South
America: Ecuador and Peru
Directors: Scott McKinney, Economics, Walter Bowyer, Chemistry (Spring '01) (Spring '03)
During the program in Quito, Ecuador and Cuzco, Peru participants will be immersed in the dramatic geography and rich history of the Andes, in the culture of Latin America and Spanish speaking societies, and in the analysis of critical economic and environmental issues through course work, homestays, and travel. Quito and Cuzco are ideal locations, Andean cities with magnificent settings and excellent access to many of the most magnificent sites in Latin America. In Quito the program is based at the Andean Center for Latin American Studies, with its excellent program of Spanish instruction. In Cuzco the program is based at the centro Bartolome de las Casas, home of the best Andean Studies program in the region.
APPROXIMATE
PROGRAM DATES
January 15 to April 22, 2003
ACCOMMODATIONS
Students will be housed with local host families in
Quito and in a dormitory in Cuzco. During excursions the group will
be housed in tourist hotels.
EXCURSIONS
There are two major trips scheduled as part of the
program in Ecuador, and a number of trips scheduled for Peru. We will
visit the Galapagos Islands as part of our study of Darwin and the processes
of selection and adaptation. We will visit the Napo River in the Amazon
rainforest. Daytrips to the equator, market towns, Cotopaxi volcano
and nature reserves are also planned. While in Cuzco, we will take daytrips
to many of the major sites of the Inca Empire and a weekend trip to
Lake Titicaca.
ELIGIBILITY
Students who have not completed intermediate Spanish
must enroll in a Spanish language course in the fall semester before
the program. Shortly after arrival, students will be tested to determine
the appropriate language, conversation, or literature class.
APPROXIMATE
COSTS
The program fee is based on tuition, $500 administrative
fee, room, and board for Spring semester (approximately $16,841). The
fee covers any class-related excursions and field trips, homestays with
full board, and all tuition and study fees at ACLAS. Additional expenses
include: airfare, visa, required inoculations and personal expenses.
While individual needs and tastes vary, we estimate these additional
costs at $2300.
COURSE
DESCRIPTIONS
Following are course descriptions from the 2001 program.
Economics: Emerging Economics and Political Stress (McKinney) The course will examine the impact of neoliberal economic policies on society and politics, the city and the natural environment (credit in Economics and Latin American Studies).
Bidisciplinary: Diversity and Adaptation (Bowyer and McKinney) The course will examine the role of diversity and adaptation in the natural and social worlds, using the sites in Ecuador and Peru as cases, reading Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle, Kane's Savages and other great books (credit in Latin American Studies and Environmental Studies).
Environmental Studies: Human Impact on South American Environments (Bowyer) Using scientific methods the course will examine the impact of human activity on the environment from pre-history to the present (credit in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies).
Spanish: Spanish Language and Spanish Conversation (ACLAS) As noted above students will be tested and placed at an appropriate level of instruction at the beginning of the program.
Spanish: Latin American Literature (ACLAS) Reading and analysis of major Latin American novels.