Location
With a geography that encompasses tropical Pacific beaches, Andean mountain villages and Amazonian rainforests, Ecuador provides a dynamic setting for advanced speakers of Spanish to study the challenges of a developing nation and draw comparisons with another Andean region during a study trip to Peru.
The Core Course
Ecuador and the Andean Region
Taught in Spanish by Ecuadorian university professors, the core course integrates all components of the program, including lectures, study trips, a volunteer internship in a local community organization and the family stay. It offers an important framework for understanding the social, political, economic and environmental issues of development in contemporary Ecuador and the Andean region. In addition to the weekly seminar session, you will spend additional hours participating in a community organization in Quito to gain firsthand experience with the issues explored in the course. A two-week rural stay in a highland community is part of the course.
Introductory Quichua or Advanced Spanish Electives
At the Academia Latinoamericana, one of Quito’s premier language training institutes, you may elect to take an introductory language course in Quichua, (also known as Quechua) the language spoken by the largest of Ecuador’s seventeen indigenous language groups. Or you may choose from a selection of advanced courses taught in Spanish on topics including Ecuadorian literature, indigenous studies or in the history of the region.
Ethnographic Field Methods in the Ecuadorian Context
You will learn and apply a range of ethnographic field methods including participant observation, person-centered interviews, designing and conducting a survey, writing field notes, and conducting a case study. Human subject research protocols and field study ethics will be emphasized. You will complete a series of written assignments that demonstrate your ability to use these methods and strategies appropriately in a cross-cultural setting. All coursework and assignments are completed in Spanish.
Directed Independent Study Project
The independent study project for this program will be an ethnographic study with one full month of field work culminating in a major paper written in Spanish. Research will be conducted in Spanish and/or with some Quichua.
You must select a project that involves field research, and other techniques that facilitate cultural immersion. Topic selection may be limited by available resources and local conditions.
Study Trips
To deepen your understanding of topics covered in the core course, you will travel to various locations in Ecuador and Peru. Destinations may change from semester to semester, but past trips have included:
Amazon Jungle - Tiputini Biodiversity Station
Visit the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS) and its 1,500 acres of undisturbed rainforest, which operates to promote an understanding of rainforest ecosystems through education, research, and ecotourism.
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