Geography 8 week Summer Program in Oaxaca, Mexico

June 8 through August 4, 2006

The Department of Geography's 8 week Summer Program in Oaxaca, Mexico is designed to take a small group of students to Mexico and give them valuable insights into environment, culture and the problematics of development. While we analyze the problems facing this area, we will visit groups and interview people that have started to develop their own solutions to these problems.

See pictures of past programs

About Oaxaca	Information about the program	Field Visits and Village Stays
Grading	Faculty	Prerequisites
Registration	Tuition and Fees	Logisitics

Documents: Registration Form and Checklist

About Oaxaca

The program is based in the City of Oaxaca, in the southeastern part of Mexico. Oaxaca's city center with its outdoor cafes and its historic buildings offer a glimpse of Mexico's colonial past, while the new settlements spreading up the hillsides and the ongoing protests in the Zocalo, the main plaza, point to some of the more problematic issues facing this area.

The program also includes several fieldtrips into the countryside. The state of Oaxaca is in itself a world of many worlds. The state's ecosystems range from deserts and high mountain cloud forests to tropical rainforests and coastal regions, yielding the greatest geographical range and biodiversity in Mexico. more information about Oaxaca state

Oaxaca’s human geography is equally diverse. Sixteen indigenous groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and tradition, comprise two thirds of the state's population. The indigenous communities base themselves in their communal life and provide a different perspective on life experience in the contemporary world. These communities are on the forefront of political change in Mexico and are transforming the political landscape with their demands for autonomy and respect for their culture. more information about indigenous people in Mexico

Information about the Program

The class will consist of regular class time, interrupted by field visits, some of which last several days. One week will be devoted to a village stay . The program will be supplemented by an optional intensive language class with local teachers. While this class is optional, it is highly encouraged for all participants. Students will be assigned a level according to their language skills. These classes will meet in the morning from Monday-Friday for 2 hours every day for the first 6 weeks of the program, to give the students ample background and time to brush up on their language skills. There will be some interruption in the schedule for the full day field visits. Upon return to Lexington, the students will have the opportunity to test out of the equivalent of the language classes they have taken in Oaxaca.
The geography classes will meet in the morning after the Spanish class. The two classes will first give an introduction to the history and geography of Mexico and Oaxaca. Then they will move into the specialized areas, namely

the rights of indigenous people, who make up a majority of the state's population
environmental problems and their solutions
the alternatives to development

These classes will consist of lectures, given by the faculty, and visits by local guest speakers from different non-governmental Organizations. We will take full advantage of the small class size, so there will be ample room for discussions. We will reinforce the issues discussed in class through field visits and village stays . As such, even though a typical day will mean classes in the morning and in the afternoon, many of the days will not be typical, as we will travel to various sites in the state to meet with different people and organizations. Weekends will of course be free, and there are variety of entertainment options available. For more information, consult the preliminary syllabus .

Field Visits and Village Stays

During the field visits students will have the chance to appreciate the many facets of the state and will have a chance to directly observe the issues discussed in class. In the past these visits have included:

Archaeological site Monte Alban: A short way out of the city, these ruins offer a glimpse of the splendor of prehispanic civilization.

Ecotourism project in the Sierra Juárez : Located in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, and offers a view of the rapidly changing mountain ecology, ranging from cloud forests at about 10,000ft altitude to humid tropical forests, all within a days walk. It is also an example of a community that took over a state owned logging company and is now trying to use their forests in a different way.

Coastal trip (4 days): In this trip to the coast of Oaxaca, we will visit a variety of community projects concerned with environmental issues and rights of indigenous people, as for example in the Lagoon of Manialtepec. We will also visit a finca in the coffee growing area in the mountains that rise up from the coast. This trip will take place before a weekend, so students who decide to do so, are free to stay over the weekend at the beach.

There will be several meetings with non-governmental organizations located in Oaxaca, to get their view on the issues discussed in class. Among them are ecological groups, indigenous organizations and women's organizations.

In addition, the program includes a one week village stay, where students will be dropped off at different villages in order to experience first hand the living conditions in rural Oaxaca. This means to participate for one week in the lives of people and to gain an insight into the rhythm of community life. Through this participation, one can gain a much better insight into the meaning of development, and gain an appreciation and respect for the different viewpoints of people.

Grading

The final grade for the undergraduate students will be based on a weekly journal in which students relate the readings and issues in class with their own observations and experiences from field trips, combined with a final essay. Graduate students will supplement these requirements with a preliminary research paper of 10 pages.

Faculty

The faculty for this session consists of Tad Mutersbaugh and Oliver Froehling. The Spanish classes will be given by local experienced langage teachers. In addition we count on the support and guest lectures by Gustavo Esteva, a renowned writer and intellectual from Oaxaca who has written a number of books on economics and development and is now heavily involved in the movement for indigenous rights in Oaxaca, as well as experienced guest speakers from a variety of NGOs

Prerequisites

The prerequisites are one year of college level Spanish, minimum sophomore standing and approval of the instructor. Students will also be required to show proof of international health and accident insurance.

Registration

Undergraduate students should register for two courses (a total of 6 credit hours):
GEO 365-220 Special Topics in Regional Geography: Oaxaca Development (3 hours) Froehling
GEO406G-221 Field Studies: Oaxaca, Mexico (3 hours) Froehling

Graduate students should register for two courses (a total of 6 credit hours)::
GEO 706-221 Advanced Field Studies: Oaxaca, Mexico(3 hours) Froehling
GEO 712-220 Development Studies and Geography: Oaxaca Development (3 hours) Froehling

Tuition and other costs

Note: the tuition costs are an estimate based on last year.

undergraduate students:

	Tuition	Fees (1)	Spanish	Airfare (2)	Miscellaneous (3)
KY resident	1,393.5	1,800	350	800	800
non-KY resident	3,139.5	1,800	350	800	800

graduate students:

	Tuition	Fees (1)	Spanish	Airfare (2)	Miscellaneous (3)
KY resident	1,987.5	1,800	350	800	800
non-KY resident	4537.5	1,800	350	800	800

(1)Fees include lodging and breakfast at a local family, transportation for sight visits and four field excursions. Students are expected to pay this part up front. Students will cover their own lunch and dinner(see Miscellaneous), but arrangements can be made for lunch at dinner at the family houses for an additional price.
(2) estimate for roundtrip airfare Lex-Oaxaca, Oaxaca-Lex .
(3) this is an estimate of 15US$/day for miscellaneous expenditures such as lunch, dinner, souvernirs, entertainment, etc.

In order to pay the Fees and Spanish in 3 installments, we have established the following payment schedule:

750 by April 1st (Payable to the Dept. of Geography Secretary)

750 by May 1st (Payable to the Dept. of Geography Secretary)

650 by June 1st (Payable to the Dept. of Geography Secretary)

of course, you can also pay the full amount (2,150) directly before you leave.

Flight Information

Students are to arrive before 6/9. the earliest departure date is 8/5.

Important Dates*

May 2 - June 7 Summer Eight Week Course Registration window for students enrolled in the Spring 2005 semester
June 8 Depart for Oaxaca
August 5 Depart for Lexington

* For more specific deadlines associated with the Eight-Week Summer session, see http://www.uky.edu/Registrar/cal-8W06.htm

For further information please contact
Tad Mutersbaugh, Dept. of Geography, e-mail: mutersba@uky.edu
Oliver Froehling e-mail: oliverrf@prodigy.net.mx