Seminar/Field Trip
to Cuenca, Ecuador
Ecuador is the focus of the Center for Latin American Studies' 2008 Seminar and Field Trip. Dr. María Auxiliadora Cordero, Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology and Managing Editor of Latin American Archaeology Publications, will direct the program. Undergraduates interested in Latin America who have at least a 2.75 GPA and who are enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, its regional campuses, or at any of the institutions that comprise the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (Carnegie Mellon, Carlow, Chatham, CCAC, Duquesne, Point Park, LaRoche, Robert Morris) are eligible to apply.
The 12 to 15 students selected for the program will participate in a spring term seminar followed by a summer session field trip to Cuenca, a former Inka city in a temperate valley surrounded by the Andean mountains in southern Ecuador. The nine credits earned for successful completion of the seminar and field trip meet the ARTSC foreign culture curriculum requirement and are applied toward the Certificate in Latin American Studies. These are upper level course credits.
The interdisciplinary Spring Term Seminar, ARTSC 1501 (3 credits), is designed to prepare students for the field trip to Ecuador. During the seminar, students will examine the history, culture, demography, geography, and politics of Ecuador. Materials dealing with cross-cultural communication and the challenges and rewards of the international living experience also will be introduced. Additionally, students will be guided through the design of individual research projects that they will carry out in Cuenca during the field trip.
During the Summer Session Field Trip, ARTSC 1502 (6 credits), students will spend six weeks in Cuenca residing with Spanish-speaking host families and carrying out their research projects. The approximate dates for the field stay are May 12 through June 21.
Language: Students are required to have sufficient proficiency in Spanish to conduct research and to communicate with the host families. (Spanish language courses, offered in the Spring Term, may be required to develop the needed proficiency.)
Cost: The total cost of the program is about $4000. This includes $3024 for six credits’ tuition (in-state rate applies to all participants), academic fees, plus a contribution of $800 towards field expenses. The balance of costs for round-trip air fare, in-country excursions, as well as room and board with an Ecuadorian host family will be paid by the Center.
Application: Application forms for the seminar/field trip and further details about the program are available in the Center for Latin American Studies, University Center for International Studies, 4200 Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; telephone (412) 648-7392.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 11, 2007
Appointments for individual interviews should be made upon submission of the application materials.
