church and Social Change, Contemporary Social Movements in Latin America , and Comparative Politics and Economic Development. General education requirements filled by this program are HBS, Studies in Human Behavior and Society; HWC, Historical Studies in Western Culture.
Ecuador: Community Internships in Latin America (CILA)
September-mid-December or late January to mid-May
Campus Program Adviser: Christopher Chiappari ( Holland 401F, x3815)
Program Sponsor: Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA)
Eligibility: Requires two years of college-level Spanish (or equivalent proficiency)
This program offers students the opportunity to learn first-hand about social problems in Ecuadorian society and to explore ways in which various community groups attempt to address them. Students immerse themselves in the daily life of Quito , the Ecuadorian capital, by combining an internship designed to reflect their personal interests and learning goals with a seminar, an independent project and a home stay. For the internship, students may choose to be placed with an organization working on human rights, health needs, services for children, development of youth, or women's, environmental or other issues. In the seminar, they study and contrast theories of social change and models of community participation, organization and development. In the independent study, they carry out field research on a topic of their choice related to those explored in the seminar. Through the home stay they gain insights into family life. All lectures are in Spanish with discussions in Spanish and English; most reading is done in Spanish. CILA provides an integrated learning experience to students of all majors who wish to gain practical experience in Latin American communities which are struggling to cope with social change.
General education requirements filled by this program are HBS, Studies in Human Behavior and Society; MCS-G, Multicultural Studies Course, WRI, Writing
Mexico: Social Work in a Latin American Context
Semester II
Campus Program Adviser: Mary Carlsen (Holland Hall 213C, x3136); Valerie Green (Holland Hall 213A, x3350)
Eligibility: Program is open to junior social work majors who have at least one semester of college-level Spanish language.
The goal of this program is to develop cross-culturally competent, ethical social work professionals with a global perspective by providing a semester of transformative experiential learning focused on social and economic justice.
This program satisfies some curriculum requirements of the BSW degree.
All participants take one course in Spanish language. Three additional courses are: International Social Welfare: The Mexican Context; Social Work With Groups: Theory and Practice; and Comparative Social Policy. Students with advanced Spanish language proficiency may fulfill up to 100 hours of field practicum required for the BSW degree, as well as some general education requirements.
Courses are taught both by a social work professor from one of the participating schools and on-site faculty of the Center for Global Education. A diverse pool of individual and organization representatives gives lectures and assists with educational excursions to agencies and rural villages.
Students spend most of the semester living together dormitory-style in the GCE study center close to downtown Cuernavaca. Students also live with Mexican families of modest means in both urban and village settings, exchange learning with social work students at UNAM in Mexico City, experience Mexican society and culture first hand, and practice language skills.
