Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona

LAS Study Abroad Programs

 

Academics.

At the Center for Mesoamerican Research (CIRMA) in Antigua, Guatemala, you can learn an indigenous language or study the history of Central American Revolution and actually practice your Spanish in a small classroom setting and receive University of Arizona credit. At CIRMA you’ll learn about Central America – its society and politics, its history and culture - from Central American professors who have lived what they teach.

Your experience at CIRMA will be enriched by a series of presentations with nationally and internationally recognized experts. The presentations lead to in-depth discussions on topics such as the indigenous movement, contemporary arts, the peace process in Guatemala, the Central American environmental crisis, and the significance of ‘democracy’ in Guatemala and the region.

Field trips led by internationally recognized experts from the region will enable you to see for yourself how Guatemalans from different walks of life live and work amidst cultural, social, environmental, and political challenges. You’ll see for yourself the realities that define life in the country today.

In addition to these unique privileges, you will also have the chance to do an internship with CIRMA. On your own time you won’t want to pass up the opportunity to explore the city’s jazz bars, artisan markets and coffee shops or the archaeological ruins, hot springs and black sand beaches of the countryside.


Courses offered (UA Credit) Please see CIRMA's website for semester-specific course offerings and course descriptions.

SPAN 206: Intensive Spanish (4 credits)
SPAN 330: Intermediate Conversation (3 credits)
SPAN 340: Conversation and Writing Skills - Study and practice in formal and informal usage of Spanish as oral communication. (3 credits)

LAS 461/GEOG 461: Environmental and Resource Geography in Central America (3 credits)
LAS 462: Special Topics in Contemporary Latin America: Mesoamerican Identity and Nationhood (3 credits)
LAS 465Z/HIST465Z: History of Central America (3 credits)
LAS 493: Internship at CIRMA (1 credit)
LAS 495F: Colloquium in Latin American Studies (1 credit)
LAS 499: Independent Study (3 unit)

Students will take a minimum of 6 and up to 11 credits during this program. Classes are organized so as to leave Fridays free, for students to travel or work on their internships.

Location

Antigua, Gautemala, located 45 minutes from Guatemala City, is one of the most popular sites in Central America.   Antigua is also one of the most important cultural centers in Central America full of colonial charm but also vibrantly cosmopolitan.  While in Antigua you'll encounter interntional travelers from around the world.
 

Program Contact Information:

Jill Calderon
Center for Latin American Studies
845 N. Park, Suite 280
(520) 626-4931
jcaldero@email.arizona.edu




 

Academics
The island of Vieques in Puerto Rico is famous for two things. One is its long and successful struggle to stop the U.S. Navy from using the island for bombing practice. The other is its magnificent beaches, including a spectacular bioluminescent bay that glows in the dark. In this three-week course, we will travel to Vieques and study the residents’ protest against the Navy, the new threats to the pristine beaches and bays of the Caribbean’s largest wildlife refuge, and the current conflicts over gentrification and privatization, as citizens work to develop the island. Students will be immersed in the on-the-ground debates over viable development alternatives on Vieques, as well as the broader politics of natural resource conservation in the Caribbean.

The first week (May 19-23) of the course will be spent on campus at the University of Arizona. In-class lectures and discussions, augmented by reading assignments, will set the stage for the Puerto Rico trip. We will begin with a brief overview of Caribbean historical and social geography, turn to the fascinating history of Puerto Rico, and then examine the current contentious relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.

The field portion of the course continues for the next two weeks in San Juan and Vieques. The “classroom” in Vieques will be the fully equipped conference room and research library of the Vieques Historical Museum, as well as the beaches, mangroves, hills and trails of the island’s newly established “conservation area”.

This course is open to all levels and majors. It is an excellent short program for first and second year students wishing to learn more about the experience of studying abroad. It is also appropriate for more advanced undergraduates. Students participating in this program will earn 4 credits of LAS 297/497: Latin American Development Alternatives. Course activities are the same for both course levels, however students enrolled in LAS 497 will be expected to complete a more intensive writing assignment.

Course Requirements
Students are expected to read the assignments and come to class prepared to discuss them, both during the first part of the course in Tucson, and the second part in San Juan and Vieques. During the stay in Vieques, students will keep journals critically reflecting on the class activities and accompanying readings. Most afternoons or evenings, faculty and students will reconvene over snacks or dinner to discuss the day’s events. At the end of our stay in Vieques, students, in groups of two or three, will prepare and present a half-hour reflection on their experience.
 
Location
Puerto Rico is a self-governing territory of the United States with Commonwealth status. Located about 1,200 miles off the coast of Florida in the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico consists of the main island of Puerto Rico and various smaller islands, including Vieques. The main island of Puerto Rico is mostly mountainous, with an average yearly temperature of 82° F. The island of Vieques is 21 miles long and five miles across, with a population of about 9,000. Two-thirds of Vieques was used as a bombing range by the U.S. Navy from the 1940s to 2003, and this area is currently administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the largest conservation area in the Caribbean. The climate of Vieques is sub-tropical. The currency is the U.S. dollar.

For more information click here, or contact:

Harmony DeFazio
University Services Building 301
888 N. Euclid Ave.
(520) 626-6039
defazioh@email.arizona.edu