Centre-in-the-Yucatan

Fall 2012 and Spring 2013

Location. The Centre-in-the-Yucatan program is based in Mérida, Mexico, a vibrant, historic, and beautiful city of one million people on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Its location near both Mayan ruins and the Caribbean coast has for many years made it the ideal spot for Centre’s residential program in a Spanish-speaking environment. Merida was named a "City of Peace" by the United Nations in January 2011.

Housing in Mérida. In Mérida, students live with carefully selected Mexican families in middle class or upper middle class neighborhoods. Each home-stay is hand picked by our onsite coordinator and is matched according to the needs and preferences of students selected for the program. Students will have access to modern bathroom and kitchen facilities and will generally have their own bedroom. This arrangement has proven to be a highlight for Centre students in Mérida during the past few years. You will come to regard your home-stay family as a second family. (To see what a past Centre-in-the-Yucatan student says about the home-stay experience, click here.)

Program Excursions. Centre spends about $1,500 per student on special opportunities for students in the Yucatan and in Mexico, including two short excursions. The first excursion typically occurs near the beginning of the program and introduces students to the Yucatan peninsula and its coastal regions. The second excursion typically occurs later in the program and introduces students to another area. Centre-in-the-Yucatan students often travel on their own in small groups after letting the director know where they will be and who they will be traveling with. (Centre asks a student who wishes to travel overnight alone—without at least one other student—to have a parent e-mail the director permission.)

Eligibility. Although this is not a program designed primarily for Spanish majors (or even students who have taken Spanish), the selection committee often gives some preference to students who have studied Spanish. Students without any Spanish who are accepted for the fall program take Spanish 110 in Merida; those without any Spanish accepted for the spring program must take Spanish 110 in Danville for a grade during the fall term; failure to do so will result in being dropped from the spring program. All students find that their spoken Spanish improves dramatically during the time in Mérida, partly because of the home-stay arrangement.

Program Dates for Fall 2012. Those participating in the fall 2012 program will arrive in Merida on Sept. 10 and will fly home on Dec. 3.

Director and Courses:

Both fall and spring semesters will be directed by Dr. Phyllis Passariello, W. George Matton Professor of Anthropology, who has directed Centre semester programs abroad in three different countries and led Centre students to sites all over the world. She knows Mexico very well, because she has been traveling, studying, and doing field research throughout the country for more than 30 years. She was part of the faculty group who initiated and organized the Merida program and has been taking students to Merida since 1990.

The course all students will take, taught by Dr. Passariello, will be Folklore and Expressive Culture of Mexico (Anthro 245/345). This course will survey genres of folklore and folk arts of both ancient and contemporary Mexico, using this focus as an axis for introducing students to the richness of Mexican history and the impressive variety of Mexico's ancient and living cultures. The museums, churches, art galleries, and nearby ancient Maya sites of the Merida area will be important resources for the course. Other course activities will include "field" trips to Merida's general market and several other secondary markets scattered through the city to observe artisans and their wares. High points of the course include possible class excursions to Oaxaca, Mexico, to participate in "Day of the Dead" activities and to San Cristobal in highland Chiapas, to visit indigenous Maya villages, observing on-site weaving and other folk crafts.

All students also take a Spanish course at the appropriate level. Spanish majors may take a course in both language and literature:

SPA 110 (section c) Fundamentals-I

SPA 210 (section c)/SPA 220 (section c) Intermediate-I/II

SPA 250 (section b) Intro to Literary Analysis

SPA 271 (section a) Latin American Culture Abroad

SPA 445 (section a) Literatura Mexicana y Yucateca

In addition, students select two of the following courses which may be offered:

1. Qualitative Field Methods (Anthro/Soc 301): This course provides an introduction to the research process in cultural anthropology. Various methodological and theoretical frameworks will be introduced and assessed, including both classic and contemporary readings. Experiential learning, primarily through participant-observation, is at the core of this field-oriented class. Of equal importance to the course is practice in documenting one's field observations. Each student will conduct and document several small projects as well as produce a more substantial and polished ethnographic piece. Pre-requisite: ANT 110 or permission of instructor; some Spanish language is recommended.

2. Ancient Maya Culture (Anthro 451): taught by Prof. Fernanda Suarez. Students will learn the principles and processes behind the development of universal high culture, using the example of the ancient Maya. The course traces the cultural development of the Maya prior to the conquest by Europeans in the 16th century.

3. Human Ecology in the Yucatan (ENS 251): What do humans need to live in a sustainable manner for generations to come? How do the actions of the human species limit this potential? This course will focus on the sustained needs for human population: food and fiber, shelter, water, and waste disposal. We will see how technology and the services of natural ecosystems collaborate to provide these services in the Yucatan and compare them to strategies used elsewhere.

4. Literatura Mexicana y Yucateca (SPA 445): A survey of Mexican literature by reading texts from the viceregal period, independence, the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Within this panoramic retrospective of Mexican literary currents, there will be a secondary focus on literature from the Yucatan. Prerequisite: SPA 230 and one of SPA 250, 260, 270.

More Information

Pre-Departure Training. Selected students will attend three required pre-departure meetings this spring and/or next fall. These meetings will prepare you for living and studying in another culture and give you a head start on your common course. Students selected will continue to prepare through individual reading over the summer.

Caveat: Lack of Counseling Support Abroad. The kind of counseling and support services available on campus are not available abroad. Because any significant life transition can exacerbate and complicate already existing mental health issues, students who are currently on psychotropic medication and/or have been in mental health counseling are encouraged to consider participating in the three-week Early Summer Strasbourg program or one of the CentreTerm programs abroad. In addition, those students are urged to meet with a Centre Student Assistance Program counselor prior to their leaving, to develop a support plan for their time abroad.

Cost. The comprehensive fee (for tuition & fees, room, and board) is the same as for study in Danville, except that 1) there is a $350 surcharge to help defray the $1,500 costs of the excursions that Centre pays for, and 2) students pay for their own airfare to and from Mérida, which currently costs $400-$500. All financial aid arrangements in Danville continue in Mexico. Students with remaining loan eligibility are eligible to borrow additional money for educational expenses. Also, remember that you may be able to save some money by canceling your automobile insurance while away.

Medical Insurance. Students studying abroad through any Centre program receive travel and accident insurance at no additional cost. Centre’s Study Abroad Insurance, while provided through EIIA (Educational & Institutional Insurance Administrators), is administered through AIG Assist. Every student studying abroad with Centre College receives an AIG Assist contact and information card as well as a passport sticker. Each has the Centre insurance policy number, which is the only information needed to receive services. The categories of coverage provided are: accident and sickness ($100,000 limit with a $250 deductible); emergency medical evacuation and emergency family travel ($100,000 limit); accidental death and disability ($200,000 limit); and repatriation of remains ($100,000 limit). For specific questions, please contact the International Programs office at 859.238.5285 or leigh.cocanougher@centre.edu.

Book Air Tickets Early to Save Money. Students in the past have generally been able to find economical round-trip air tickets. Some have found studentuniverse.com, statravel.com, or hipmunk.com helpful sites. Book early for the lowest prices.

Internet, Laptops, and Cyber Cafes. Computers and internet connections are less available in Centre’s study-abroad programs than they are in Danville. Indeed, if you expect to spend huge amounts of time Facebooking and Skyping, you should reconsider applying, since the point of this program is to immerse yourself in a different culture. Students in Mérida do have access to computers with internet connections in the classroom building, and may also, for a small expense, use cyber cafes throughout the city. Wireless access to the internet may also be available at the classroom facility. Although you may turn in all work hand-written, if you own a laptop, you should definitely bring it.

Spending Money. Past Centre-in-Mérida students have suggested bringing about $1,000-$1,500 to spend on some lunches, souvenirs, phone cards, Xeroxed readings for your classes, Internet cafes, occasional restaurant meals, and personal travel. You will receive a small allowance sufficient for bus fares during school days. Your home-stay families will provide you with at least two meals each day. On group excursions, two meals a day are also generally covered by Centre.

Grades/Independent Studies. Mid-term warning grades of D or U are issued after the sixth week of the term, just as in Danville. All Mexico courses count in the GPA, just as in Danville. The Pass-Unsatisfactory option is not available in any Centre study abroad program. Only students whose schedules require that they take a particular course not offered in Mérida in order to graduate on time have the possibility of arranging an independent study with a Centre professor in Danville.

Pre-Registration/Convocation Credits. While in Mérida, you pre-register for future courses via e-mail with your regular academic advisor. You will automatically be credited with six convocation credits during your term abroad.

Passport. If you do not currently have a passport that will remain valid for at least one month after your return, you should begin the process of obtaining one as soon as you are selected. In the recent past, some students have waited three months to receive a passport, even though the passport agency has stated that it will take 6-8 weeks. Do it now!

How to Apply. Applications and faculty recommendation forms can be picked up from the Center for Global Citizenship, in Old Carnegie or at one of the study abroad meetings on November 21, 29, or January 5. You should give the recommendation forms to your faculty recommenders early in January 2012. Turn in your completed application at the Study-Abroad office no later than noon on Wednesday, February 8. You may not email your application in. The selection committee may interview all applicants. You will learn of your status by e-mail on February 24.

Trip Deposit Due at Cashier’s Office in Boles Hall by Tuesday, March 6. In order to hold your slot if you are selected, you must pay the non-refundable $350 deposit/surcharge to Judy Bowell at the Cashier’s Office in Boles Hall by noon on Tuesday, March 6.If you later decide to withdraw from Centre-in-Mérida, this non-refundable $350 deposit/surcharge is, as its name implies, not refundable.

To see photos from past Centre-in-the-Yucatan experiences, click here.