IN THE HEART OF SOUTH AMERICA, BOLIVIA PROVIDES A UNIQUE PERCH FROM WHICH TO EXPLORE THE LINKAGES BETWEEN LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND DAILY LIFE.
Over the course of four-weeks, college study abroad students on this program gain essential skills necessary to communicate across cultures. We approach language and cultural immersion in Bolivia by diving into the heart of the land through language study, homestays, and workshops focused on pressing local and cultural issues. Through classroom and experiential activities, students gain insights into the complicated socio-political dynamics of this country and the broader region.
Beginning our journey in Cochabamba, we settle into an extended homestay in a Quechua farming neighborhood. In the fertile valleys between the high mountains and tropical lowlands, we engage intimately with the community where our program is based and students dive into Spanish language instruction for 3–4 hours per day. In addition to our focus on language study, we connect with scholars, activists, journalists, and local organizations in the city of Cochabamba in order to gain an understanding of important…
Over the course of four-weeks, college study abroad students on this program gain essential skills necessary to communicate across cultures. We approach language and cultural immersion in Bolivia by diving into the heart of the land through language study, homestays, and workshops focused on pressing local and cultural issues. Through classroom and experiential activities, students gain insights into the complicated socio-political dynamics of this country and the broader region.
Beginning our journey in Cochabamba, we settle into an extended homestay in a Quechua farming neighborhood. In the fertile valleys between the high mountains and tropical lowlands, we engage intimately with the community where our program is based and students dive into Spanish language instruction for 3–4 hours per day. In addition to our focus on language study, we connect with scholars, activists, journalists, and local organizations in the city of Cochabamba in order to gain an understanding of important issues impacting local communities.
To broaden our perspective of Bolivia, our journey then takes us deeper into the high Andes. In an Aymara village on the shores of Lake Titicaca, we learn about traditional highland agriculture, Aymara culture and worldview, and processes of adaptation to the forces of climate change. During this village stay we continue regular Spanish language instruction, and discuss issues of conservation and cultural resilience against a backdrop of 20,000 foot peaks. Our journey will also take us into the tropical cloud forests north of La Paz, where we explore coca, coffee and cacao production at the confluence of the Andes mountains and tropical rainforest.
During this month-long summer program, we integrate into local communities through an extended homestay, focus deeply on language study and use, are exposed to pressing issues of development in the region, and explore one of the highest mountains ranges on earth. Our approach to learning in Bolivia is to combine in-depth and rigorous language study with out-of-the-classroom experiential activities. Working with local teachers we carefully select Spanish language resources and connect learning to the wider arc of the program. Instructors craft relevant lessons to build upon each student’s individual explorations of the language while placing the meaning of language in the cultural context.
