Dickinson in Mexico

Querétaro Program

• Querétaro, a city of 600,000 residents that is located 120 miles north of Mexico City, is a Mexican “state capital,” serving as the center of government for the state of Querétaro.

• One of the most beautiful spots in Querétaro is the Plaza de la Independencia. However, the square is better known to locals as Plaza de los Perros, a nod to four stone dogs that flank the central fountain.

• Querétaro is expanding outward thanks to the growth of industry, but the heart of the city is still distinctively Mexican/Latin American, its neighborhoods crisscrossed by cobblestone streets and alive with conversations at quaint outdoor cafés.

For many Americans, knowledge of Mexico begins and ends at popular tourist resorts. However, by placing students directly into a Mexican university and housing them with local families, Dickinson’s Querétaro program offers the opportunity to get intimately acquainted with this nation, its history and its people.

The program, offered in the spring semester only, is open to students who have completed at least three semesters of college-level Spanish. The program is based at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ).

Before departure, participants take a language-proficiency test that determines their placement in a Spanish language class. In addition, they enroll in a Latin American studies, course taught specifically for Dickinson-program students.

Aside from these mandatory classes, participants have the freedom to choose from the wide range of offerings at the university, in areas such as economics, business, philosophy, communications and fine arts—to name just a few.

Field trips to cities such as Guanajuato, Zihuatenejo, Oaxaca and Mexico City are typically scheduled, as well as journeys to pre-Columbian archaeological sites, such as Tula and Teotihuacan.

Programs and Courses
Students may take any classes at the UAQ for which they are qualified. For example, in past years, participants have studied anthropology, economics, sociology, fine arts, literature, business and education. All courses are taught in Spanish.

Academic Credit
Students will receive credit for Latin American Studies 202 and one credit for each course successfully completed at the UAQ, up to a maximum of four course credits.

On-Site Administration
Prof. Alma Rosa Sanchez Alabat, director of the faculty of languages and literature at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, oversees the Dickinson Querétaro program. She and her staff help students with course selection at the UAQ or with other challenges they may face while studying and living in Mexico. In addition, the on-campus coordinator visits the program several times during the semester.

Housing
Students live and take their meals with carefully selected Mexican families, giving participants even greater opportunities to speak Spanish and explore daily life in Mexico.

* This is the program fee for spring 2009; the program fee for spring 2010 will correspond to on-campus tuition and fees and will be determined during spring 2009.

Program Fee Includes
• tuition and fees
• room and board
• pre-departure and on-site orientations
• academic excursions

Program fee does not include primary health insurance, airfare, passport, visa, immunizations, optional travel, personal expenses, meals and housing during vacations, books and supplies.

Special Requirements
2.8 GPA
Students must complete Spanish 231 before studying abroad.

Links

For more information, contact

Prof. Kjell Enge, On-Campus Coordinator

Department of Anthropology

P.O. Box 1773

Carlisle, PA 17013-2896

Phone: (717) 245-1207

E-mail: enge@dickinson.edu