Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
Director Spring 2011: TBA (Consortium Faculty)
Colgate Campus Coordinator: Professor Antonio Barrera, Department of History, 308 Alumni Hall, aberrera@mail.colgate.edu
Prerequisites | Course descriptions | Program costs | Further information | Helpful links
The Dominican Republic Consortium (DRC) sends a group of 10 to 15 college students to Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, every spring semester for a four-month study program. The Consortium currently consists of Colgate University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Le Moyne College, Syracuse University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Wells College.
Students will attend classes at the PUCMM (Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra) in Santiago de los Caballeros. Santiago is in the central region of the country.
The overall goal of this study group is to offer our students interested in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean the opportunity to study on-site and learn about Hispanic culture and a society of the Caribbean region from an interdisciplinary perspective. This experience will immerse students in a foreign culture, exposing them to contrasting ways of thinking about and configuring the world, which will deepen their understanding of their own beliefs and identity.
This is a semester-long program, running from early January to the end of April. Students earn four credits.
Courses descriptions
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 PUCMM offers different levels of language instruction and administers a placement exam at the beginning of the term. Students who are advanced in Spanish and place out of the language course may take an additional elective instead.
The Seminar is 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.
Electives: Among the many options designed by the PUCMM for consortium students, we strongly recommend that students enroll in the service learning course, “Community Service: Theory and Practice.” Other past offerings for consortium students 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." The program strongly recommends that students choose their 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.
For more information regarding courses taken while on the Dominican Republic Study Group, please read Colgate University's Office of the Registrar informational sheet.
Prerequisites
Open to all students with conversational language competence in Spanish. Minimum requirement: one course in 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 and Spanish.
Distinctive features
Through homestays with a family in 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 and a seminar taught by the Director, there will also be a community service elective (práctica comunitaria) that will allow students to interact with Dominicans in the workplace. Students will have the option of taking another course (an elective) in the classroom with Dominican students to have a first-hand experience of Dominican student culture. Our program’s objective is to integrate the student's classroom learning with experiential learning. During the semester, students will visit the city of Santo Domingo, the first urban center in the New World. Excursions to other parts of the island will expose students to the complexities of present social conditions and the history and vivid beauty of this tropical country.
Program costs
Costs above Colgate’s tuition include room and board, travel to and from the Dominican Republic, immunizations, visa fees, and necessary out-of-pocket expenses. On the average students can expect to spend about the same as a semester on campus. The costs are used in calculating the aid packages of students who receive financial aid, provided this is their first study group experience.
Students who are planning extensive personal travel will need to increase their budget accordingly.
Estimate of student expenses
Further information
There will be an information meeting on Tuesday, November 10 from 11:30-12:30 in Alumni 331. Application forms are available in Off-Campus Study in 201 McGregory Hall, and from Professor Barrera.
The application deadline is November 20. Completed applications should be returned to the ALST administrative assistant in Alumni Hall 327.
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