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Africana & Latin American Studies Program Colgate University*13 Oak Drive* Hamilton NY 13346* (315) 228-7546* Fax (315) 228-7098
OVERVIEW The Colgate Dominican Republic Study Group, located at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) in Santiago de los Caballeros, offers students interested in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Latin America the opportunity to study first-hand a Caribbean Hispanic culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective. Through homestays with families in Santiago de los Caballeros, students gain daily practice in the language and a special perspective on Dominican family life. In addition to courses
given by the PUCMM in Spanish, students take a seminar in Hispanic
dialectology, taught by the Study Group Director. There is an elective
course involving community service learning (práctica comunitaria) that
brings students into contact with Dominicans in the workplace. Students
have the option of taking another elective course with Dominican students,
to experience Dominican classroom culture first-hand. Director: Professor Lourdes Rojas, Colgate University
CAMPUS COORDINATORS: Lourdes Rojas, Professor Romance Languages; and Fred Luciani, Coordinator Latin American Studies
LOCATION: Students will attend classes at the PUCMM (Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra) in Santiago de los Caballeros and, for one week, in the capital of Santo Domingo.
LENGTH: This is a semester long-program, running from early January to the end of April. Students earn four credits.
PURPOSE: To offer our students interested in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Latin America the opportunity to study on-site a Hispanic culture and a society of the Caribbean region from an interdisciplinary perspective.
ELIGIBILITY: Open to all students with a conversational language requirement competence in Spanish. Minimum requirement: one course on Latin American Studies, Spanish 202 (preferably Spanish 354, 355, or 362), a minimum GPA of 2.8, and your Administrative Advisor's recommendation. Preference is given to concentrators in Latin American Studies.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Through homestays with a family from Santiago de los Caballeros, students will gain a special perspective on Dominican family life and daily practice in the language. In addition to courses given by the PUCMM in Spanish, a seminar taught by the Director on Latin American Women Writers. There will also be an elective course (práctica comunitaria) that will allow students to come into contact with Dominicans in the workplace. Students will have the option of taking another course (an elective) in the classroom with Dominican students, so that they can have a first-hand experience of Dominican student culture. Our program aims at integrating the student's classroom-derived theoretical learning with multiple experiential modes of learning. During November, students will visit the city of Santo Domingo, the first urban center in the New World, for a week-long colloquium involving lectures and discussions with prominent scholars, social and cultural activities, and visits to museums and other historic sites. Excursions to other parts of the island will expose students to the complexities of present social conditions, the history and the vivid beauty of this tropical country.
COURSES: The academic program will be conducted in Spanish and will consist of four courses: a language course, a seminar, and two electives.
The Spanish Language course will combine grammar, composition and/or stylistics, readings, and conversation. The host institution offers different levels of language instruction and will be in charge of the placement exam at the beginning of the term. Students who are very advanced in the language may take a literature or film course instead.
The Seminar is normally required for all students and is designed and conducted by the Director. It will function as an integrative forum of collaborative learning and will provide a theoretical background to help conceptualize the experience abroad. The fieldwork course will be arranged and supervised by faculty from the PUCMM in conjunction with the Director. For Spring 2004 Professor Lourdes Rojas from Colgate University will be conducting the seminar course on Latin American Women Writer’s.
Elective: Among the many options designed by the PUCMM for consortium students, we strongly recommend that students take courses on the Dominican Republic and the Spanish Caribbean, keeping in mind not to duplicate courses already offered on their own campuses. Past offerings have included "Latin American and Caribbean Film," "Introduction to Dominican Folklore," "Race and Culture in the Caribbean," and "The Dominican Economy and Dominican-Haitian Relations." This year, there also will be a required course, a Práctica Comuniaria entitled "Community Service: Theory and Practice". The program strongly recommends that students choose the second elective from a group of courses open to all PUCMM students. We consider it pedagogically important for our students to engage with Dominican students "on their own turf," thus gaining a sense of the classroom culture of this country. Students can, however, opt to take another elective from the list of core courses offered.
COURSE CREDITS: The four credits earned through this program will count towards graduation. Two credits may count towards a concentration in Latin American Studies. Credits for other departments such as Spanish, Education, Political Science, SOAN, etc., will have to be negotiated directly by participating students with the Chair of those programs.
BASIC PROGRAM COSTS: Equivalent to the regular Colgate tuition plus specific charges for room and board as set by the PUCMM for Spring 2004. Students continue to be eligible for financial aid in this program. Travel to and from the Dominican Republic is not included. Colgate will bill students separately for travel if they choose to participate in our group airfare.
ADDITIONAL COSTS: Air transportation from New York City to Puerto Plata, the orientation site, and back; books, materials, and toiletries; personal travel and entertainment; and other personal expenses.
WHAT YOU NEED: Passport and tourist card ($10).
APPLICATION DEADLINE: The application is due on April 15, 2003. The application forms will be available from the Africana and Latin American Studies Program Office @ 327 Alumni Hall and from the Office of Off-Campus Study @ 105 McGregory.
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