Program Details
- Location:
- Quito, Ecuador
- Program Type:
- Intensive Language
- Degree Level:
- Undergraduate
- Duration:
- 4-6 months
- Language:
- Spanish
Program Overview
- Program Description:
The interdisciplinary coursework presented in this program addresses key issues related to Ecuadorian culture and development, including the multicultural character of Ecuadorian society and the country’s history, political processes, economics, society, and environment. Students examine the principal aspects of the development model used in Ecuador today and obtain alternative perspectives on this issue. During the term, students will also develop skills in field methodology to be utilized during the Independent Study Project (ISP). Through an extensive examination of the diverse issues shaping contemporary Ecuador, students gain new perspectives to be applied to other national and international settings. Intensive Spanish language study allows students to more effectively engage with local scholars, experts, and community members on these issues in order to more fully understand Ecuador today.
Discover the cultural complexity of Ecuador, home to a fascinating diversity of peoples and natural environments. This program explores Ecuador's cultural richness and its current realities and conditions. Students focus on language, culture, politics, history, identity, and the challenges of implementing the country’s innovative and highly inclusive new constitution. Advance your Spanish The program places a major emphasis on language learning. Students can make rapid advancement in their Spanish skills through the program’s highly intensive classroom study, homestays, and fieldwork. Experience Ecuador's three ecologic zones: Andean highlands, tropical rainforest, and coastal lowlands Traveling from 10,000 feet down to sea level, students are exposed to Ecuador’s extraordinary ecological diversity. During periods of excursion, students meet with indigenous representatives and leaders of grassroots organizations who discuss threats to Ecuador's ecology and present alternative strategies of development
Please inquire for costs: Fees include tuition, full room and board, all field trips and related fares, health and accident insurance, and other direct program expenses. Participants pay for international airfare and domestic travel to the point of departure from the USA.
- Setting Description:
- The Ecuador: Culture and Development program includes three major educational excursions: the cloud forest, the rainforest, and the central coastal region, including the city of Guayaquil.
Additional Program Information
- Scholarships:
- Yes
- Scholarships Description:
- Please see our website for more information.
Program Reviews
Overall Rating
Based on 1 Reviews
- Field-based, hands-on, A+++ experience!03/02/18
SIT Ecuador: Development, Politics, and Languages could not have been a better experience. I applied to the program on a whim following the advice of my study abroad advisor and it could not have been a more perfect fit, and the hands-on, field-based
experience we had was once in a lifetime. From city life in Quito to the coast of Guayaquil and the Galapagos Islands, all the way to the Amazon, we had the unique opportunity of being able to learn first-hand about Ecuador's most pressing socio-political issues from those directly involved in grassroots organizations and those affected by the ever-shifting political climate. Fabian, the academic director, is the most knowledgeable and passionate teacher I have ever had in my life. He and Sofia (the assistant director) were a constant support structure throughout the entire process and were always ready, willing, and able to lend an ear, a hand, or whatever you might need. I was able to immerse myself in Ecuadorian culture through my homestays and consequently improved my Spanish dramatically. The ISP was an incredible experience; I was able to prove to myself that I can, do, and will belong in academia, an aspect I have been doubting about myself for a long time. The opportunity to engage in field-based primary research at that level with the level of support that we had is something incredibly unique. The best part of the program is that you can really mold it to your academic interests- whether you're passionate about the environment, human migration, linguistics, gay rights, etc. etc., you can make the program what you want it to be!
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend