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STUDY ABROAD IN NEPAL!

CIRMA

Dear colleagues,

 

I ask for your help publicizing this study abroad program in Guatemala to

your International Studies student listserv and undergraduate classes. This

is an excellent program offering challenging academics, internships and

co-curricular activities that should be of significant interest to both

undergraduate and graduate students.

 

Thank you,

Elizabeth Oglesby, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Arizona

 

**For students interested in Latin America**

 

Study abroad in Guatemala with the Center for Mesoamerican Research (CIRMA)

in Antigua, Guatemala! Co-sponsored by the University of Arizona.

 
The CIRMA study abroad program offers Spanish and Mayan language classes,

intermediate and advanced courses in History, Anthropology, Environmental

Studies and Latin American Studies, a homestay with a Guatemalan family, and

engaging field trips, for-credit internships and research opportunities.

 

CIRMA is a leading intellectual center in Guatemala whose work focuses on

ethnic relations in Guatemala and Central America, as well as social

justice and the legacy of the Central American civil wars and peace

processes.

 

http://www.cirma.org.gt   (click on the study abroad link on the CIRMA web page)

 
READ MORE ABOUT STUDYING IN GUATEMALA!

 

1. What students say

2. A unique study abroad program

3. Arrival and homestay

4. Fieldtrips and travel

5. Academics and internships

6. Program contacts

 

WHAT STUDENTS SAY

 

- I feel very taken care of here. CIRMA provides a very supportive

environment, with small class sizes, a lot of personalized attention. We've

really bonded as a group. Antigua is a beautiful, vibrant, and welcoming

town. Casey Edwards, Fall 2007 student,

 

- My experience in Antigua was truly unforgettable. I am amazed at how much

I learned, how many great friendships I made and how much of Guatemala I was

able to see in only six weeks. The program at CIRMA was wonderful, and I

recommend it to anyone considering applying. Ashley MacLaren,

Summer 2007.

 

- What I love about CIRMA is that the professors are completely unique. Our

history professor was a former guerrilla! Also, it's not a big university,

and CIRMA organizes everything, including extra field trips to places we

would never get to otherwise. We just went to Santa Anita, a little town in

the department of Quetzaltenango, to meet with a community of ex-combatants

who grow their own coffee and export it to the US. There is such a family

here, and so many people to go to in case there's a problem. Bill Burden,

Fall 2007.

 

A UNIQUE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM

 

- Professors at CIRMA are Central American experts who have lived the

history that they teach. For example, the history class focuses on Central

American revolutions, and the professor is a former diplomatic

representative of the Salvadoran FMLN. The Archeology professor is

currently working on an excavation in the Petén region. The Environmental

Studies professor is one of Guatemala's leading experts in the area of

biodiversity and environmental policy.

 

- The professors are available to work with you on independent studies.

 

- The Center for Mesoamerican Research (CIRMA) can help you arrange an

internship in a local organization or in the CIRMA archives (students from

Fall 2007 semester said this was their favorite part of the academic

program). This looks impressive on a resume or graduate school application,

it?s a way to practice your Spanish and contribute to the work of

Guatemalan organizations, and it also awards you up to 3 academic credits.

 

- Antigua is a breathtakingly beautiful colonial city and a safe place to

live and study.


 

- You can squeeze in one additional credit by attending the weekly

colloquium presentations given by prominent Guatemalan scholars, artists and

activists.

 

ARRIVAL AND HOMESTAY

 

- Upon arrival, you are picked up at the airport, handed your own personal

cell phone and taken directly to your homestay with a Guatemalan family in

Antigua. On your way to your home stay, a CIRMA representative will call

you on your cell phone to welcome you to Guatemala and answer any questions

you have. A stress-free arrival!

 

FIELD TRIPS AND TRAVEL

 

- The CIRMA professors lead optional field trips to their areas of interest.

Students may meet with community leaders in a former rebel stronghold in El

Salvador; visit a fair trade coffee plantation in the highlands of

Guatemala; hike to remote archeological sites in the Peten jungle; or visit

an exquisitely beautiful national park, Sierra de las Minas, to study the

politics of conservation and biodiversity.


 

- A summer mini-course will focus on human rights in the wake of the Central

American civil wars, and the course will include visits to various

indigenous communities within Guatemala, as well as to El Salvador.

 

- The Spanish teachers take students to university classes and events in

Guatemala City and incorporate trips to the market, museums, and cafés in

Antigua into their classes.

 

- You will have Fridays off (no classes), and most students take advantage

of the long weekends to travel on their own. From Antigua, you can easily

catch buses to all the diverse regions of Guatemala, from the Mayan

highlands to the black sand beaches of the Pacific coast. You can visit

market towns, rainforests, and hot springs. Some students even travel

throughout Central America and Belize. (Many foreign visitors travel to

Guatemala each year, and traveling in the country is generally safe,

although you need to be cautious about tourism-related common crime. CIRMA

staff will give you tips on traveling on your own within Guatemala.)

 

ACADEMICS AND INTERNSHIPS

 

CIRMA offers Spanish and Mayan language instruction, as well as small,

personalized classes covering a range of topics. Many classes can be taken

for honors credit, and some classes can be taken for graduate credit.

Students receive a University of Arizona transcript. CIRMA has one of the

best libraries in the region, and students can use this library to write

their papers, and even do research for a senior thesis. Students at CIRMA

have on-site access to the internet, with their own lounge and reading

room. The rooftop classroom overlooks the Agua volcano.

 

Language Classes
 

CIRMA offers courses at the intermediate and advanced level. All Spanish

language courses will use primary materials (newspapers, literature) about

Guatemala and the region, providing an additional mechanism for learning

about Guatemala and Central America. Students practice Spanish during their

home stays and as they become more involved in the local culture.

 

CIRMA also arranges private one-on-one instruction for students whose

Spanish upon arrival is not at the level of courses taught. This

instruction is required and undertaken at the student's own cost, although

the cost is minimal. Other students who wish to supplement their course

work with private instruction may do so.

 

Mayan language classes can be offered for credit at the undergraduate level

if enough students enroll, and graduate students with FLAS scholarships may

be able to study at CIRMA. Contact CIRMA for more information.

 

SPAN 206: Intensive Spanish (4 units)

SPAN 206 is the equivalent of third and fourth semester Spanish combined

(201 and 202.) Recommended for highly motivated students and/or those with

experience in another Romance language.

SPAN 330 / LAS 330: Intermediate Conversation (3 units) For students who

wish to improve their oral skills within a dynamic cultural context.

SPAN 450: Conversation and Writing Skills (3 units) Study and practice in

formal and informal usage of Spanish as oral communication. May be combined

with SPAN 330.

 

Latin American Studies

 

(courses may be cross-listed for History, Anthropology and/or Geography

credit)

 

Taught by academic experts of the region, these courses enable students to

debate and reflect about diverse aspects of Central American society,

culture and history.

 

LAS 462: Special Topics in Contemporary Latin America: Central American

Narratives of Identity and Nationhood (3 units)

This course examines how cultural traditions from the Central American

region are communicated and preserved, and their legacies today. We look at

the treatment of race, ethnicity, identity, and power in selected Central

American texts, both ancient and modern. We will place special emphasis on

how civil conflict is addressed and the impact of literature on the most

important political questions of the post-independence era. This course may

be cross-listed for Anthropology credit.

 

LAS 465Z/HIST465Z: From the Revolutions to the Peace Accords in Central

America (3 units)

This course examines the origins of the region's ongoing struggles for

political and economic development, from the struggles for independence and

the dynamics of dictatorship and democracy in post-independence Central

America to economic transformation, structural instability, competing

political and ideological responses, and the ongoing search for economic

development and democratic pluralism. The role of the United States in

Central America will also be examined, with Guatemala and Nicaragua serving

as historical case studies. Taught in English. This course may be

cross-listed for Anthropology credit.

 

LAS 461/GEOG 461: Environmental and Resource Geography in Central America (3 units.)

This course will examine natural resources in Guatemala, including

biodiversity, national parks, forests, contamination, ecotourism, and

development. It will look at the human factors that contribute to their

completion and deterioration as well as protection and maintenance. The

course will include a field trip to a national park where issues of illegal

logging in buffer zones are paramount. Taught in Spanish. This course may

be cross-listed for Anthropology credit.

 

Internships and Lecture Series

 

LAS 493: Internship at CIRMA (1-3 units)

Students work with CIRMA?s unique documentary and/or photographic

collections. For students enrolled in a fall or spring semester program, it

may be possible to arrange an internship with a local social organization

in the Antigua area. Students enrolled in summer programs may only take one

unit of internship credit; students enrolled in semester programs may take

up to three units of internship credits.


 

LAS 495F: Colloquium in Latin American Studies (1 unit)

Through a weekly lecture series, students are exposed to nationally and

internationally- recognized experts in such areas as ethnic relations,

public art, prospects for the peace process in Guatemala, the Central

American environmental crisis, and the significance of democracy in

Guatemala and the region.

 

FALL 2007 STUDENTS IN THEIR OWN WORDS

 

- My [internship] in the archives was reading declassified Cold War State

Department documents concerning Guatemala from the years 1959 through 1964.

This was indeed a fascinating assignment?..I felt very privileged having the

opportunity to read these documents and to see the true role the State

Department and U. S. Embassy have historically played in foreign affairs.

Working on this project greatly complemented the Central American history

class and Spanish class that I was taking this semester.  Because I had to

summarize and translate the documents into Spanish I learned a lot of new

vocabulary, much of it that I know will be useful for me in the future?.I

have great respect for the work that CIRMA is doing here in Guatemala and I

am happy to have helped the program in a small way by doing an internship

in the archives.  I definitely would recommend an internship with CIRMA to

all future students of the Guatemala study abroad program or any student

interested in doing research about Central America.

 

- The lectures brought the most prominent intellectuals in Guatemala to

CIRMA. That unique experience is hard to find in any other setting. I felt

so lucky to be meeting individuals that had such a tremendous impact in

each of their respective fields. For me, each speaker helped complete my

picture of Guatemala. The topics presented opened my eyes to the reality of

my surroundings. The series changed the way I saw people interact on the

street and how I viewed the jungle in the far off mountains. Each speaker

encouraged me to think critically about Guatemala. I found my curiosity

about the county growing after each session.

 

- I really enjoyed the personal feel of the [colloquium] series. Even though

each speaker was highly regarded, the series was not open to the public.

This gave each session an intimate feeling that allowed me to truly engage

with the speaker. At the end of each presentation, the students were

allowed to ask questions, and this interactive approach made the course

successful. I was able to learn about subjects not covered in class and get

immediate answers to my questions.

 

- All of the [colloquium] presentations were phenomenal. It was an

interdisciplinary approach to a deeper understanding of my experience

abroad. The presentations are great for my future, because when I say I

have experience living in Guatemala, I will be able to show that I

interacted with top professionals during my stay. Not many people will be

able to show such a comprehensive knowledge of Guatemala. The lectures,

although separated, were in many ways connected, and pushed me to dig

further into class concepts. They heightened my curiosity about Guatemala,

caused me to think critically about my surroundings, and reinforced my

desire to someday help impoverished countries such as Guatemala.

 

- The colloquium series made learning about the Guatemalan culture and

history easier because the speakers covered each component of culture.

Together their ideas and insight created a complete picture of what it

means to be a Guatemalan. To have experienced the war and to experience

life as it is today. I have a deep understanding of what it means to be

Guatemalan and what it means to live in a developing country. I really

enjoyed all of the speakers and was impressed with their knowledge. I feel

very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet such influential individuals

and I will take their messages with me. One thing that I especially enjoyed

was hearing the lectures taught mostly in Spanish. Although I could

understand a fairly good amount at the beginning of the semester, by the

last speaker I could understand almost perfectly everything that he was

saying. The speakers were absolutely amazing and wonderfully informative

and the colloquium in its entirety was a great experience.

 

For summer and Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 schedule of classes, program costs

and application deadlines:

 

CONTACT INFO

CIRMA Program director in Guatemala: Barbara Kohnen, email:

bkohnen@cirma.org.gt

 

Latin America Program Coordinator, UA Study Abroad Office:  Jill Calderón,

email: jcaldero@email.arizona.edu


 

http://www.cirma.org.gt/  (click on ?study abroad? on the left side of the website)

 

UA Guatemala Study Abroad website: http://studyabroad.arizona.edu (choose

Guatemala under View Programs)
 

Elizabeth Oglesby

Assistant Professor

Center for Latin American Studies

Marshall Building Suite 280

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ 85721

Tel: (520) 626-7242