SU Abroad

**Graduate Students interested in applying to the following programs should check with SU Abroad for eligibility**

SANTIAGO, CHILE and CUENCA, ECUADOR (SU Abroad)
 
The SU Santiago program allows students across language levels to customize their very own Latin America learning experiences. Whether you have completed the minimum of two years of college-level Spanish, or more than two years, the program is designed to maximize immersion and language acquisition through homestays, bilingual coursework, interdisciplinary field study, and enrollment in regular semester classes taught in Spanish at the Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica.

The SU Santiago semester program is located at the Universidad de Chile – a prestigious public university with a diverse population of 27,000 undergraduates, 5,600 graduate students, and 1,000 international students. Students enroll in classes alongside their Chilean peers in a wide range of disciplines, including business administration, environmental studies, international relations, Latin American studies, humanities and social sciences, and visual and dramatic arts. Students can also take courses at the Universidad Católica, which offers a strong political science and international relations focus. This university, similar in size to the University of Chile, boasts campus facilities comparable to US universities in quality and infrastructure. In the fall, advanced undergraduates and graduate students also have the option to participate in an intensive professional internship program.

Students with less than two years of college-level Spanish language (or Intermediate level) will prepare for their semester in Chile with a pre-semester intensive language program at CEDEI (Centers for Interamerican Studies), in Cuenca, Ecuador. The 4-credit intensive language program is required for students with the minimum 3 semesters of college-level Spanish, and a 3-credit 300-level language program is highly recommended for those with two years or more of Spanish. Students already fluent in Spanish who want to experience living and working in Ecuador may apply for a full-time 3-credit internship during the Cuenca Signature Seminar, in lieu of Spanish language study and review.

*Students who do not participate in the Cuenca Language Immersion Program travel directly to Santiago for the Chile semester program. This option is for students ready to enroll in university classes in Spanish and develop language expertise in one or more disciplines.

Cuenca Program students then travel to Santiago, where they join other program students for the required bilingual Signature Seminar, Contemporary Issues in Chile and Latin America. Most Cuenca Program students will continue language study in Santiago and enroll in at least one non-language class taught in Spanish at Universidad de Chile or at the Pontificia Universidad Católica. Students also have two optional bilingually taught classes at the SU Center available to them.

The Chile fall semester runs from mid-July (mid-June for Cuenca Program students) through mid-December. Spring semester begins in mid-February (mid-January for Cuenca Program students) and ends in mid-July.

For more information, click here or contact Camila Lértora Nardozzi <crletor@syr.edu>

CUENCA, ECUADOR (World Partners):

The Centers for Interamerican Studies (CEDEI) is a not-for-profit institution of higher learning dedicated to the study of American languages and culture. The main CEDEI center is situated in Cuenca, in the beautiful colonial heart of the city, blocks away from the central plaza, Parque Calderon. Founded in 1992, CEDEI works in conjunction with St. Ambrose University in Iowa to sponsor this program.

You will take a full semester of courses as well as having the option of an internship or service learning project. Courses are taught in English and are available in business, environmental studies, health education, political science, Quichua, World Literature, Spanish and sociology. The program also includes study tours to the Galapagos Islands or Peru, depending on the semester.

The spring semester is divided into two academic terms. You will take three courses per term of a maximum of 18 credits for the semester. The first term focuses mainly on language and environmental issues. During the second term, you have the option of doing an internship or service learning project. Most classes are taught in English but you should have at least basic level Spanish, especially for the internship option. CEDEI offers Spanish at all levels as well as content courses in Spanish. A listing of courses can be found on the CEDEI website.

For more information on CEDEI, click here , or contact Ginny Pellam-Montalbano <gapellam@syr.edu> or Deb Goddard <dsgoddar@syr.edu>. 

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (Spring only):

The Dominican Republic Consortium (DRC) consists of five upstate New York universities and colleges, including Syracuse University, as well as the University of Chicago. The purpose of this program is to offer students who are interested in Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Latin America the opportunity to study on-site in a Hispanic culture and a society of the Caribbean region from an interdisciplinary perspective. Each spring the program is directed by a faculty member from a consortium school. Your classes will be located on the campus of Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) in Santiago de los Caballeros with travel to Santo Domingo and other parts of the island that will expose you to the complexities of present social conditions, the history and the vivid beauty of this tropical country. All of the courses are in Spanish. You must have a minimum of two years of university-level Spanish and have taken at least one course with a  Latin American studies focus.

The academic program will be conducted in Spanish and consists of four courses: a language course, a required seminar and two electives. There are many elective options including courses on film, folklore, race and culture, DR economy and Haitian relations. It is highly recommended that you enroll in the Service Learning course which offers you the opportunity to interact within the local community on diverse programs.

For more information on the DR program, click here or contact contact Ginny Pellam-Montalbano <gapellam@syr.edu> or Deb Goddard <dsgoddar@syr.edu>.

CARIBBEAN MUSIC AND ETHNOMUSICOLOGY: THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

There's more to Caribbean music than the Buena Vista Social Club! Get beyond the hype while learning to play and dance to uniquely Dominican musical genres you can't hear anywhere else.

This hands-on course is taught in cooperation with local musicians at the Centro Leon, a renowned museum and research center. The Centro Leon is our partner and host for this one of a kind program. Students are encouraged to check out the Centro Leon's website: www.centroleon.org.do/

While in Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican Republic's second-largest city and the heart of the music-loving Cibao region, students can visit cockfights, dance to Afro-Dominican rhythms, and study with local masters of merengue tipico, salve, and palos drumming while improving their Spanish skills. The course will combine music-making, collaborative field research, and classroom discussions with leading researchers on hot topics in Caribbean music to give students a well-rounded picture of Dominican musical life as well as the field of ethnomusicology.

For more information, click here.

POLITICS IN COMTEMPORARY BRAZIL: THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND NGOS

This new five-week summer program will explore the complex relationship between civil society and cultural politics in contemporary Brazil with a focus on human rights, grass-root social movements, art and culture, and civil society (nongovernmental organizations). Students will explore how local advocacy groups and nongovernmental organizations work to promote and advance grassroots politics, cultural productions (art, music, and film), and education.

The main site of the program will be in Salvador (Bahia) with a five day visit to Rio de Janeiro. Salvador is a cultural jewel and is considered the Mecca of Africans in the Diaspora. Its streets overflow with vibrant black cultural life, street performances by renowned artists and open air capoeira demonstrations. In addition to the rich social traditions, Bahia has some of the best organized and vibrant social movements in the Americas. Against this backdrop, Salvador represents an important site of social, political and cultural investigation, as it stands at the cross-section of culture, vibrant grassroots advocacy and contested local politics. Students will also visit Rio de Janeiro where they will also interact with grassroots groups and speak with local activist.

The course will use an integrated methodology which includes thematic lectures, readings, invited guest speakers and weekly site visits. The class will visit at least 2 civil society organizations per week as well local communities in the Bahia area. Students will examine issues of urban and rural land struggles, educational debates, cultural politics, gender, children and health issues, civil and human rights discourses, music (reggae, hip-hop and jazz) and identity, mass (digital) media formations from the angle of groups working on such issues.

For more information,click here