Oaxaca, Mexico: International Programs: Academic Affairs: Indiana University South Bend

Oaxaca, Mexico 2020

Join us as we explore the city and state of Oaxaca (wuh-HA-cah), areas extremely rich in history and culture (and listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Our study will include Oaxaca’s deep indigenous origins, its fascinating eras of colonial conquest and revolutionary transformation, and its remarkable present-day social world full of vibrant and diverse cultures.

All the while, you will be intensively studying Spanish (and gaining language credit) on the grounds of the beautiful Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca. You will also enroll in a three-credit interdisciplinary course taught by Professor Jay VanderVeen, examining your experiences through anthropological and sociological frames. Oaxaca is a perfect location for this, as it is famous for its Zapotec, Mixtec, and European influences and its architecture, cathedrals, museums, and festivals. It is also well known for incredible archaeological sites, such as Monte Albán and Mitla, which you will visit.

You will also explore other amazing parts of Mexico, including Puebla and Mexico City; every part of the trip will expose you to new perspectives. Furthermore, you will live with a local family, sharing meals and forming
connections, while developing friendships with other students.

Summer Session I

May 18-June 26, 2020

Travel Dates

May 21-June 20, 2020

Jake Mattox

Chair and Associate Professor, English
jdmattox@iusb.edu

Jay VanderVeen

Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
jmvander@iusb.edu

Students will enroll in two IU South Bend courses during Summer Session I, gaining six credits toward their degrees.

Students will enroll in the appropriate 3-credit IU South Bend Spanish class (SPAN-S 102, SPAN-S 203, SPAN-S 204, or SPAN-S 317); contact director with questions about alternatives.
Students will take a course taught by Anthropology Professor Jay VanderVeen and focusing on the creation and utilization of cultural heritage. Students will examine Oaxaca’s (and Mexico’s) history, culture, and society from its indigenous origins through colonial conquest and revolutionary transformations to the present. Depending upon students’ curricular needs, they sign up for this course as either one of the following:

ANTH-E 321 Peoples of Mexico | Surveys modern Indian groups, peasant societies, problems of acculturation, and urbanization in contemporary Mexico.

—or—

SOC-B 399 Human Behavior and Social Institutions | Develops insights into human nature, the nature of social institutions, the social processes that have shaped the world of the twenty-first century. In an interdisciplinary way, introduces the distinctive perspectives of the social sciences, emphasizing frameworks and techniques used in explaining causes and patterns of individual and institutional behavior.

Estimated cost | $3,900 (plus tuition for six credit hours; does not include insurance fee of $32 plus other campus fees as appropriate). Estimated cost includes airfare, all accommodations, entrance fees, almost all meals.

Applications are due February 1, 2020 and a non-refundable deposit of $300 is due February 15, 2020. Balance must be paid in full or by commitment from Financial Aid by May 15, 2020.